Has your alcohol intake increased in this last year?

[DrinkRefilled]

Or decreased?
Obviously this question is solely for those who actually drink alcohol.

I used to ONLY drink about once a month and that was on a night out. Drinking to get drunk.

But during lockdown I started having the odd glass of wine with dinner.
I feel like I’m making sure I don’t let it get much more than that as I reckon it could be so easy to end up drinking every day and then it become a problem.

SO I wondered. Could it be a pattern that a huge amount of people’s alcohol intake has increased solely because of lockdown?

Mine has,before lockdown I'd go out with my Bestfriend every 2-3 weeks and we'd have a few drinks then but apart from that I didn't really drink.

Now though I probably have about 8-9 drinks over a couple of weeks so still not tons but more than I would usually have.

I agree that it’s easy to slip into drinking every night.
I’ve made a conscious decision to reduce my intake. I now drink 3 glasses of wine on a Friday and Saturday. Unfortunately that makes me a binge drinker though !!

Mine did a bit (from virtually nothing to drinking a bottle of wine over a few evenings). But I decided it was a habit I didn't want to slip into and have only had one drink so far since NYE.

Yes, it's so easy to relax with a couple of glasses of wine after a stressful day, homeschooling eldest 4, dealing with baby and toddler, and 2 dc with autism, as well as trying to work on my degree and keep the house short of a bombsite. Really trying to not allow it to become a problem so only drinking a couple of times a week now

Probably decreased on the basis I don’t really drink in the house, only nights out / gigs etc. Drank more in the summer but having a cold cider in the sun is one of life’s pleasures. I don’t find alcohol “relaxing” the way others do though, it’s more a social thing.

Definitely increased

Decreased really.

I used to only really drink socially - probably going out once a fortnight or so.

Now I might have a bottle of cider at the weekend but usually only one or two over the whole weekend.

Have now got a can a day Pepsi Max addiction though 🤣

Increased massively I probably drink 5 nights out of 7 maybe more some weeks. Nothing else to do

Decreased for both of us.

I was always a very heavy drinker due to social life, parties, work lunches and dinners, professional networking events etc but definitely drank more in the early months of lockdown at least. Previously, I’d only tend to drink when out or in company so would usually have one or two nights a week where I didn’t drink; during lockdown, DP and I got into the habit of drinking at home and also drinking pre-mixed G&T cans etc with friends when walking around parks - and boy can we drink! I don’t feel bad about it: I’m doing Dry Jan because I always do, but I don’t have a problematic relationship with alcohol so drinking more than usual doesn’t worry me.

I think many people will have begun drinking more for negative reasons (depression, boredom, to cope with stress and anxiety) which is ultimately likely to make them feel worse - though others may have more positive reasons, such as not having to worry about being hungover the next day because they’re WFH or furloughed, having more social contact than they usually would through Zoom calls etc in the case of people with small children who don’t get “out out” a lot.

Yes it increased. I’ve only recently stopped completely and plan to stay that way.

Increased significantly.

I have been furloughed for long periods, as the industry I work in has been crippled by covid. Not having to get up to go to work the next morning means there is no reason not to have another glass of wine, another beer etc. I’m also doing less at weekends, so the same applies.

I have always loved a drink anyway and in the first lockdown it escalated to about 5 or 6 nights per week! Since the end of the summer have cut right down as was getting up early to go jogging before work. I drank quite a bit over Christmas and new year had too much gin last Saturday on a Zoom birthday party. DH is working away all weekend so that will stop me having any this weekend, other wise would probably share a bottle of wine with him tomorrow night and that wouldn't feel excessive. I am happier drinking much less but it is taking continual will power to not slip back into it this lockdown as I'm jogging after work so a few wines wouldn't necessarily get in the way of that.