Normal alcohol habits?

[TwoBakedOnes]

When do you know if healthy, normal alcohol habits are turning into unhealthy habits?

I don't think I have a problem but I'm drinking more.

The past decade, I have had two gins every Saturday with DH. That was it.

But now it's two gins on a Friday and Saturday. And then Tuesday I'll have half a bottle of wine, and finish it on Wednesday. And then a couple of glasses of Prosecco with friends/family once a week.

So drinking 4 or 5 nights out of the week - not even enough to get tipsy, let alone drunk, but enough to feel it relaxes me.

I do crave it now - especially if I've had a stressful day, and I've noticed I'll have a gin or two even if DH is out, so I drink alone.

Normal, or slippery slope?

Actually this thread has some of the most measured and reasonable responses to alcohol I've ever seen on MN.

I’m just here for the thimbleful of sherry at Christmas comments

A bottle of wine is 10 units. So if you’re having a bottle of wine plus two home doubles, then realistically that’s 16 units a week and then 2 glasses of fizz is another 3. So that’s 19 a week.

Your units are way out OP.

I think you've been given some good advice with the alcohol op. I think it would be a good idea to think about your stress. Is it normal day to day stress or something bigger? Can it be lowered in anyway? Can you start thinking about what else you could do when you feel stressed. Reinforcing healthy stress management habits will really help in staying away from the slippery slope.
You'll need to practice them so they are your go to.
What you don't want to happen is become very desensitised to drinking and then say work and home life get stressful or something in your life goes a bit tits up So the drinking increases to "deal" with it before you even noticed it. Really knowing yourself will aid you. Is it a certain time of day or after a certain activity is it ritual is it the slowing down you like. Does it signify relaxing to you. Can you transfer that signal/ritual to something else. Good luck op.

Bingo!

Generally there are more people snarking about imaginary posts about thimblefuls of sherry than there are people actually posting to say that's what they drink.

Well call it puritanical if you like, but the science is pretty clear. I’ve had a liver test before and after reducing similar drinking. The results were obvious. I decided I’d prefer to forgo the gorgeous tasty fun alcohol, but the OP may not choose that option, up to her. What we can pretend is that the impact isn’t real. We may not be talking liver disease (unless maybe genetically susceptible), but it’s clearly not doing her much good.

I was on medication that started causing harm to my liver . It was totally eye opening. My quality life was far lower than pre medication just coping with the condition it was meant to treat.

I rarely have a drink now because I have learnt how vital our liver health is to quality of life

Craving it as a method of relaxation is slippery slope territory OP.

If somebody was saying the same to you but about cigarette consumption, youd probably tell them to start reigning it in before it becomes a crutch.

Agree you are greatly underestimating your units and your drinking has escalated from what you have done in the past. If you are craving alcohol and using it for stress relief that is not a healthy drinking habit

Really ? This much be a wind up

Doesn’t everyone that drinks ‘crave’ a drink though? I know when it gets to Friday, I’m definitely craving a Prosecco! Then again on a sat and Sun! I have under the limit every week. I have been doing this for decades and it’s never been a slippery slope. I also crave chocolate!

I agree that for me slippery slope theory doesn’t always apply.

I know that I’d prefer to drink most nights because I like the taste of booze and I’m a bit of a pig 😁.
I cut down and my liver function test (not connected, just coincidence of timing) improved loads. I am still drinking but very low amounts and usually drive now as I really don’t want a poorly functioning liver when I’m 70

Hardly imaginary, if in doubt do a search for thimbleful and you can see the evidence, there are multiple posts going back years.

For some reason people do tend to get a bit snippy on alcohol related threads.

I’ve been asking myself this a lot lately too. Binge drank loads in my teens and twenties then settled down a bit when I had dc. Still enjoyed a weekend drink and the odd night out.

Now I very rarely go out or binge drink but I drink smaller amounts more often. Last week it was every night. Only a glass of wine most nights (can easily spread a bottle over 3-4 days) but then a massive gin on Saturday night, 2 glasses of wine with Sunday lunch, a pint in a beer garden…it all adds up. To much more than 14 units.

