Alcohol Consumption. It adds up.

On a daily or weekly basis how many alcoholic beverages do you consume?

He answered that he was a social drinker.

So I asked how many times a week do you socialize and when you do, how many beverages do you have?

He said he gets together with friends maybe four or five times a week. Mostly in the garage. Mostly with neighbors.

He said he might have four or five beers. Sometimes a drink of rye.

Are those regular beers or tall boys?

Tall boys.

That rye, how many fingers high in the glass?

Three or four.

I did the math.

Four tall boys was about five standard alcoholic beverages. Three fingers of rye in a glass was at least two standard beverages, which he revised as having on each occasion.

The calculation was simple: about six drinks per occasion, about 4 times a week, equalled 24 beverages weekly.

That was a conservative estimate. If five times a week and seven beverages per occasion, the weekly total is 35.

His wife sat quietly as we went through that part of the discussion. She knew it was more, that he was under-reporting.

With the numbers he presented, he didn’t see a problem.

He was quite unaware of the financial cost as well as the impact on his relationship and with his kids.

He wasn’t prepared to hear of it either.

Couple counseling wasn’t going to get far.

He was at what is called the precontemplation stage of change. That really means he hasn’t considered it yet. Some people remain there.

I suggested she attend individual counseling for herself as well as Al-Anon.

Some folks you never hear from again.

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I am Gary Direnfeld and I am a social worker. Check out all my services and then call me if you need help with a personal issue, mental health concern, child behavior or relationship, divorce or separation issue or even help growing your practice. I am available in person and by video conferencing.

Gary Direnfeld, MSW, RSW

gary@yoursocialworker.com
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Gary Direnfeld is a social worker. Courts in Ontario, Canada, consider him an expert in social work, marital and family therapy, child development, parent-child relations and custody and access matters. Gary is the host of the TV reality show, Newlywed, Nearly Dead, former parenting columnist for the Hamilton Spectator and author of Marriage Rescue: Overcoming the ten deadly sins in failing relationships. Gary maintains a private practice in Georgina Ontario, providing a range of services for people in distress. He speaks at conferences and workshops throughout North America. He consults to mental health professionals as well as to mediators and collaborative law professionals about good practice as well as building their practice.