So I calculated that in the last 3.5 years I spent $30k on craft beer

I spend around $40 a month on alcohol, which is usually a 1.75 bottle or do .75 bottles. Typically bourbon or whiskey but I'll mix it up. I'll toss in beer once in awhile too, so the number is a bit higher but whatever. Booze and math aren't friends.

So that's $1440 over three years.

I'd be willing to round up to like $1700 to factor in holiday drinking and the occasional bottle of wine.

Craft beer is really cheap in the Midwest though. I can get a six pack for like nine dollars.

Point being: $10k a year for beer is fucking crazy, and I feel like you're math is probably wrong.

You spent more on beer in a single year then my total yearly annual income.

Here I thought buying a single bottle of Smirnoff once a year for $15 was me being a big spender >_<

QueenVulpix said:

Here I thought buying a single bottle of Smirnoff once a year for $15 was me being a big spender >_<

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Umm...did you really think that though? Come on...

gozu said:

Umm...did you really think that though? Come on...

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When you make under $10k a year, after monthly bills, rent, house necessities and other needed stuff, have a stash of around $20 to no greater then $50 on any given month in your bank after everything's paid for for emergencies, I assure you, for me, spending $15 on a single bottle on alcohol once a year is splurging and fancy to me. So yes I really do think that.

It's your money and everything but damn....

Insane. You make me feel so much better about my weed habit, OP.

QueenVulpix said:

When you make under $10k a year, after monthly bills, rent, house necessities and other needed stuff, have a stash of around $20 to no greater then $50 on any given month in your bank after everything's paid for for emergencies, I assure you, for me, spending $15 on a single bottle on alcohol once a year is splurging and fancy to me. So yes I really do think that.

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Damn, friend. $20-$50 in the bank would wreck my health because of all the stress it would cause me. It's not healthy, You should have at least $2k in the bank at all times.

Edit: how old are you? Obviously if you're super young 10k is plenty. I only made $5k/year until i was 22.

I worked at a craft beer bar for 4 years. 2-3 beers a night, for free, I figure I drank around 30k of free craft beer!

RedMercury said:

I dunno dude, if you're talking about it as a "session" it seems like it's a pretty important/necessary part in your life. Not saying you're an alcoholic but tread carefully

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Session is slang for a night out/house party/event with heavier than just one or two drinks in the U.K. and Ireland. The OP is clearly drinking in excess but calling a night out a session has no relation to drinking being a necessary part of one's life.

gozu said:

Damn, friend. $20-$50 in the bank would wreck my health because of all the stress it would cause me. It's not healthy, You should have at least $2k in the bank at all times.

Edit: how old are you? Obviously if you're super young 10k is plenty. I only made $5k/year until i was 22.

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Certainly my hope/goal to have that much in the bank for emergencies one day! Haha But yeah I admit there have been times the stress of my limited budget has gotten to me.

I just turned 27 last month however I haven't been able to work yet for numerous health issues, some mental health related and some physical health related including multiple surgeries of which I just had my 3rd in 2.5 years last month and 2nd this year and should hopefully be my last for hopefully a long time >_< -knocks on wood-

Once I heal from from my current one my the spring I hope to finally be able to work so that should help my income as any tiny bit counts. I don't drink often usually only on big holidays/if others have alcohol served largely in part because it's a costly expense and what limited income I have after bills would be best saved for more important things so it's why I view my once as year $15 splurge, often bought around my birthday in October and used through new years, as my one big alcohol splurge.

Cyanity said:

So you're an alcoholic. Your liver is crying, dude.

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Nah. 2-3 beers weekdays and 5-6 one weekend day/night isn't going to cause most people any problems as long as they aren't all 10%+ beers. I've done that for the better part of two decades and all my liver tests and bloodwork come back perfectly fine.

People way underestimate the amount of drinking it takes to cause serious liver damage. The people having those issues are often pounding a fifth or more of hard liquor a day or drinking 20-30+ beers a day or a few bottles of wine and so on.

As someone else noted, if you can take a week off with no withdrawal you're generally fine. I always do a month off in the spring and weeks off here and there (when too busy with work etc) and never had an issue.

Yeah, I'm about there in beer and spirits.

bear force one said:

Nah. You condone blatant excess if you like. I was raised correctly.

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It's none of your business what anyone does with their money. You weren't raised correctly at all.

I'm probably not far behind you

Replace "craft beer" with any other drug and the responses would be quite different. Sorry but this sounds like a drinking problem to me.

