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Original poster

How much do you drink? Honestly

150 replies

Bastardanxiety · 01/02/2019 13:15

Hi,

I'm sure this has been done to death, but I guess I was just feeling a bit nosey.

So we've just had dry January and there are more teetotalers in this country now than ever before, but we're still very much a drinking nation, aren't we?

So quite simply, how much do you drink(if anything)? And if you do drink, what kind of drinker are you? I.e, do you only drink at the weekend? Are you mostly dry, but when you drink, you binge? Or do you drink throughout the week? Are you happy with your drinking? Do you worry about it?

I suppose I should go first

This week I've had just one dry day (ooops- stressed, but only a small glass in the evening) but usually I'm dry in the week, but will drink Friday until Sunday. Not constantly but I'd say a couple of bottles of wine in that time, if I'm being completely honest, which I know is slightly over the RWA.

I definitely over indulged over Christmas and I always do when I'm on holiday. That said, I never drink to get drunk, although I do enjoy that slightly tipsy, merry feeling.

Ok, over to you....

OP posts:

SconNotScone · 01/02/2019 19:44

I don’t often drink at home. Perhaps once or twice a month I will have 3 or so G&Ts on a Friday or Saturday night. I don’t often fancy a drink, but when I do, it will always be a G&T.

Outside of the house, the inlaws sometimes like to have a bottle of prosecco over Sunday lunch, so I might have a couple of glasses every couple of months. If they open a bottle of red or white, I don’t have it, as i’m not generally a wine drinker.

If out for dinner, I would generally just have soft drinks. I don’t go out out a huge amount, but when I do I would typically have G&Ts and cocktails, and perhaps a couple of shots depending on who I’m with!

So I would say I am a bit of a mixed bag drinking-wise. Very little at home or out and about, but occasional binges (less than 8 per year I would imagine)

Surfingtheweb · 01/02/2019 19:45

I do like a drink my routine is drink fri & sat in the evening, but if there is day drinking for going out etc I will.
Weekdays I don't as a rule because I work mon - fri & I get bad hangovers.
I do go to events with work, they are usually a Thursday so I will drink at those, but they are not every week.
I don't drink on a Sunday as I have work Monday.
However all that said if I have a really awful day & I have an extreme case of the "fuckums" I will drink during the week knowing full well I will have to work with a hangover which I hate.
When I drink I think I get through 1 - 1.5 bottles of wine.
I don't know what all that equates to in units, but I am mindful of my health, but more mindful of my weight. If I drink out of home I drink vodka soda - because of calories.

Arkos · 01/02/2019 19:47

I'm teetotal

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CorianderDestroysFamilies · 01/02/2019 19:57

I don’t really drink day to day but about once every 6 weeks I’ll go out and drink a lot - probably 2 bottles of wine, cocktails and a few gins. I try to stick to a very healthy diet and exercise regime the rest of the time so hope this counteracts my blow outs

Proseccoagain · 01/02/2019 22:33

A small glass of sherry most evenings (pre dinner) and a glass of wine with dinner. At weekends I'll probably have a nightcap (liqueur on ice) before bed.

justtakingabath · 01/02/2019 22:34

I think most of the people who drink have been scared off admitting it on this thread!!

PerfectPeony · 01/02/2019 22:35

I don’t drink anymore. Best decision I ever made. I think it ruins your skin and ages you, and I get the worse hangovers ever. No good ever really came from me getting drunk!

Cake is my wine though, so I’m still working on that.

Imperfectsusan · 01/02/2019 23:03

I drink red wine. Never more than a bottle a week and usually over the weekend. If I have spare I freeze it for sauces. But often I don't have spare.

cheesenpickles · 01/02/2019 23:25

I barely drink. If I do now it'll be a blow out or a couple. I can go months without a drink and it doesn't bother me BUTTTT

I grew up with my mum as a very sad alcoholic that I had to deal with 90% of the time alone. My dad is now an alcoholic too. So, I'm obviously wary but don't want to cut it out totally because I want my kids to see it can be enjoyed properly and I'd worry it would make me actually want it.

Toffeeandcoffee · 01/02/2019 23:33

I don't drink, apart from one glass of champagne with Christmas Dinner.

I used to drink a lot, I could drink myself sober on nights out.
When I hit my late 20s I got into a few scrapes when I was drunk, one which ended up with a guy sexually assaulting me .
I stopped drinking after that. Married for years now and tbh I don't like feeling I'm losing control so not drinking is easy for me. I'd rather have just iced water or juice. People seem to think you're a bit odd though for this!

OrcinusOrca · 02/02/2019 08:03

I'm 27 and never drink alcohol. I used to drink Coca Cola regularly but I probably have one can a fortnight maximum now if that. I do, however, like caffeinated tea. De-caf tastes weird.

OrcinusOrca · 02/02/2019 08:05

Interestingly the people I work with, two are over 50 and one used to be an alcoholic and doesn't drink now, the other is into healthy eating and exercise and tends not to drink but used to drink quite a lot. The other two are around 40 and both of them drink quite heavily. I don't know anyone in real life who is like me and doesn't drink and never really has.

Longtalljosie · 02/02/2019 08:06

I’ve just done dry January as I felt vaguely pickled after Christmas. Ordinarily - 3/4 175ml glasses of wine a week.

NorthernKnickers · 02/02/2019 08:14

Hardly anything...the odd glass of wine if I fancy it but not often. Last time I had a drink was over Christmas. I live alone though so that's maybe why? Feels weird drinking alone to me...a bit sad really.

