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Urwen Starial replied to the topic Research of less-than-desirable topics (wounds, wound complications, etc.) in the forum Fantasy Writers 6 years ago
Thank you! That is very helpful!
That is exactly what I needed!
May I ask, how many years of consistently drinking could a full grown man drink before he could die? Is it possible to avoid that maximum amount of drinking but still have a pretty routine thing?
I just want to make sure the one character has the right kind of symptoms, timeline to death. etc.
Thank you again for all your help!
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It depends on the amount consumed in a given sitting. Research suggests that weekend benders do more damage to the body both immediately and over time compared to drinking the same amount spread out over the week.
The life expectancy really varies wildly between individuals. In Russia, where alcoholism is a way of life for men (unfortunately) and the annual per-capita alcohol consumption (for both males and females) is 15.1 liters of pure alcohol, the male life expectancy is ~ 65 years, while the female life expectancy is around 75 – on par for the rest of Europe. Andorra, a small microstate in Spain with a per-capita annual alcohol consumption of 13.8 liters, has a life expectancy of 80 years for males and 85 for females. By comparison, the per-capital alcohol consumption of the US is 9.2 liters.
Looking at your ‘average’ American alcoholic, he will probably begin developing gastric ulcers and cirrhosis of the liver around his late 40s, 50s, and worsening into his 60s – assuming he started in his teens or twenties, and with American habits of binge drinking on weekends, but just enough self-discipline to not drink himself into an immediate death, and no other chronic health problems. Death may come in his 50s or his 60s if he does not curtail his drinking habits. Alcoholism also tends to come hand-in-hand with poor diet, and comorbidities with heart conditions like atherosclerosis or diabetes increase the long-term consequences of alcoholism.