How much do you drink? Honestly!

Yikes.

Nothing.

Used to drink more but at 45 with small children it’s much less. I am quite sociable - e.g this week includes dinner with friends and a theatre trip. Two small glasses of wine with dinner and maybe one pre theatre. I might have a Friday night G&T. That’s it. 4-5 drinks a week max. If I don’t socialize I will likely have nothing and can easily go a couple of weeks without drinking. I only ever have small measures and I’d say it’s probably 8 units maximum but probably less and averaging out at 4-5 units a week. Every couple of months I might go out, out and have say 5 drinks in the one night but that usually puts me off drinking for a couple of weeks!

I personally feel like my drinking is so moderate that it isn’t a problem. I have considered stopping but I feel like that might make me think about wanting to drink more than just having the odd one does. I have no issues with stopping at one or not drinking.

Perimenopause has caused me to really feel the impact of drinking - if I indulge in more than 2 drinks in one sitting then I feel like crap, physically and mentally. It’s rarely worth it.

Pretty normal 40 year old mum of two, I don’t drink a bottle of wine a year.

I will occasionally have one can or bottle of beer on a weekend but even that is not weekly.

Whether you think it insane or not, I don't drink alcohol. I have in the past, but would much rather have a cup of tea. I don't like the taste or how it makes me feel. I was teetotal from being 18 until I was about 32, would have the odd drink at a work party if I went out (rarely) then from around 33 I've never drank alcohol again. I'm 40 now.

Once a week at home, no more than 1. If I go out I will have 1 drink, but never more than twice in a row. Special occasions more - just back from holiday and did drink most days, 1 or 2 glasses of wine and maybe a cocktail. Christmas lunch with friends - also more than 2 glasses, but not much.

You're right, OP. I don't drink to excess at all, but I do consume more sugar than I should. I don't suppose that there are many of us who don't have any vices.

That said, I recognise that I need to cut down on sugar, and I'm making efforts to do so. Hopefully those who need to cut down on alcohol will be making similar efforts in that direction.

There isn't much point in any of us standing in judgment over each other!

Hmmm. You say that you find it "insane" that people dont drink and have said over and over again in this thread that regular drinking is completely normal in your social circle but then here, you seem to be justifying it. Why?

If its so "normal" as you say and you feel fine about it, why the need to justify it so heavily?

For the record, I couldnt give a flying toss what anyone else drinks but from what you've said, I dont think you are quite as comfortable with it as you make out.

Since being diagnosed with breast cancer,
I don’t drink at all. Just to mention drinking can significantly increase your life time risk of developing breast cancer, so it would be wise to reduce the amount you drink.

Strange how moving into my 40s I just cannot tolerate any alcohol. Yes, DH drinks single malts occasionally and it's disgusting the absolute stench 🤢

Never been a drinker even when young. I am now 70 and have a glass of wine once or twice a month. I might have a glass of non alcoholic wine or beer once a week.

I am just not fussed about alcohol

Nothing sun to Thurs. Fri sat one small glass of wine or cider. So a bottle of wine would last me 3 or 4 weeks.

If out for a meal more likely to not drink and drive.

Once or twice a year I might go out and have several drinks at a social eg if work put Me up in a hotel, then max one bottle.

If I drank one bottle in an evening, no matter how long that evening was, I would definitely be more than tipsy, id be properly drunk. So I think you might be kidding yourself there OP and your brain is quite accustomed to the alcohol at this point.

I did plenty of damage to my liver in my teens though so I've no moral high ground 😆

I'm a single mum and despite my name on here I only drink socially. So about twice a month and not to excess (that often)
I'm currently on holiday and have been having a few cocktails from the AI as it would be rude not to!
I did drink a lot in my youth but now in my 40s I don't feel the need. However if I get a new partner I wouldn't be adverse to sharing a bottle of wine on weekend nights.

The smell of whiskey and brandy actually makes me 🤢 they smell disgusting.

I think not drinking is more normal than it used to be.
I am teetoal, and so are most of my friends. However, we all go to the gym and are generally quite health conscious (don’t smoke or vape either).

Nothing. Sober since 2017.

Lavender and linden teabag I have before bed.

Can't stand the smell of alcohol.

I don't think its that surprising that more than average numbers of people who don't drink (or just at Christmas etc) are on Mumsnet - we're hardly meeting our social needs down the pub. 😅

As I said before, I've never been much of a drinker anyway. My mum friends offline used to drink a lot prekids, but much less so now with young kids, especially my two closest friends who are now single mums. They will have a drink on a night out but those aren't common. One has just divorced her alcoholic ex, they both drank too much prekids, but he couldn't/wouldn't stop when they had kids and that became a problem.

So there is also how having young kids affects women's alcohol consumption too.

I watched a youtube video a couple of days ago by a medical professional who said after seeing what they have seen over the years they would recommend people don’t smoke or vape and have no alcohol, it’s just poison.

I agree it might be generational - I know quite a lot of women in their 60s and early 70s from various groups I attend and they seem to be the demographic who drink wine at home several times a week, at whom all the 'gin' and 'prosecco' birthday cards etc are aimed.
My peers in their 40s drank heavily in their 20s but have now largely stopped, and our teen children don't like 'getting wasted' (after their first year or two experimenting with the novelty of alcohol now and again).

I used to drink a fair bit but my tolerance has never been huge. In the last year I've massively cut down as it was impacting my sleep and hormones and so I was maybe having 1 or possibly 2 small drinks per month.

These days I'll have either between 0-3 drinks per week depending on plans. Glasses of wine are v small (125ml or less) and so are beers (often share a can with DH). A bottle of wine will last us a week between us, easily. I quite happily will go out of an evening and not drink at all. This would have felt impossible to me in my 30s.

It’s pretty much zero. Someone bought me a bottle of wine for my birthday (inward groan from me) several months ago and it sat in my fridge unopened until last week. I thought I’d try a glass but struggled to get through it and the remains are still in the fridge. I’ll end up using it in a stew or something.

I like a beer on a very hot day but I drink the non-alcoholic kind and it would be just one glass or can.

I think I’m probably either allergic or intolerant as alcohol really gives me no pleasure at all. I’d rather have a bar of chocolate.