How to start trying alcohol safely? What drink should I start with?

I drink once in a blue moon and have never had any problems with it. If you told me I could never drink again, I'd be fine with that. However, I'd echo the comments of others who have said that if you've made it into adulthood without booze, you're better off carrying on that way.

It's not great, to be honest.

Snakebite? Half cider half beer...you will be kitchen dancing to auld skool in no time 💃💃💃

Agree with this. My mother couldn’t drink when I was a child due to medication but she is now an alcoholic and has been caught drink driving twice. I could forgive the first time but not twice. She’s totally deluded too and insists the police said it was a shame she got caught. I highly doubt that when they have to scrape the remains off the roads after accidents caused by drunk drivers.
I know I’m getting off topic but still don’t do it OP

🤣🤣🤣. I was telling my husband earlier that I seen frosty Jack's in cans 🤢🤮.

OP, please ignore the previous posters who have suggested mixing your own spirits (eg vodka, gin) with a mixer - it could be really dangerous for you! Spirits are around 40%, which is 10 times stronger than most beers and ciders. So you have to be really careful with them and only have them in very small amounts - especially if you're not used to alcohol.
If you really want to try drinking, it would probably be better to have a small glass (no more than half a pint) of beer/lager or cider. Be careful to check the percentage on those, as some ciders are actually more like 7%, and it does make a difference!
As you can see, there is maths involved :-) Most of us made mistakes in our early days of drinking and ended up getting ill. One issue is that alcohol relaxes the part of your brain that assesses risk, plus it makes you feel nicely uninhibited, so your brain often tells you to drink more. Make sure you're with trusted friends!

I would suggest something like a Radler, it a sort of shandy adjacent very low strength fruity beer. They are only 2 or 3%. Or Baileys.

I am 2 years sober after having a real problem with booze, so my view is I guess it depends why you want to start? Are you just curious? In which case I guess I kind of understand it ….

Maybe try something once a month or similar? Start off with a spritzer of something. Then next month try a beer, figure out what flavours you like.

But think about what motivates you to do this at this stage.

edited for typos

I’m a recovering alcoholic, 4 years sober, and if I could give one piece of advice to my younger self it would be to never even try that first taste of alcohol, all those years ago. It would have saved so much heartache. OP, sober life is fab, there are some people for whom alcohol brings nothing good to their lives and you don’t know if you are one of them until you find out the hard way.

Honestly, I wouldn’t even bother, and I say that as someone who loves a glass of wine or gin and tonic in the evening but recognises that it will only make my life shorter.

Alcohol is a horribly bad habit with no health upsides whatsoever. If someone was on here asking for cigarettes for beginners everyone would be appalled!

Why? What's the point if you're drinking alone?

Don’t do it.

What a weird question OP. How old are you?

I'm 57 and I've never tried oysters, or snails, or frog's legs, or gammon, or tripe, or durian fruit, or liver, or ginger tea, or cocaine, or weed, or Red Bull, or golf, or martial arts, or any number of things.

If I wanted to, I'd just have one. Why do you feel the need to try it now?

Assuming you're not 14, have half a lager shandy or a white wine spritzer or a pre-mixed cocktail in a can if you really want to, but honestly, I don't know why you'd bother if you've got through life so far without it.

Why do you want to start drinking? You're not missing anything!

Don't start with wine, it's very strong for a first drink. Start with half a pint of beer or a spirit with large mixer.

But I still stay don't start at all!

Just posting as curious to find out the reason for you wanting to start! Very unMumsnet!

Wines and beer is usually an acquired taste so I would definitely pick a fruity cider as your gateway drug. Although personally I also like the alcohol free versions

Try equal parts of Buckfast tonic wine, White Lightning cider, and Night Nurse.

Let us know how you get on.....

White wine spritzer? Small glass of wine, topped up with ice and fizzy water, or lemonade if you like it sweeter. Or lager shandy, half lager, half lemonade?

Kopparberg or a similar fruit cider (old mout etc) - they’re usually only 4.5% and you don’t have to drink the whole bottle.

If you are over 25 and made it so far without trying alcohol, why would you start now?

I’m surprised alcohol is not regarded as an antisocial activity on a par with smoking, based on what we know in terms of it causing cancer and a host of other very serious health problems. Not to mention how it alters behaviour in a negative way for a lot of people.
I mean try something light and clean, a good quality organic white wine. But I don’t know why you’d bother.

Dessert wines are lovely - pour a very small glass and sip it over the course of an evening.

Yes to this - used to drink whiskey when I was younger for its efficiency at getting me hammered, on the odd occasion I drink it now it still tastes like regret. Spirits are probably a bad call for early forays into drinking!

Might be the best outcome!

Alcohol is so enormously overhyped in our culture despite its extensive harms and dubious benefits.

The opening question seems a bit like asking what the best type of cigarette or cigar is for someone who has never tried smoking.

If you like apple rise then try a nice cider. Just have half a bottle at first.

I’d start with something like a mild lager shandy, then you can slowly increase the amount of beer in the glass while you get used to it.

Half a glass of lemonade and half a glass of a low alcohol French or belgian beer in one of those small green glass bottles.

Don’t start off with spirits or anything with an alcohol volume higher than 5%.

Eat meals beforehand, and never mix your drinks eg wine, beer and spirits on the same night.

It’s not obligatory - no need to continue if you don’t like it or don’t get the fuss. Plenty of tee total adults out there leading perfectly happy lives.

If you do like it try a mild white wine spritzer with lots of soda water and ice.

Don’t bother drinking cheap nasty alcohol eg any wine under £5 a bottle, but don’t splash out on expensive stuff before you know you like it!

If you want to try spirits start with gin or vodka but only a fingernail depth at first with ice and tonic or lemonade. It’s strong stuff and your body won’t thank you for going too fast.

Please ignore the recommendation above to try whisky - it is an acquired taste, it will taste disgusting, and you won't understand why anyone wants to drink it!