I still don't think you should be on the Supreme Court OP.

Good deal, enjoy it.

Recommend me a porter please. I dont drink often but i finally tried a porter in vermont and was a fan.

mooshie78 said:

Nah. 2-3 beers weekdays and 5-6 one weekend day/night isn't going to cause most people any problems as long as they aren't all 10%+ beers. I've done that for the better part of two decades and all my liver tests and bloodwork come back perfectly gone.

People way underestimate the amount of drinking it takes to cause serious liver damage. The people having those issues are often pounding a fifth or more of hard liquor a day or drinking 20-30+ beers a day or a few bottles of wine and so on.

As someone else noted, if you can take a week off with no withdrawal you're generally fine. I always do a month off in the spring and weeks off here and there (when too busy with work etc) and never had an issue.

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Playing with fire, because a lot of this comes down to genetics. You might be fine, but insisting most people would be is misguided at best. He's basically at the borderline of what could cause alcoholic hepatitis (50 g a day for 6 months) even with a 4% alcohol beer. That's from a normal day of drinking, not a weekend day. I would lay off the drinky drink, or anticipate dying younger.

You're an alcoholic. Please seek help.

mooshie78 said:

Nah. 2-3 beers weekdays and 5-6 one weekend day/night isn't going to cause most people any problems as long as they aren't all 10%+ beers. I've done that for the better part of two decades and all my liver tests and bloodwork come back perfectly gone.

People way underestimate the amount of drinking it takes to cause serious liver damage. The people having those issues are often pounding a fifth or more of hard liquor a day or drinking 20-30+ beers a day or a few bottles of wine and so on.

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This. I would categorize them like this:

1st class alcoholics who polish off a 6-pack in the morning (my in laww got liver disease in his early 40s. Stage 3 cirrhosis)
2nd class alcoholics are sober by morning, but will almost always get half-drunk by dinner (happy hour regulars, Japanese salarymen, my friend Ed went to jail on his 2nd DUI)
3rd class alcoholics do not even drink every day, but will usually spend $100+ a month on refreshments and get good and drunk once a month or more. Everybody likes them and alcohol doesn't ruin their lives.

zer0das said:

Playing with fire, because a lot of this comes down to genetics. You might be fine, but insisting most people would be is misguided at best. He's basically at the borderline of what could cause alcoholic hepatitis (50 g a day for 6 months) even with a 4% alcohol beer. That's from a normal day of drinking, not a weekend day. I would lay off the drinky drink, or anticipate dying younger.

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Fair enough. I probably do have some good genes as there are some much heavier than I drinkers in my family still doing fine in their 70s and 80s.

I also don't care about dying younger really though. I take care of myself, but I'd rather enjoy good beer and wine in mostly moderation and maximize my good years even if it means losing some years on the back end.

gozu said:

This. I would categorize them like this:

1st class alcoholics who polish off a 6-pack in the morning (my in laww got liver disease in his early 40s. Stage 3 cirrhosis)
2nd class alcoholics are sober by morning, but will almost always get half-drunk by dinner (happy hour regulars, Japanese salarymen, my friend Ed went to jail on his 2nd DUI)
3rd class alcoholics do not even drink every day, but will usually spend $100+ a month on refreshments and get good and drunk once a month or more. Everybody likes them and alcohol doesn't ruin their lives.

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That's s good categorization. My wife and I are definitely 3rd class. As are pretty much all our friends and colleagues.

Grigorig said:

Shrug. People also shouldn't eat red meat, most pork products, saturated fats, complex sugars etc etc but they do it anyway because they have decided the enjoyment factor outweighs the health risks. I'm sure a lot of the armchair doctors in this thread have plenty of extremely unhealthy habits.

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Yep. Life's short and old age sucks. I put effort into taking care of myself as I don't want to die too young. But I want to enjoy the best years of my life and have been living it up since my 20s and still in great health at 40.

If that means I die in my 70s instead of 80+, so be it. My family memebers that made it to 80 plus we're miserable in old age. Lonely from their partner, family and friends Moseley dying before them, lots of dementia, strokes etc.

Grigorig said:

Shrug. People also shouldn't eat red meat, most pork products, saturated fats, complex sugars etc etc but they do it anyway because they have decided the enjoyment factor outweighs the health risks. I'm sure a lot of the armchair doctors in this thread have plenty of extremely unhealthy habits.

