To think a bottle of wine is a LOT to drink for 1 person?

[lesley33]

This comes out of a discussion with a frind who I saw on Saturday morning. When we talked about what we were going to do that weekend it came up that she was planning to drink a bottle of wine to herself that evening. When I commented that this was a lot, she said she regularly drank a bottle of wine.

So AIBU in thinking this is a lot for someone to drink in 1 night?

Dear Nan, you get an egg.....

Some of you drinkers have really made me laugh! Thanks!

You say what I think!

Ah, thanks Brian lad, that's the bit I was confused about.

I'm off to bed - interesting topic, enjoyed it, thanks OP and others

interesting how the drinkers get so defensive about it though, and also how it seems more socially acceptable than smoking (going by the recent smokers thread)

If you've got dcs you might need to look after them in the night or whatever, what do you do if you're pissed? (genuine question)
I'm in the smoking camp
although given up fornow

I'd never heard of the concept of a 'large glass' of wine before I moved to the UK. A bottle of wine is not 3 glasses, it's almost 5 normal glasses. Everyone is used to seeing these large glasses now and it's acceptable to drink that much.

It's not dissimilar to the upsizing of say, french fry containers at McDonalds. Today's medium sized box of fries is the same as the largest fry box you could get when I was a teenager. People now think eating twice the number of fries we ate back then is normal. Same with a serving of cola.

I'm not preaching; I certainly don't care how much people want to drink. I can drink a bottle myself over the course of an evening, though I try to save this for rare occasions when I'm out. But I'd be deluding myself if I said oh hey, I didn't drink much! It was only 3 glasses!

"a bottle of wine for one person is officially binge drinking"

Or what used to be known as "drinking" :o

I find the idea of an "official" classification of binge drinking very silly.

So am I right in thinking that most people that live on the continent have a drink problem? Most people in southern (and even northern) europe drink this much and more regularly. It is very normal to drink a bottle of wine with your meal.

Maybe we should all tell them that they are not normal and are binge drinkers. After all we are so well known for having a healthy relationship with alcohol. Oh wait....

I am going to bed now but just wanted to say - I'm not getting defensive about how much I drink, I'm getting defensive at the patronising tone of some on this thread.

But I can't be bothered going over it again. I've said it all, I'm tired and...shock horror...it's cuppa tea night.

Bed and book.

sandyboots - you must be reading a different thread from me; the drinkers seem to be having the best craic.

Well if they do it on the continent, it must be right...

I'm 5'9. I fall over after half a bottle. I've never got through a whole one :o

Goodness the bottle quaffers among you are a touchy lot. You drink like a fish if you like - doesn't worry me. Was merely answering op - a bottle of wine is a lot (shrugs).

sandy you've missed the point.

A bottle of wine doesn't get me pissed, or I wouldn't drink it as I wouldn't be able to look after my children.

But that's just me. I'm assuming other drinking mums don't think the children will fend for themselves until after breakfast.

I can quite easily drink a bottle to myself over the course of an evening. I'm more likely to fall asleep after a couple of glasses though. [gimmer] I get four glasses from a bottle.

I don't do it often, less than once a month I'd say. Only on nights when I don't have to be somewhere the next day and preferably if dh can get up with the children.

I realise that it's not good for me but I think that one bottle of wine a week, over the course of a couple of evenings, doesn't constitute a problem. On the odd occasion when the whole bottle goes in one night I don't have any more until the following weekend.

I think my cake problem is far more damaging to my health than my wine problem.

A bottle of wine's a lot to have in one evening. And drinking a bottle of wine in one evening regularly isn't healthy.

But, as long as your friend isn't driving or caring for infants or suchlike, it's her own business if she chooses to drink a lot.

"You drink like a fish if you like - doesn't worry me."

Right, we've decended into the absurd now.

I'm off to debate another topic.

I'd definitely vom if I had a whole bottle I think it's a lot

Merchant I was just meaning that the smokers are supposed to be all 'aren't we awful' about it whereas you boozers don't. If you've got dcs then smoking's the more sensible vice as you're still looking after them when they're sleeping.

or chocolate/spliff/sex/good novel

A bottle of wine or 3 large glasses for a person a night is just ridiculous. No wonder our women are getting fat! That's about 550 calories in that bottle!! Time to reflect and get real.

x post boysboysboy I see, yes I suppose it's different I'd be bent over the loo-
but say one became ill and you needed to take them to hospital for example?

10 years ago I could (and did) drink a bottle all by myself. I also smoked like a chimney. I was in my 20s so could get away with it. These days, a bottle to myself would see me spending the night with my head down the toilet - though there's a good chance that I'd actually drink myself to sleep before finishing the bottle. These days, I prefer green tea, no longer smoke, and run five miles three times a week (though I don't need much pressure for my halo to slip ).

I know several people who could drink a bottle of wine without being drunk and incapable, or unable to function the next day because of a hangover. I don't think it necessarily signifies a dependency on or a problem with alcohol.

However, a whole bottle would definitely put strain on someone's liver. A typical 12% bottle is 9 units - well over half of your weekly unit allowance. You can argue to the cows come home about whether or not someone is a lush because they drink a bottle every saturday night (I don't) but you can't deny the health consequences of that. I think there are a lot of people out there with an alcohol 'problem' in the sense that it's damaging their long-term health even though there are no other negatives associated with their drinking.

The ability to drink a bottle in one go suggests it's a regular occurrence. Most people who drink 'sensibly' (i.e. sticking to around or under the recommended limit per week) could not manage a whole bottle.

Was the friend planning to stay in and drink the bottle all by herself with no company? I find that rather sad TBH - drinking a lot because you've got company and you're not keeping track of what you're consuming is one thing, but sitting in on your own and getting drunk just seems really lonely and pointless to me, but each to their own I guess. I suppose some people might say the same thing about me and my green tea .

Ultimately, her body her choice. People abuse their bodies in all sorts of ways - by eating lots of foods high in trans fats or sugar, smoking, taking OTC painkillers too regularly, etc. They are the ones bearing the consequences, so I can't really see the point in getting shocked about it or judging.

I've held off for 8 whole pages but have finally leapt in to swell the ranks of the bottle-downers (with a cup of tea beside me today). I can certainly manage a bottle of wine of an evening and feel fully capable of anything but driving after it.

I come from a long line of quality drinkers and Sunday lunches can go on all day. Despite our open-invite to fine wine at all social occasions, drunkenness is rarely seen and not welcome. The only time I recall seeing anyone drunk at family events is at times of proper grief or occasional experimentation with mixing ill-advised cocktails.

Based on no scientific knowledge whatsoever, I imagine the alcohol limits are set at a level that would keep almost everyone safe from the damaging effects of alcohol. I have had recent thorough medical investigations for something unrelated to drinking and my liver is apparently in perfect shape. If I've managed almost 30 years of drinking without damaging it, I'm planning to enjoy the party for at least as long again before I hang up my cork-screw.

Not everyone who thinks the OP is ridiculous is a 'drinker acting defensively' ffs - I drink maybe twice a year these days but if the mood took me I'd happily down a bottle of wine and go on to attempt a second. I just cannot abide the po-faced 'oooh I'm so health conscious' brigade!