Cooking burns off all the alcohol!

The video of Stevi on that was skipping really badly so in 'The Music of the Night' he ended up singing 'a strange new washroom'


The first article you linked to paints her as a pathological liar, but then so are all newspapers, so who knows

This is the impression I get -
"But he was quick to insist he doesn’t actually believe she is an alcoholic or a drug addict and instead thinks she believes the image she created was ‘cool’ and she enjoys being the ‘centre of attention’."

That's right but then the other boyfriend said she is an alcoholic liar. The allergic to alcohol comment is laughable.

I don't think there is really a clear and undisputable definition of what exactly an alcoholic is.

It's a very emotive word that really means nothing IMO.

People handle alcohol (or it handles them) differently. Some people prefer to use the term 'alcohol dependent' or something similar.

I don't think labels really help anyone. It's clear that Chloe has 'problems' with alcohol and her choosing to abstain (while in the house) is understandable - at the same time I can't imagine it's easy.

I stopped drinking three and a half years ago - I drank far too much than was good for me on a daily basis. I wasn't a stinking, wretched mess of a person but my dependence was getting too much. It dominated most of my everyday life (I'd be thinking ooooh can I get a drink there, will there be alcohol etc).

I chose to change my life - I was successful - I know others who have struggled for years.

I kind of understand Chloe a bit more now I think. Still not keen on her but I imagine she is feeling under a lot of pressure in there and can't have a drink to cope with it.

A lot of people in the UK's relationship with alcohol is dodgy IMO - it's kind of a cultural thing. I think it needs addressing.

Wonderful for you Penny

You are very right - there are different kinds of alcohol problems, and it can be unhelpful to use the blanket term 'alcoholic' or even understand what someone means when they use it. The medical profession are guilty of this too, as they always need a label for things.

That said, in true addiction, there have been brain scans of the addicts (not just alcohol but cocaine etc) compared to people with no such tendency, and their brains work very very differently.

But it just doesn't suit some people and they can do very silly things after a drink, and I wouldn't be surprised if Chloe was one of them.

I agree with all of this ^ and some of it rings true for me too. Alcohol is legal and socially acceptable, but can be so so destructive. I'm not going to question Chloe on this, she has her reasons for saying what she said, non of which I am privy to. I respect her choice.

She is irritating, kooky, eccentric, needy and self absorbed, but makes for interesting viewing in my view. Stevi has his work cut out there but is ideal for her, because he is a people pleaser.

Back to alcohol (not literally this time of day...anymore..). Maybe Austin needs to drink less, it might make him more tolerant..

And a blackout isn't a symptom of being allergic...

Just out of interest - if a motorist kills someone while being under the influence, should they be let off the hook because it's a disease they can't help, in the same way that a driver with heart disease having a heart attack would?

No.

And I don't think it is a disease. It's a condition - some people are more pre disposed both socially, emotionally and genetically than others. I think calling it a disease is quite wrong (IMO) and gives out the wrong messages. I do think people who have problems should be given as much help and support as someone who does have a 'disease' however. It is a big problem in this country and more help should be widely and freely available as should a better education re the harmful and debilitating effects of alcohol.

She clearly IS an alcoholic, nobody says they are an alcoholic without a strong realisation that alcohol is damaging their lives somehow. And she clearly has had treatment for it. No-one calls it 'a disease' without first having encountered it and had some kind of treatment/concelling.

I believe her when she says some days it's better than others and I respect that fact that she doesn't talk about it constantly, ramming it down people's throats, and for not making Stevi feel bad about having a drink himself.

As for not seeing it before, don't forget we only see a few minutes of each person every day. I expect she HAS mentioned it, but until Austin flared up, it wasn't something BB wanted to broadcast. They may EVEN have been respectful in not showing it before.

maybe.

I very much agree.

Do you think alcoholics drink because others do?
The partners of sober alcoholics do not abstain from drinking.
Try looking at the traditions and 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and Al Anon

If she going to drink she will, if she decides to stay sober, she will and he can't make her drink or stop her from drinking.

Most of the people who are battling alcoholism and winning call it a disease so
why does it concern you that it's referred to as a disease.
What is gained or lost by accepting alcoholism as a disease?

Good for you Penny, I'm glad you done so well, but like you say for some it's a massive struggle! We have a family member who has a massive problem and it's not at all easy for them. Very depressing to see at times but you can't do anything other than them wanting to make it better themselves. You can only be there to give them support. I myself have never been a big drinker, mainly due to being around an abusive father who drank all the time! (Not to me but my mother). Thankfully it was only in my younger years but still bad memories there, hence why I have never drunk much myself!

I think perhaps this is why Chloe is like she is, very insecure and wants to be liked! Quite sad really!

Alcohol is a 'normal'/acceptable way of life in this country. We cannot avoid it - it is everywhere. It's a bit daft to say that Stevi shouldn't drink around her - she will be around alcohol practically every day of her life- it's simply impossible to avoid - if Stevi wants to not drink around her - good for him - if he doesn't it really isn't relevant or unhelpful to how she copes with the situation. It is her problem - not his.

It doesn't concern me at all TBH - I just don't think of it as a disease - people are not victims.