I have experience of alcoholism in my family and my thoughts are that when alcohol becomes a dependency and a priority over work, relationships etc that’s when you have a problem. If you can take it leave it that’s better but if you’re going over your units it’s still not great.

For me…I just like it. Life is stressful and boring with work, kids, very little adult time and a glass of something in the evening relaxes me and signals that it’s my time. I find it hard to stop because it’s enjoyable, the same way that I can’t give up chocolate and crisps. I don’t worry too much about addiction for me personally but I do worry about the units occasionally if I’m being really honest. And I wish life was fuller so that booze didn’t have to be such a comfort and entertainer for me.

Appreciate the replies, thanks!

The units are correct - I used the exact measurements and amounts I have. I was expecting the total to be more, too.

I've bought some alcohol-free gin and prosecco - I think that might do the trick of satisfying the craving but without the actual booze!

I'll update how I get on.

I’d just add that when I was younger I never gave a second thought to the health effects of alcohol (beyond a cracking hangover obviously). It didn’t even occur to me that there could be long term issues. As I’ve gotten older (almost 40 now) I’ve become more aware about the links to cancer and that sort of thing and that’s what scares me. Especially because Ive got kids and want to be around as long as possible for them. But this has changed because it used to be beer fear or the worry that I’ve made a fool of myself or put myself in danger that was the problem. It’s not now because I don’t drink enough in one sitting to get in those states anymore. But I must admit the links between heart disease and cancers do scare me.

That said someone always knows someone who lived a tee total, organic, healthy lifestyle and died young while their great aunt drank a whisky a day and lived to 100.

Either the amounts are wrong or the maths is wrong. The most conservative total is 15 units a week.

Friday: 2 x 25ml gin = 2 units,
Saturday: 2 x 25ml gin = 2 units,
Tuesday: 375ml low-ABV wine = 4 units,
Wednesday: 375ml low-ABV wine = 4 units,
Once a week: 2 x 125ml Prosecco = 3 units.

And yet here we are and there are no posters claiming they only.have a small sherry at Christmas on this thread. I think people who drink too much but don't like to be made aware of that fact do sometimes get snippy, yes.

Drinking to excess is almost hardwired into our social lives in the UK. It's so so easy to find yourself gradually increasing your intake. Not so easy to rein it back in unfortunately.

Hope you enjoy the alcohol free drinks op. I love a 0% lager.

My original comment wasn’t referring to posters claiming they only have a small sherry at Christmas, I’ve never seen anyone say that. On similar threads the drinkers are the ones who make the sarcastic comments about thimblefuls, that was my point.
I used to drink but am now teetotal, I’ve never mocked anyone for drinking too much or too often, but it’s apparently seen as ok to laugh at non-drinkers for being boring or unsociable, and the thimbleful comments are part of that.

That's how I read it too, I've never seen anyone say that's all they drink but it is trotted out to mock moderate drinkers virtually every time there's a thread about alcohol consumption. The word boring often gets used too.

Apologies, I think I've got so used to the snarky comments from the 'thimbleful' crowd I completely misread your post!

No worries I could have worded it clearer.

Sorry for derailing your thread OP. I don’t think anyone becomes alcohol dependent overnight, it’s usually (but not always) a long progression. Some people can halt or slow down that progression but for others they’ve reached a point where it’s nearly impossible. The problem is you don’t know if or when you will get to that point, you could continue at the rate you are now and never have any associated health issues, but it’s a gamble.

The alcohol section on here has some good advice.

I think the reason for the thimbleful of cherry at Christmas remarks (and I’ve seen them a lot) is because attitudes towards alcohol can be extreme on MN. People throw the word alcoholic around a LOT and it often seems like people clamber onto posts about alcohol consumption purely to berate the op and brag about how little they drink.

Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing but admiration for people who can just go without things that are enjoyable but bad for you. Who find joy and entertainment in exercise or other healthy, wholesome things. But the tone when it comes to alcohol on here is sometimes really over the top and condescending. That’s just my take on it.

Alcohol is literally poison for the body so yes this is a lot.