How many drinks does it take

I reciently visited my nephew and learned his long time girlfriend was calling it quits due to his drinking.  While I was with him we went out and before dinner we had a few drinks. He seemed to get a glazed over look almost right away.  His girlfriend told me he gets drunk fast and almost every night.  My Dad was an alcoholic but he didn't get drunk very often and he did drink a lot every day.  My sister insists her son doesn't have a drinking problem, he just can't hold his liquor and that a real alcoholic is someone who can drink a lot and Not get drunk, like our father.  Can anyone help me with this one?  I need the right thing to say to my sister so she takes this whole thing more seriously.  

[Jacker]

A lot of people handle alcohol differently, so there is no single "type"  After many years of drinking, the first two drinks would glaze me over a bit- the difference is that I could keep drinking and maintain that state all evening.....but that's just me.

Something else to consider - if your nephew has a drinkng problem, he might have had a few private drinks before he went out to dinner with you.  I did this all the time, because I didn't want people to notice me ordering too much so I drank in advance.

Once again, everyone's metabolism is different.  Have you confronted him directly?  I realize he may not tell you the truth, but it's worth a try.  

[boogieman]

hi. the frequency and amount of consumption are not good indicators alone. what happens when someone drinks (whatever the amount) will qualify them (or not) as dependent on alcohol. alcoholics drink in spite of negative consequences and have little, if any, control over what will happen. if a person is having family, legal, financial or health issues as a result of their drinking, there is most likely a problem. take care,  gm

[Delusion]

What LoisMary says is very true and i can back it up from my own experience, everytime i used to go out drinking whether it was getting wasted in the streets with friends or in pubs and clubs when i was older or parties i would always have a glass or two of whiskey before going out and no one ever knew. Many alcoholics will do this if you think theyre doing well on theyre one drink for the evening just consider the fact they may have consumed a lot more in secret before popping out with you.

It is a addiction and like all addictions from heroin through to alcohol people will always try and get theyre release from it in the easiest and quickest ways as well as the cheapest ways. Like LoisMary has said there is no one type every alcoholic can fall into but in a lot of cases especially with males weak drinks such as beers, ciders and alcopops etc really wont do a lot to a long term alcoholic because theyre body will be more than used to metabolising those concentrations.

Spirit drinking is the sign and it is the one indicator of a true and very much damaged alcoholic. Its quicker in its effect thereby giving you a faster release, it is also a more ''ecconomical'' way of getting utterly smashed because cost wise in comparison with beers and weak drinks it will do a lot more to you.

You need to find out his patterns this is very important, i know it may not seem it but the kinds of beverages he drinks can tell you a lot about how long hes been in this situation and even which direction hes heading in.