If your a social drinker with a social life....

[Overcover]

It's not actually possible to stick to 14 units pw?

I don't ever drink at home, unless with guests, I don't ever drink during the week, but most weekends I will go out about 2 of Friday night, Saturday afternoon and/or evening and Sunday afternoon. The afternoons more likely when the weather's good.

But if I have, say 3 pints of beer, twice over a weekend, I'm over the weekly limit. And yet this doesn't seem excessive to me. Is my idea of what's normal really so off?

I completely agree. I have 2 nits typically but sometimes 3, over 4 hours or so, hardly guzzling them

I agree, it is really difficult. Especially because being 'social' at the pub often requires you to keep up with others, so it isn't as easy as saying 'just drink slowly/ have fewer drinks'. 3 isn't a high number, but you can easily top 15 units with 6 pints.

I try and balance it out by being active, eating relatively healthily and not taking any substances. I also don't take it too seriously - my 'unhealthy' habits will change as I age and in a couple of decades the biggest threat to my health might actually be being terribly lonely and not having anyone around to go for a drink with.

Well it is actually possible to go out and socialise and not drink alcohol every time you go out.
You can stick to 14 units a week if you choose a non alcoholic option some of the time.
There are some really good non alcoholic beers.

No, we do the same (DH and I) but it is too much and unhealthy.
Could you be the designated driver? that’s what we do sometimes.

We also have wine in the house, or a cold beer in summer. The units creep up!

I treat it as a guideline - like recommendations about intake of sugar, salt, saturated fat, calories, exercise per week etc all of which vary from country to country and all of which few people can say they strictly adhere to - make sure I have some social events where I stick to non-As, and acknowledge that I’ll have some weeks where I drink way over guidelines and some weeks where I don’t drink at all. I balance it all out with very high levels of exercise and a good diet. I’m happy with this approach: I’m not aiming for immortality and I’m perfectly happy trading pleasure for life years.

I'm not convinced that the non alcoholic alternatives are better for you. I drove last week (which is my usual ploy to cut down) and stuck to non alcoholic beer and had the worst "hangover" in weeks afterwards, which I put down to the chemicals. I find the same happens if I stick to sugary soft drinks.

Yes, this is my view too. I, and the friends I drink with, are very active too and as I live alone, I do think these outings do me the world of good mentally.

I can't drink much these days so I often have a couple of pints then switch to either shandy or alternate with non alcoholic drinks (not a fan of alcohol free beers just have a lime soda or similar). Find it helps avoid the hangovers too!

Oh, and if I'm at a friends house I get a pint of water every so often to slow down the drinking and dilute the volume of alcohol

Well I agree with you about sugary soft drinks being unhealthy. I dislike the taste of them as well.
I enjoy non alcoholic beer but I've never had more than 2 bottles at any one go so I've never felt any after affects.
Tbh since I stopped drinking alcohol I drink a cup of coffee a day, a couple of cups of tea a day, the occasional bottle of non alcoholic beer on social occasions and the rest of the time I just drink water - lots of it.