to ask how much booze you drink? Do you drink everyday?

[countingmyblessings]

Because I have been drinking Pimm's & lemonade or with OJ everyday this week & am starting to think it's habit forming.

I don't normally drink everyday. Can I blame it on the heatwave? A bottle of wine or two on a Friday night (or every 2nd Fri) is normal for me.

I don't want to turn into a 'non-functional' alcoholic like my BIL. On the otherhand my 85 year old grandmother drinks everyday & I wouldn't class her as an alcoholic and or non-functional.

What would you class as having a drink problem/ being an alcoholic?

Thoughts appreciated please.

[flippinada]

Interesting question.

Personally, I hardly drink at all. I used to drink quite heavily in my early to late twenties; always binge drinking on a night out.

Nowadays (late thirties) I only drink occasionally and don't miss it at all.

[mrstigs]

Don't ever drink at home. Don't see the need. Drink wine on nights out. Had two nights out this year so far and the last one was Friday just gone. I didn't notice how many drinks I had been given (Sat in nice beer garden with a generous friend) and ended up having four large glasses of wine. I could hardly walk home and felt like shit the next morning. Won't be doing that again!
I couldn't imagine drinking every night, even if it's not to get incredibly drunk like I was on Friday. I don't think I'd enjoy it. Besides if I drank more wine I'd be drinking less tea and that would be terrible.

[fruitpastille]

I usually have a glass or two of wine on an evening with a couple of nights off, sometimes mre, s ometimes less. 8 weeks pg now though and must admit I am missing it. I have also had to tell some white lies to avoid drinking with others without telling them why. Not having any has made me aware that I was probably having too much. I future I will stick to one bottlespread over a week as a general rule.

What do you do if a good friends drinks too much?? My best mate reckons she drinks about 6 bottles a week. She is not stupid, she knows she isnt supposed to. She lives alone and has a high powered job plus her family enjoy a drink. We have spoken a bit about it but she hasnt cut down. I worry about her!

[libertine73]

Too much, It's something I definitely need to tackle. And yes, most days, with weekends drinking more.

[lougle]

None. Ever.

I don't like the taste of alcoholic drinks, so I would have something with a mixer when I was younger and it was 'expected of me'. Then I realised that 'no' is a complete answer, so I just say I don't want it.

TBH, I even water down J2O because I find the taste too strong

[squoosh]

The wine glasses people commonly use these days would give you 4 glasses per bottle.

Old style wine glasses, the kind my parents use and which are getting harder and harder to find will give you six glasses per bottle.

[Notcontent]

I have one glass of wine every evening with dinner - two if I go out, but that's not often. I don't binge, because I don't like how it makes me feel - that initial drunk feeling is lovely but afterwards is not so great.

I do think I should have more alcohol free days but I do look forward to that glass of wine...

[itsonlysubterfuge]

How big are the wine glasses you drink from if 2 or 3 glasses is half a bottle of wine?

Genuine question.

[Doubtfuldaphne]

I gave up drinking three years ago and don't miss it at all. It's expensive and makes you feel crap in the morning if you have too much. Empty calories too!

[mercury7]

another teetotal
very low tolerance for booze & just dont really enjoy it

[missrlr]

Very little usually perhaps one or two glasses a week, but usually not. Mostly as on call so no can do. And many times cant remember when the last time I drank was.

best look on a police officer's face when stopped for the pre christmas crack down and I simply couldn't remember then smiled and said on holiday in September, but tomorrow I will be drinking!

Special occasions a different story but my off switch is developing nicely, it has taken a few years ....... These happen 3 or 4 times a year.

[sparkle12mar08]

I rarely drink wine at home anymore, perhaps a single glass once a month or less. I also don't drink every week even, sometimes it might be two to three weeks between having a drink. If and when I do drink, I'll have one double gin and tonic, or perhaps a double Tia Maria and coke, and that's it. It will always either be with a meal, or in the evening after a meal, never before and never on a empty stomach.

If we have friends over for sunday lunch though (3-4 times a year maybe?) we'll often go through nearly a bottle per adult over the course of four or five hours, and then a couple of bottles of dessert wine on top.

Alcohol is simply another flavour for me, and not one I particularly care for over other drinks, so I've never understood the need for alcohol that others have.

