Do sailors drink too much?

[Mike OReilly]

When we're cruising, our boat is our home. There is absolutely no drinking while underway, or when weather is looking iffy. But once the hook is well secured, or we're tied safely to a dock, I definitely enjoy a cool beer or glass of wine (or two, or three )

[JK n Smitty]

To most, we would probably be in the "drink too much" category. We have a full bar on our boat and always offer friends and guests a cocktail, beer or wine. We will do large raft ups (5-20 boats) about once a month and usually the whole group is drinking into the wee hours and having fun.

Sunday mornings, one of the local radio stations does "acoustic sunrise" from 8 to 11 AM, it's become somewhat of a tradition that our friends will make there way down to our cockpit for acoustic sunrise and cocktails. Usually I make bloody marries, white Russians, pain killers, home made rumchata, etc. I have been told I make the best bloodies around so when I make them I now have to make about 3-4 gallons to go around.

We do tend to drink more during the boating season than in the winter. Mainly because we are kind of hermits in the winter. So when we start to cruise full time next year it could be interesting.

But I never have more than one drink until we are secured for the night. If there is iffy weather, I will have a sundowner then just drink water the rest of the night. We do have some friends that drink too much for operating their boats but most will only have a few if they are going to be on the move and save their drinking for when they are secure for the night. Well, with the exceptions of inflatables.

[DeborahLee]

What happened to the nakid part of this survey?

[CGP]

I drink maybe 3 times a week? Not everyday, but I never over do it and get falling down naked drunk.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by DeborahLee

What happened to the nakid part of this survey?

that happens later.......

[ontherocks83]

nuff said

[Canibul]

I did have a glass of champagne on New Year's Eve. Hate the stuff.

[IdoraKeeper]

If I was drinking too much, I might have a bearded monkey as my avatar.

[eyschulman]

Many years ago I was having a problem squishing a 300+Lb patient between a fluoroscope and the table. The patient aware of my difficulty volunteered the information that she hardly ate anything and had trouble understanding why she was so big. So what's the point of asking people if they might be drinking too much for many who do just have their own standards. I don't think sailors drink any more or less than other people. On a dock or at anchor it may just be more obvious then if tucked away on land. Is drinking on sailboats a major problem? Probably not, but overdrinking where ever it occurs is everybody's problem. Are the heavy drinkers aware of that or do they care? In my experience rarely, too often they are rapped up in their own problems to worry about others or society as a whole. We all know that their are laws in many states against alcohol use and operating a boat and in my state recent law changes have put more teeth in the enforcement. For US citizens wanting to cross into Canada you may be turned back at the boarder due to previous DUI or BUI. CHEERS

[SaltyMonkey]

The questionnaire just records a certain level of drinking. Theres no connotation outside of the title.

No ones judging. Just been my experience on the hook that sailors drink -- ALOT!

If anything, I'm surprised there are others like me who answered that DON'T.

and the numbers so far are mean'd toward the lesser half of the bell curve.

[ozskipper]

If you have to ask the Question, youre not drinking enough!

[caradow]

Interesting post.
I too have thought sailors drink a lot.
Lost my mast man to alcohol a few years ago on one of my race boats and it was truly a tragedy.
However what I would now like to see that you have the collected data is to stratify the drinking scale to time spent on a boat.
I guess you would have to design a scale say from weekend users to full time cruisers.
My suspicions are that full time cruisers may be the ones with higher alcohol addiction problems although maybe I am wrong.
I do know that most major regattas are also booze feasts so it is not only the cruisers.
In actuality I am sure the data would be inaccurate because most alcoholics do not think they have a problem but I commend you on your attempt to get this out in the open.
Believe me I am not throwing stones because I do know I drink a lot more in the islands than I do at home.
It is just the rum tastes so damn good! :-)

[mikeguyver]

Well now lets see. Does waking up on the floor behind the back seat of a Honolulu transit bus at 0200 hrs. still damp from (maybe) swimming some time the day before on the north shore count for drinking too much ? somehow it went from 1000 hrs. to 0200 hrs. like snapping your fingers.....I guess you're not supposed to mix rum and vodka.

former U.S.Navy

[SaltyMonkey]

Originally Posted by mikeguyver

Well now lets see. Does waking up on the floor behind the back seat of a Honolulu transit bus at 0200 hrs. still damp from (maybe) swimming some time the day before on the north shore count for drinking too much ? somehow it went from 1000 hrs. to 0200 hrs. like snapping your fingers.....I guess you're not supposed to mix rum and vodka.

former U.S.Navy

Bad example.

With drink or without drink, we know squids don't have the brain matter to remember anything!

[zboss]

This issue is of a personal nature to me because I lost a close relative to DUI. We also have at least two alcoholics in our family. With that said...

I believe that many sailors drink way too much. I also think many sailors drink way to little.

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

Interesting



The main link:

CDC - Alcohol Screening and Counseling | Vital Signs

Those standards are absolutely ridiculous. First off... beers and liquor vary in % of alcohol greatly, they say they use 5% as a standard. I personally enjoy GREAT beer.. but they usually run 8-12% vs. bud light at what... 3%?

So, by their logic, a 12 oz. 3% beer has the same effect on health (that is the assumption here) than the same 12 oz... 12% beer? I'm consuming 4x as much alcohol with each "drink"!

Let not get started on the state guidelines they pass out in bars based on DUI and weight. According to those guides, I would be able to drink 7 beers in an hour before I even qualify for a DUI. But how can that be? If the state is saying that I can drink 7 beers in a hour and go driving but the CDC is defining binge drinking at 5 beers in an hour, then who is right?

The reality is that if the boat is in motion then we don't drink, we don't drink before we have to put the boat in motion. In any case, at all times, either my wife or myself always is sober enough to operate the dink or the boat, if needed in an emergency.