Expert: Clyde - 7/2/2008

Question
Clyde, First I must thank you from the bottom of my heart, you helped me so much by answering my last questions. I have read on the internet, got books from the library, and brochures...nothing I read answered those questions you did. Thank you. If a person drinks so heavy every single day...20 to 24 drinks a night...in about 7 hours...I find it hard to believe it doesn't kill them...if they sleep maybe 6 hours, are they still drunk when they wake up? This guy worked 8 hours, drank at lunch,then when he got off a 4;00 started all over.Week-ends,he started about 8:00am, and drank all day. Was there ever a time that he was not under the influence of alcohol? Do you think he was ever able to think with a clear head? Can you be that drunk and remember where you keep a phone number? Is it possible to remember something like that when you are that intoxicated? Would he be able to explain anything at all that he did,as far as the reason why? Or would he have done things,with absolutely no reasoning at all? Not even knowing what he was doing,with that much alcohol flowing thru his body? Could he have possibly known anything that was going on around him? Or have any reason for his actions? He is also Bi-Polar,which, I'm sure,made the drinking much worse in him than it would a normal person. This man is in a very deep depression now.Could it be from the alcohol abuse? He has been sober for years...but still has that alcohol personality. If I have any more questions can I contact you again? You have been so helpful.... Thank you again,you have really helped me, Bless you, Toni

Answer
Toni,
   Thank you for your follow-up questions and for your kind words.  I hope that my experiences and knowledge are as helpful for you as in the past.

   I am not remembering the exact details of our previous conversations but I will try to answer some of these questions based on my experience.

   There were countless days in which I might ingest a twelve pack of beer topped off by 8 - 10 bourbon and colas after 4:00pm!  The drinking stopped about midnight perhaps.  I then proceeded to arise at 5:30 am and hit the day running.  I was drunk most of those mornings and definitely hungover.  I reeked of alcohol the next morning.  I functioned fully (although not as efficiently as I could have sober).   I remembered most things while awake during the day and even in the drunkenness of the nights I could be quite lucid.  I would proceed to drink a pot of coffee before heading to work (a better than one hour drive), drink a thermos full of coffee on the way and then drink coffee all day at work.  I would have many mornings that I felt absolutely lousy but I functioned.  I worked the day and at 4:00pm the wooziness and sick stomach had dissipated just  in time  for what we in the south called "beer-thirty" only to repeat the same thing the next day.  This went on for years!

   I always held a good job, paid the mortgage for a home, met most of the bills on time, paid for boats and pools and vacations, was an active member of a church, fished and kept of the lawn, all while drinking most waking hours when I was not at work.  The exception was the weekend.

   There were the nights that I would overdo the drinking and sink into a blackout.  There were too many to count and I have lost many hours of my memory while in those blackouts.  I do not remember what I did or said in those episodes but I have been told some of the things.  Those are lost to me forever.

   I can only surmise that the body was able to process the alcohol for those many years such that I was not what I would call "intoxicated."  I certainly had a "buzz" going most of the time which you would probably qualify for being intoxicated but I was mostly able to appear quite sober.  The alcoholic tries to achieve the right level of "buzz" and become quite good at controlling that effect.

   I hope this might give you some additional information based on my experience.  Certainly send me any questions you may have in the future.

Grace and Peace,
Clyde