[Cat98]

A little Too much I think - I drink about a bottle and a half of wine a week on average- sometimes more, sometimes less. I drink it over 3/4 nights. So I probably stick to 14 units a week on average and have a couple of dry days, but on the days I do drink it's probably too much.
I used to drink a lot less but it crept up a couple of years ago when we lost our baby. I'm currently sipping a glass of cava. I won't drink mon, tues or fri this week but may well have a glass or 2 on the other nights.

[olidusUrsus]

Teetotal.

[Lizzabadger]

I drink a bottle of wine a week spreadover F/S/Su. I work in a memory disorders clinic. Lots of people (prob dependent on genetics) find that regularly drinking over the guidelines catches up with them in their forties and they notice that their memory and thinking is not as efficient as it was.

[MadeOfStarDust]

zero - I do not drink at all.....

I am the daughter of a dead alcoholic, a man who (only ?!? ) drank a bottle of wine every day for 20 years and it killed him. Not a nice way to go.

[bluesbaby]

I binge, which is bad, I know. I enjoy the taste of some drinks so doubt I'll ever be teetotal apart from when I get pregnant.

I drink at home sporadically - I can go 2 or 3 days in a row with a G&T each day or rum and coke. I might then not drink at home for a month. I can take it or leave it which is key. I like it but I don't need it.

I do go to the pub maybe once a week, and have a binge (3+ drinks) probably once a month. It's expensive if anything else!

[LustyBusty]

I go out once or twice a month and binge drink. Maybe a bottle of wine over dinner (7-9:30ish) then rum and cokes (3-4) and maybe a couple of shots. I will also occasionally go out for dinner with a friend and share a bottle of wine/have a few spirits and mixers. Other than that, nada. My grandad has been a semi-functional alcoholic for about 25 years (that we're aware of) and after one night of staying in their house in a foreign country, listening to him being a complete and total arse to my lovely nan (I was about 14), I made 2 rules. 1. I will not have alcohol as my first drink of the day (me and exP used to lie in on a sat am, then go to pub for brunch. He'd have a beer, I'd have coffee) and 2. I will never drink alone. (The closest I've ever come to that was me at uni, mum at home. Both had the shittiest of shit days. Both had a bottle of tesco Australian red in. Both watching strictly come dancing. I called her and we sat on the phone, 50 miles apart, drinking the same wine, watching the same tv programme. That's not alone, right?!)

[lizzypuffs]

I have a glass of wine or a weak vodka and lemonade most nights. One is enough though and I just never feel like any more.

How I used to drink like I did as a student I will never know!

[StepAwayFromTheEcclesCakes]

I drink too much, I know I drink too much and I know I need to stop, I stop for a week or so then decide I want a drink again so I guess I have a problem.

[applepieinthesky]

I very rarely drink. Perhaps a glass of wine at Christmas or a few drinks on holiday. That's it. I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything.

[Remotecontrolduck]

None, don't like the taste. Wine honestly makes me gag.

I'm not sure how much is ok really. I don't think every day sounds good, but then a single small glass of wine with an evening meal doesn't strike me as bad either.

Binging is bad, but again depends what you class a binge as. If you only drink once a week and have a whole bottle of wine on a Saturday, I don't think that sounds unhealthy either. Brits do in general go out often specifically to get pissed though and that really isn't good.

I just stick to fruit juice and lemonade, it's simpler

[jalopy]

I drink very little - perhaps, 1 to 2 glasses of wine every 4 to 6 weeks or so. I'm a lightweight so tend to feel drunk/ill very quickly. It's useful to have an 'off' button.

[BramshawHill]

I don't drink alcohol, at all. Just don't like the taste of it.

I'd say it becomes a drinking problem when you NEED it to manage. If you could go x amount of days, week, months quite happily without it then you're probably fine but if you can't imagine doing that without panicking, that's not good

[HotCrossPun]

Nothing at the moment (pregnant)

Normally a bottle of wine a week drank on Friday or Saturday.

I used to drink a lot. Cheap cider, wine, and then spirits when I was out at the weekend. Then I met DP who doesn't drink at all, and realised that there was no reason to be pissed every night.

I feel so much better for it.