To ask what you do on nights when you don't have a glass of wine

I don’t see ‘having a drink’ as an activity. If I sit down and have a drink whilst watching tv etc I’d have a herbal tea, a decaf tea or a hot chocolate.

It wouldn't occur to me to have a glass of wine every evening. Presumably if I did I wouldn't be doing anything different to what I do now, with or without wine would not alter my actions.

I don't think one glass of wine in the evening is going to do you any harm, it's not like you are drinking half a bottle. Red wine is supposed to have some health benefits. Make sure you eat healthily and enjoy your tipple.

I'm pretty much teetotal and try to stay off fizzy for the bloating and sugar. I love kombucha but it gives me heartburn :( so! I have iced water, tea or herbal tea.

However, im not a drinker, im a snacker and if someone says 'oh just snack on carrot sticks instead!' It just doesnt give the same buzz as popcorn or whatever so i'm not sure teetotalers giving advice will help :/

I tend to drink Fri- Sun, but I know I should cut down. The trouble is, I associate alcohol with a treat; it's my marker of the weekend. Along with time for hobbies and nice food, so it's not like I can swap in another 'treat'- it would simply be giving up something I enjoy. I drink herbal tea in work and I don't like fizzy drinks.

I really LOVE hot Earl Gray with milk. Weirdly as satisfying and relaxing as wine!

I wonder if the wine is stopping me from going wild and eating a tub of ice cream a night.
In my case there's some truth in that.
I think it's a fair question. I used to have a glass every night and decided it probably wasn't a good habit. Alternative fancy drinks didn't fill the slot.
I never had a sweet tooth, didn't eat puddings or cakes but instead of wine (which I actually drink very seldom now) I started having a bowl of posh ice cream or a cup of tea and cake. Wouldn't suit everyone but I have no weight or dietary problems and I really enjoy it.

https://www.buxtonwater.co.uk/articles/Sparkling-Water-Mocktail-Recipes

Mocktails herbal teas ginger tea made boiling fresh ginger is lovely this time of year.

I don't drink every night but I do binge on weekends and so try to have more completely alcohol-free weeks.

A good book and something sweet and fizzy is my go-to, while tracking drink-free days on an app for that dopamine.

Then when all else fails I buy a vape...

I don't drink at all.

Even when I did, I could not stop at 1 and was a binge drinker. Never alone though, only socially and I only ever got really drunk.

Foe desperate situations I do have some valium i bought in Morocco and also some sleeping g pills from gp

But I barely ever take these since lockdown.

Sounds like you're rebelling against yourself - 'Being Good' - why is not drinking being 'good' and drinking is not?

You are an adult, you can enjoy a glass of wine without feeling bad about it. Drinking is not 'bad' inherently. It's just a drink.

It sounds like you have an inner teenager rebelling against an inner parent.

Maybe some counselling would help you untangle that a bit and feel more in control.

I also really enjoy wine OP, so I know exactly how you feel. I could once quite easily have a glass or two every night, but I now try and keep it to Friday and Saturday nights only. Meaning I go Sunday to Thursday alcohol free. I’ve done this for so long now that on those alcohol free nights I literally don’t think about drinking any more. I don’t have any alcohol substitute either as I think it’s best to just not continue that association with having a drinking ritual. I have fresh orange juice with my evening meal.

I’m a big fan of TV so I rather enjoy my alcohol free nights because I know I’m going to be binge watching something good and actually following the plot properly rather than being tipsy and not understanding what’s going on.

Herbal tea. Especially at this time of year when it's cold. It doesn't really have any calories and they make thousands of flavours and blends. I enjoy buying different ones to try though admittedly some can be a bit hit and miss.

I used to drink just about every other day in the evening, but now I have no idea how I got anything done. I feel blurry after just a glass and can't enjoy yoga/reading etc after alcohol, seems like a huge sacrifice to give up my whole evening and all my me time for just a bit of wine.

I love a glass of San Peligrino water for the less harsh demi gas & usually squeeze half a lemon or lime into a pint of it. If I'm feeling fancy, the additions are ice, half a sliced up cucumber & a little elderflower cordial.

I make tea with a dessertspoon full of dried lemon balm in a teaball if i need to relax, need help sleeping or even just fancy feeling a bit squiffy! It's a useful, potent little herb.

I can't drink due to medication but I love M& S alcohol free cocktails. There around £2 and they have a really good range of flavours now

I never think of having a glass of wine as something to ‘do’.

I drink either filtered water with ice or coffee. Occasionally tea. I don’t much like fruit juices or fizzy drinks.

I don’t drink a lot now but in the pandemic I got into the habit of a G&T after work most nights. I was working long hours, felt like there wasn’t a lot of fun/joy to be had and it drew a line under the working day.

I switched to Seedlip and tonic and that was a great substitute until life felt a bit less grey!

It hasn't got any worse thankfully but that is because of drastic changes to my lifestyle and eating/drinking habits. So I'm almost 7st down in weight which is good but please let me be your cautionary tale and don't give yourself that same hard work. If yours is healthy at the moment then count yourself lucky and make the changes now.

I stopped drinking for 18 months and found that 0% gin and tonic was my replacement tipple of choice. I couldn't find any alcohol free wines that weren't sickly sweet so gin was my go to. Other than that I drank water with either a squeeze of lemon or lime in it and drank it from a wine glass! It made me feel like I wasn't missing out on anything.

It wouldn't occur to me to drink for no reason say home. We drink with friend at the pub at the weekend or a special occasion. Our evenings are toddler to bed at 7.30, one of us cooks, the other tidies, then we sit and watch something with our dinner at around 8.15. then usually another episode of something before bed at 10

I like sparking water with squeezed lemon and/or lime ... I also love a few glasses of wine ... welcoming the weekend with a glass or two tonight 🤩

Sparkling water/fruit juice mix?
Alcohol free wine?
Fentimans or Fever Tree sparkling drinks?
Fruit tea?