I ask because I sometimes feel I'm in the same boat. Most nights it's 2-3 drinks. Some weeks it's every night, some weeks it's less than half days.

I can get in a really pissy mood sometimes that seem to float away when the alcohol kicks in a little. At that point it makes me wonder if it's because of some dependency. You always see on TV or whatever sometimes that when someone quits drinking/smoking/drugs/etc. they get short tempered and I wonder if that's happening to me. I definitely get short tempered if I'm hungry or need sleep, and I wonder if it's the same.

And then sometimes I haven't drank in a couple of days and the stresses of balancing work and family feel 100% real. We work hard to provide a good life for our family and know that I do more than most so I deserve a bit.

But then there are days when I'm totally fine and happy with no drinks, and especially stressful days when the drinks don't relieve the stress.

My kids only a toddler, so I'm a new parent, but you see all the time in movies and TV where the day is passed out on the couch next to a whiskey glass while the kids are watching TV shaking their heads, and I really hope that I'm not heading down that path.

But it is only 2-3 drinks at night, almost never enough to get a hangover or not be able to wake up with my kid at 6am. I used to drink a lot more before I became a father, and that makes me feel that I'm ok.

Sometimes I feel that sometimes I worry is good because it means if I do start drinking more I'll stop it. But sometimes I feel that I should be worried that I sometimes worry.

But majority of the time I feel that I'm normal. Especially after reading this post, I feel that I'm right in the middle of those who responded. It's just sometimes that I worry about not where I am now, but what it's gonna be 10 years down the line.

You're right that it's a hard topic to sum up, but this post definitely has got me thinking about it.