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Plenty of actual doctors have bad health habits, but that doesn't change the fact that it's bad for you

I shudder to think how much of it was IPA.

Shadow said:

And here I've spent $0 on beer in my whole life. I don't even know what it tastes like lol.

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Literally depends where you grow up. Me? Scotland. My hatred of IPAs stems from childhood, when IPA was the sort of drink old men with cigarette yellowed claws for hands would take out their false teeth to swig. Their senses so dulled by age and alcoholism that IPA was the only thing cheap enough and rank enough to punch through that flavor fugue. The first beer you sip[ in Scotland will be from an unguarded glass at a wedding or a party, a Tennent's Special, a McEwans ale or a Tennents Super - a beer so potent (and relatively cheap) that derelicts will get by happily on one can a day. And in Edinburgh there are several breweries and on days where there are processing and cooking the hops, the city smells faintly of hops and catfoood and that stench is what IPA tastes of to me.

If you grow up in Mexico or Japan, beer is likely a crisp, refreshing delight.

I love craft beer because it makes my chronic alcoholism cool

M I L L E N N I A L S

On a drink that tastes like battery acid. Beer is vile.

Puroresu_kid said:

On a drink that tastes like battery acid. Beer is vile.

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As someone who knows better than to taste battery acid I'll take your word for it.

Yes, let's celebrate spending 30 grand on something that is deteriorating your health.

This is like someone bragging how much they spent on cigarettes in a year or something.

Wolf said:

You're an alcoholic. Please seek help.

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Alcohol withdrawals happen overnight. You couldn't drink 3-4 days only and be a full blown alcoholic. That requires drinking everyday at minimum. He may be psychologically "addicted " to drinking or may just like it as a hobby .
Also op the pub life is good but you'd save a ton by buying or brewing some beers .

Grigorig said:

Shrug. People also shouldn't eat red meat, most pork products, saturated fats, complex sugars etc etc but they do it anyway because they have decided the enjoyment factor outweighs the health risks. I'm sure a lot of the armchair doctors in this thread have plenty of extremely unhealthy habits.

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There's a bit of a difference between those and 30k worth of beer, sure it is your hobby but even still it is a lot. If you did it with cigarettes people would do the same thing (Which would be just as ridiculous if not more so). You don't see why people might have a different mindset?

If you made the same thread with cigarettes "I've spent 30k on cigarettes in 3.5 yrs"
"no regrets"

People would be wondering how you've not developed health issues from it

thinking about it, I've probably spent a similar amount, (maybe closer to $20K?), on alcohol in general in the last 3 and a half years too. Definitely not just beer though :P

OP your maths make no sense. Assume you drink one 5$ beer a day, that would be 150$ a month. Come on.

Grigorig said:

Favorite regular beer: Alpine Hoppy Birthday
Favorite one off beer: Stone Points Unknown



I'm 5'11", 165lbs - I go to the gym 3 times a week and eat pretty healthily, fwiw.

Edit: and I don't smoke

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Not a fan of hoppy beers, but the pine aroma sounds intriguing for the first. The Stone Points Unknown I've actually been meaning to try after some of the reviews I've seen: "body odor, sweetness, chestnut, almond butter, sesame, chicken..."

I'm sure you've had Allagash, but ever tried the Curieux? One of my favorites. I also recently had a guava milkshake IPA which was pretty special. Recommend it if yo haven't given it a go yet (Seadragon by Wander Beyond Brewing).

Airegin said:

Btw OP, I have a few bottles of 2012 Orval, probably impossible to get where you live. You can buy one for $100 if you're interested.

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Are Orvals really worth it? I've been curious but not had one yet.

Mistel said:

No you definitely are one, using the UK's binge drinking to cover yourself doesn't do much favours, that's still 15 pints a week. Monthly at max based on that rough number it's around 60 pints. No real point beating round the bush. You are easily drinking an amount that can kill people over a period of time let alone nearly 4 years.

Just as a bit of fun assuming you've drunk the same amount every week:
3.5 years = 42 months =
42 * 60 =
2520 pints

Units will be rougher as I'm using the NHS values of half a pint (For 3.6 ABV %):
120 units per week
42 * 120 =
5040 units

In summary a very expensive problem no? Sure you can spend your money how you want but I'm sure you know what it does over long term consumption. This is only your beer consumption not including whatever else you drink.

