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Original poster

Anyone think 14 units a week is really low?

181 replies

Bunnylady54 · 27/01/2020 16:35

The average bottle of wine is I believe about 9 units so 14 units is less than 2 bottles a week. I drink more than that! Does anyone think it’s pretty hard to stick to 14 units?

OP posts:
IceCreamAndCandyfloss · 27/01/2020 18:04

Not low at all, 14 units is a lot of alcohol in one week.

I don’t do 14 over the year though as never seen it as part of daily life.

TeacupDrama · 27/01/2020 18:04

recommendations in france are no more than 10 glasses of wine per week for women and 15 for men and two alcohol free days a week

The average UK consumption is about 22units per week for people over 15, as 22% are teetotal and 28% drink less than 3 drinks (6 units per week) the other 50% are drinking quite a lot

this is also interesting Italians drink the least in Europe but have one of the highest rates of 15 year olds that drink each week
www.drinkaware.co.uk/research/data/comparisons/
maybe this is the culture of light drinking by nearly everyone as opposed to lots of teetotalers and lots of heavy drinkers

damnthatanxiety · 27/01/2020 18:04

bigchris the French are being told to cut back. It is not doping their health any good either

NameChangeNugget · 27/01/2020 18:06

It's only in UK where people think it's normal to drink a whole bottle

Clearly a made up fact. When I worked in Italy, it was commonplace. I felt like a right lightweight

GlamGiraffe · 27/01/2020 18:09

Honestly to me that is loads. To me alcohol is a treat, if you are having it that frequently I dont see how it can be. I'd much prefer to have an amazing drink from time to time than pretty average frequently. That's just my personal take on it though.

QueenOfOversharing · 27/01/2020 18:14

11 years ago, for me 14 units a day was a fairly regular occurrence. GP worked out my 'average' units to 70-120 a week. I was a functioning alcoholic.

Haven't had a single unit since April 2009.

TeacupDrama · 27/01/2020 18:16

@namechangenugget Italians drink only 2/3 the amount of alcohol per year that those in UK do it has one of the lowest alcohol consumptions in Europe at about 7.4 litres of pure alcohol per year in UK it is about 12 as it is in France, you very rarely see people drunk in Italy

catwithnohat · 27/01/2020 18:19

Given that quite a lot wine is really high strength (a lot of red is 14%) so depending on what you drink those 14 units can be anywhere from 6 to 4 large glasses. In terms of spirits that's 7 shorts (approx).

Sounds like a decent amount but I guess it depends on your social life.

lowlandLucky · 27/01/2020 18:26

You are an adult and know the guidelines, make your choice

ooooohbetty · 27/01/2020 18:27

I think it's low because I don't drink in my home but I go out at about once a week and easily have double that on a night out.

VivaLeBeaver · 27/01/2020 18:29

I think it's quite high. I wouldn't drink it in a month.

GG20 · 27/01/2020 18:30

It seems a lot to me but that’s easy to say because alcohol is not my vice of choice (that would be sugar)

Same! Blush

MoltoAgitato · 27/01/2020 18:32

It’s easy to stick to. Like a crap diet, you can feel healthy for decades but too much alcohol will catch up with you in the end.

Boopeedoop · 27/01/2020 18:32

I don't drink at all so seems alot to me. But then my parents are birthday and anniversary drinkers, so alcohol has never been a focus in my family.

LittleDragonGirl · 27/01/2020 18:35

I struggle to hit 12 units in 3 months Grin but I dont enjoy the taste of alcohol and it reacts badly with long term medication I take so alcohol is generally unpleasant for me Sad

ExpletiveDelighted · 27/01/2020 18:36

It does depend on your family and friends to some extent, I was brought up in a house where an occasional beer at the weekend or a couple of pints in the pub on a Friday was about it, so drinking at home is just not a habit I've ever got into. Similarly my friends and I will rarely drink more than a couple of glasses of wine each on a night out so that's normal to me. I do have a couple of friends who drink more heavily but they are definitely the exception amongst people I know.

missclimpson · 27/01/2020 18:39

Dh and I have lived in France for 15 years. Our doctor has never once asked us how much we drink.

MysteriesOfTheOrganism · 27/01/2020 18:42

2 units per week is my average! I prefer other vices Grin

Heymacarana · 27/01/2020 18:43

but too much alcohol will catch up with you in the end.

Nonsense. Plenty of people drink for their entire lives with no ill effects at all

Lifeoverhaul · 27/01/2020 18:44

I drink a couple of times a year so no I don't think it's low.

pollyputthepastaon · 27/01/2020 18:44

I think possibly this is a sign you drink too much @Bunnylady54 Wink

SpaceCadet4000 · 27/01/2020 18:45

It's neither high nor low. I don't think it's the amount but your feelings about it that matter.

If you're trying to reduce your drinking level and maintaining it at 14 units isn't satiating you or you just can't do it then I'd question whether drinking is a healthy choice.

However, if you're taking a risk-based approach to drinking and you happen to have more but your consumption is stable and you see no negative effects then so be it.

I personally don't drink. I used to drink around 14 units a week and climbing. I was drinking in a disordered way to take the edge off anxiety or stress (very common!) and recognised that I'd end up with alcohol dependence in the long run.

LonelyGir1 · 27/01/2020 18:47

Yes. It's so easy to do if you're out for dinner a couple of night a week and/or have a shit day at work

Eveting2019 · 27/01/2020 18:49

I’m mid 30s. I have some friends who don’t drink at all for various reasons, some who hardly like it so it’s a rare occupancy. But anyone I know, myself included, that likes alcohol consumes a lot more than that a week.

3timeslucky · 27/01/2020 18:54

If you share a bottle of wine of an evening you're already off which is what they do in Europe

No it isn't. A glass of wine with a meal is a far cry from half a bottle (and allows you to do it every night and stay under 14 units). And IME "in Europe" people do not drink wine every night anyway, even in those European countries which produce wine/have a wine culture.