Sarcelle · 02/02/2019 08:19

Monday and Tuesday dry. Thurs, Fri and Saturday I have 2/3 of a bottle of wine on those nights. Sunday And Weds I have one dry vermouth and tonic each night. Yesterday afternoon I had a sloe gin, which out of the ordinary (I was in somebody's house, not something I normally drink.)

I do deviate from that when I am on leave, when I tend to drink more wine during the week.

I do drink too much I think, it used to be more than that, with the occasional malt whiskey snifter and half a lager, but never really drink beer or whiskey anymore. Not sure I care enough to stop completely. I have no idea what units the drinks in the first paragraph add up to, which is bad. I should know.

Allthepinkunicorns · 02/02/2019 08:29

I have one or two drinks in the weekend. Some weeks I have nothing. I had a cherry bakewell vodka and coke last night and it was lovely. I really have cut down drinking a lot since having ds but I do have the occasional binge every couple of months or so but always feel dreadful and regret it the next day. I just can't be bothered with it anymore, even the thought of getting up to go the fridge and get a beer out is to much.

Flairhead · 02/02/2019 08:35

I only really drink when I go out, and then I binge drink. I didn't used to go out that much, but since becoming single and making some new friends it's been more often. I've never got completely wrecked and I've never been sick through drinking or been unable to remember anything.

CormoranStrike · 02/02/2019 08:41

Not a lot; I had a mini bottle of wine on Thursday night, first drink in a month. Felt shit, wished I hadn’t had it.

Omgineedanamechange · 02/02/2019 08:46

Well, I was drinking around 50 units a week, and that was over two days because I never drink if I have to drive the following day.

Just done dry January though, and I’m gobsmacked at how easy it was, and how little I missed alcohol. So I didnt bother with the wine I got in for last night, and I’ll see how I go on. If I want a drink, I’ll have one, but so far, meh!!!

Bit sad I haven’t felt a single benefit though, not lost an ounce, always slept well anyway, never suffered with hangovers either. I guess I must have saved a lot of money but not really noticed that either, as January’s an expensive month and it’s all vanished somewhere.

Hey ho, but at least all the judgey folks who insisted I was a functioning alcoholic have had to eat their words, as one by one they quit dry January while I cheerily drank my orange juice on nights out. Ooo, and I quite enjoyed smugly sailing past the taxi queue in my nice warm car at one in the morning in this weather.

GertrudeWilloughby · 02/02/2019 08:47

Don't drink. Don't miss it, sleep is a whole lot better, I wake refreshed, my skin has improved. Doesn't bother me if other people are having an alcoholic drink and I've got a soft drink or tea.

rightreckoner · 02/02/2019 09:15

That’s great namechange . It’s a massive difference.

nameuseroriginal · 02/02/2019 09:31

Half a bottle of wine most nights. Very rarely binge drink. Never shorts or shots.

Bluntness100 · 02/02/2019 09:33

I'm all over the place, and there is no set amount. Last sat we went out for dinner and I probably drank a bottle of wine over the course of rhe evening. On wed i has a rough day and also probably drank a bottle of wine in the evening. Yesterday I had a baileys coffee. I will see how I feel tonight, I may drink some wine.

Normally though I try not to drink during the week, and if we are socialising with friends, then it's over a longer period and I drink more, but I tend to stick to vodka, and take it slowly to avoid getting drunk.

On holiday again it depends, long weekends with friends, we do drink a lot, but again I try to stick to vodka and take it slow, or I can't last the pace. With my husband, it tends to be more all inclusive places, so for example champagne with breakfast, cocktail about eleven, a few through the day and wine with dinner.

I can also go a couple of weeks and not have any, or I can do a few nights of a couple of small glasses a night.

Really I just am of the mindset if I fancy it I have it, if I don't I won't and dont really think about it. I do think about my diet much more, and making sure I get to the gym. Booze isn't really something I think about.

2018SoFarSoGreat · 02/02/2019 10:00

Most nights one to two glasses of prosecco with dinner. That's it unless going out - once a month usually - maybe and might add another one or two. Cut out the weekday drinks for a couple of months and felt great. Shall go back to that this month. I do tend to lose track of the number of glasses when at a particularly fun event.

icannotremember · 02/02/2019 10:05

I tried keeping a drink diary once, a long time ago, but i was drinking so much then that I couldn't keep track and would have to guess by what I could remember of the earlier part of the night and how much money I had left (or more often, didn't have left) the next day. It was definitely in excess of 70 units per week. At the time I thought it was proof that the guidelines were wank, because hey, I was drinking 5 times the recommended amount and I was fine! Just fine! But I wasn't fine at all and when I look back it's obvious that despite my certainty I was just having fun, I was drinking with desperation. I'm immensely thankful in some ways that I went full mental breakdown not long after that and had neither the money nor the motivation to carry on drinking like that- because I never drank alone at home, all my drinking was at parties and bars and clubs and so on, another reason I could tell myself there was no problem, I was just having fun... And thankfully, ever since then I really haven't had the urge to cane it night after night after night.
We used to play "unidentified beer injuries" at uni and try and guess where our bruises had come from. We used to fall about laughing at the ridiculously dangerous situations we'd got into, getting into taxis with random men at 4am when out of our heads. We even found it funny that half the time we had no memory of whether or not we'd had sex with people. I'm not ashamed of any of that now, but god, it makes me sad.

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