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Not that I don't think there's a major drinking problem here, but I seem to recall the UK guidelines being rather strict (anything over 4-5(?)(5-6?) units per week was considered problematic on the sheet you have to fill out when registering at a GP. Like with OP, given that everyone seems to drink far far more, it feels like you do so much less even when it's probably still on the edge of being unhealthy. I imagine drinking 4-6 units a week probably seems like a lot to non-drinkers, but one beer a day, 4-5 days a week doesn't seem bad to me given there's no binge drinking or even drunkenness. I'm probably skewed, though.

H.Protagonist said:

Are Orvals really worth it? I've been curious but not had one yet.

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They're absolutely worth trying, just don't spend $100 on one lol.

The UK guidelines are no more than 14 units a week "on a regular basis", and if you do drink 14 units then spread it over at least three days. Binge drinking is 6+ units in a session.

10 grand a year on drink?! How much are you drinking?

mooshie78 said:

Nah. 2-3 beers weekdays and 5-6 one weekend day/night isn't going to cause most people any problems as long as they aren't all 10%+ beers. I've done that for the better part of two decades and all my liver tests and bloodwork come back perfectly fine.

People way underestimate the amount of drinking it takes to cause serious liver damage. The people having those issues are often pounding a fifth or more of hard liquor a day or drinking 20-30+ beers a day or a few bottles of wine and so on.

As someone else noted, if you can take a week off with no withdrawal you're generally fine. I always do a month off in the spring and weeks off here and there (when too busy with work etc) and never had an issue.

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I think you're vastly overestimating the amount of drinking required to seriously damage your liver longterm.

Not sure if rich or alcoholic

H.Protagonist said:

Not that I don't think there's a major drinking problem here, but I seem to recall the UK guidelines being rather strict (anything over 4-5(?)(5-6?) units per week was considered problematic on the sheet you have to fill out when registering at a GP. Like with OP, given that everyone seems to drink far far more, it feels like you do so much less even when it's probably still on the edge of being unhealthy. I imagine drinking 4-6 units a week probably seems like a lot to non-drinkers, but one beer a day, 4-5 days a week doesn't seem bad to me given there's no binge drinking or even drunkenness. I'm probably skewed, though.

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It's about 14 a week. The UK hit peak levels of drinking in the mid 00s however it has been decreasing since then with changing attitudes. 6 unit isn't even a bottle of wine I think?

Legit expected this to be a Tabris thread with how obvious it's bragging about having money.

I would probably be embarrassing if I thought about the amount of money I've spent on alcohol, weed, and hookers. Vices should stay vices and should not be calculated.

Congrats on being an alcoholic?

You can easily spend that much if you are buying limited release barrel aged beers, or buying hyped beers on the secondary market.

I have single bottles I can sell for $500. There are a number of beers people will pay $200 to over $1000 for. With new ones coming out all the time.

Getting these beers at retail prices they often sell for $25 - 40 a bottle. And people have a tendency towards hoarding and buying much more than they can drink.


Edit: I also knew a high roller who spent $1k a week on wine.

Should have spent it on spirits.

All beer ever is terrible.

This is like saying you spend $30k on Furbies

Airegin said:

They're absolutely worth trying, just don't spend $100 on one lol.

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I'll wait to be gifted one then. (hint hint) :)

Mistel said:

It's about 14 a week. The UK hit peak levels of drinking in the mid 00s however it has been decreasing since then with changing attitudes. 6 unit isn't even a bottle of wine I think?

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Right? It seems so small, but I think I've been mixing drinks and units here. The form was probably 5-6 drinks which convert to 14 units. Looking at it, a single drink a night doesn't seem like much as it doesn't do much, but it does add up. Seems a bit strict for social drinking, though. When people go out to socialize, they tend to have at least 3 drinks and that's on the conservative side. I'd imagine many blow their quota on one night out + a glass of midweek wine. Funny that, huh? Looks bad one way (on paper numbers of going over safe # of units/week) and not so bad the other (a single night out with friends + a single night with a bit of dinner wine).

low-G said:

Should have spent it on spirits.

All beer ever is terrible.

This is like saying you spend $30k on Furbies

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Those are an invest. Leave me be.

That's a lot of money spent on liquid garbage.

Grigorig said:

I don't think so. I will have 2-3 pints after work maybe 3 times a week, then usually one bigger session (5-6) pints at the weekend.

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That's more than my water intake probably (yeah I should drink more. Still that's a lot of beer)