We all find a different way of giving up. I know Alcoholics Anonymous refer to it as a disease and make the client feel almost a victim. I know this works for a lot of people and that's brilliant but (as far as I'm aware) every day is seen as a victory against a struggle. I don't think (certainly not in my case) that was the best approach.

I'm a bit of an evangelist for this man - I could preach and bore for Britain but - it worked for me - I enjoy my life without feeling deprived or 'on the outside'. I really am at a bit of a loss to understand why this philosophy isn't taken up big time/mainstream throughout the UK.

I know many people who stopped drinking with this method and many, many more who stopped smoking.


Allen Carr's Easy Way to Control Alcohol


I was going to post a link through amazon but I think my details are in there and I can't be arsed to log out etc.

If anyone wants more info - please feel free to PM.

There is a real problem in this country and I just don't understand why


No because it's an existing condition. You have to let the DVLA know if you have any medical impediment to drive, your licence is cancelled, and constantly being over the limit certainly qualifies! It's just the same as if you were to go blind. That said I'm sure many alcoholics keep quiet about it, hopefully only drive when they're safe to, and am sure many others hope to one day improve, so even if they don't drive through bad patches they wouldn't want their licence taken as it's a struggle to get back, if possible at all (I wouldn't know but perhaps they see you as a constant risk).

Interestingly, I believe in Japan being drunk was a defence against certain crimes (not sure about now, and drink driving wouldn't count I should think) But then, they have a very different drinking culture there. There are alcohol vending machines selling bottles of spirits even. Not once in half a decade there did I see a student using them (or smoking) and very, very few obvious alcoholics like you do in the UK. Then again most businessmen would go out at least a few nights a week drinking, and smoking was the norm.


It must be different by area then. Around London I know it's common that they're told not to go anywhere with alcohol, avoid friends who drink (I've lost a few because they only hang out with other totally sober folk now), some of them even split from their partners if they won't go sober with them.

However not all problem drinkers go to AA.

You clearly know nothing about Alcoholics Anonymous
You clearly have no research concerning how many people have rebuilt shattered lives by getting sober.
Allen Carr is great at helping people stop smoking, but his method is hugely unsuccessful when applied to other issues, like alcohol and weight control,

What you have rewritten is uniformed and ignorant of data and I think you should apologise for writing something that is so biased and not based on fact, then remove it.
Serious stuff this, it's not gossip about Janice's facelift or Jenna's bum cheeks

Whooha there -I am writing my opinion OK? If it is ill informed so be it - it is still my opinion.

as for uniformed I think you are too with regard to Allen Carr being hugely unsuccessful - it cuts both ways.

I will not apologise for posting something unbiased and ignorant of data - it is a discussion forum where we post our own views. Those are my views and my experience.

Calm down love and get off your high horse. I wasn't knocking AA - I simply said it wouldn't have worked for me.

I don't feel the need to apologise to anyone I wasn't attacking anyone personal - what about you?

I wonder which country you're from as I'm from the UK and from what I know of AA my understanding is very similar to what Penny says

I've looked into it to understand my friends and family who have had/have this (as you rightly say) very serious problem, and long ago read a spokesman for AA itself admit its long term success rate is about 5% i.e. more or less the same as people who just go it alone. It may help more people short term though, I don't know about that.

I tried Allen Carr for smoking a couple of times and alas it didn't help me but my nicotine addiction is very strong indeed and it didn't work for me personally, but he made a lot of money from it so I may be unusual there.

Well people don't normally say they are in a relationship when clearly they are not. I don't buy her and Stevi one bit and therefore have no option but to take everything she says with a huge pinch of salt.

As for it not being mentioned before, it's not just about the edit as she had to explain herself to Austin. He didn't seem aware that she was an alcoholic. I actually wonder if Stevi knows. Hmm


It's not so much about Stevi abstaining as that an alcoholic relatively recently diagnosed and in some kind of treatment choosing to have a relationship at all let alone with a drinker and putting herself in such a stressfully heavy drinking environment. I just feel very sceptical about everything Chevi

I'm not sure I believe her because every time BB says there is drink in the storeroom she is the first one there. Her actions, including collusion to hide it from others, doesn't match what she claimed. does it seem compatible to others... Saying one is an alcoholic while always being first to the booze?

Regardless of the pros and cons, AA exists precisely because there is a problem with alcohol for some people. Like many things it is on a continuum from non drinker through to heavy drinker.

AA will work for some, and for others it will not. I for one am just glad it exists, because by existing it acknowledges that something so readily available and socially acceptable is or can be so very damaging both physically and emotionally.

Like many things in life it's not so simple as one thing works and one doesn't. Sometimes it takes people many attempts at different things to reduce or stop their dependent drinking.

Alcohol can be your worst enemy, or it can be an occasional friend, or even someone you have never met, but let us not underestimate the damage it can do for some.

We all talk from our own perspectives, but a little empathy and thought goes a long way in my view to understanding others views and experiences.

Yes, it just doesn't fit, along with so much more about her and her desperate sidekick.

I suspect it's just another part of this ridiculous persona she's adopted in the belief that it makes her 'special' and 'interesting' and stand out from the crowd.