To ask how many nights a week you drink alcohol?

[BlondeOnATreadmill]

I have cut down, but I'm not sure it's enough? I think my thinking may be skewed?

I was drinking wine every night. For quite some time! And not just a glass either. Generally a bottle, or even more, every night.

For the past few months, I have cut my drinking back to 3 nights a week only.

The other 4 nights a week, I have no alcohol at all. I have lemonade with dinner and a few decaff coffees later on.

Is this ok? Is 3 nights of drinking still too many? Or do you think this seems ok?

I have lost all perspective.

[MrsSparkles]

When not pregnant I'd usually try for 3-4 nights alcohol free. The other nights usually a couple of glasses. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

I'd say a bottle a night regularly is too much (and I love wine). I could quite easily drink a bottle but I know it isn't good for me so I don't often.

[jevoudrais]

I don't drink. So 0.

[Lweji]

Hardly ever. Maybe one drink a month and a small amount.

[Chewbecca]

You're doing really well to cut down to 3 nights a week. You've proved you can cut down so is the next step to cut down to half a bottle on each night?

[AutumnLeavesArePretty]

Hardly ever, it's not worth the health risks.

[Lweji]

Do you need a whole bottle in one night? Why not try and cut it to a glass over dinner?

[Seeyounearertime]

We treat ourselves to a beer in a pub once a month and have a 4 pack between us once a week.

[ScarlettDarling]

op it is too much to be downing a bottle of wine 3 times a week but you've done brilliantly to cut down as much as you have. Now you have to work on cutting it down a bit more, so it's maybe one glass on a couple of nights a week, maybe a couple of glasses on a Saturday.

Could you try having half wine, half soda/lemonade in your glass so that you still have a drink, only its half the strength? Or instead of buying wine buy something weaker like those nice fruit ciders? Have one of those instead of a bottle of wine and it's only 2 units instead of 10.

Well done for managing to cut back as much as you already have.

[marshmallowpies]

This week, I've had a drink two nights: vodka and tonic last night at the theatre, glass of champagne at a friends flat the night before. Last week, had 2 drinks on a night out with friend and a glass of wine with Sunday lunch.

Those 5 drinks in 2 weeks is probably more than I've drunk in the rest of 2016 so far - I have a drink every couple of weeks, typically.

Used to drink a lot more, when I lived alone there would be a bottle of wine always on the go in the fridge, when I met DH we both enjoyed a drink on Friday nights - but I've seen too much alcoholism up close (work colleague and family members too) and it has left its mark on me. I find it very difficult to be around heavy drinkers, it makes me very anxious.

[UmbongoUnchained]

I'm a single parent so don't drink when I have my daughter at home. About once a month my mum had her overnight and I may go and have a drink with a friend. Probably about 3-4 times a year?

[LittleLionHeart]

OP the question isn't getting it in to a healthy number of units per week. It's looking at why you want to drink the maximum amount within the healthy bracket. If the healthy amount was drinking 6 days a week I get the impression you would do that. Why? What does it give you?

[captaincake]

I tend to drink once or twice a week. I will have a pint of lemonade with a large portion of archers in classy. Some weeks I don't drink at all so I guess I average at around once a week. I had an alcoholic mother so I am funny about getting in to the habit of drinking and I think I drink less than average. DH rarely drinks alcohol, maybe once every other month. He often says when he works away that he can't believe how much his colleagues drink and is the only person he works with who doesn't drink most nights.

I would say 3 bottles of wine a week, every single week, is a huge amount. However cutting down from 7 to 3 nights a week is great and a MASSIVE improvement. If you feel that is where you are comfortable at the moment I would stay there until you feel comfortable to cut it down again.

[RunnerOnTheRun]

Some great tips unthread.

A whole bottle in one sitting is binge drinking. Good that you have reduced from 7 days to less.

[serin]

A bottle of wine between DH and I, over the weekend.

[PurpleDaisies]

I usually have a one bottle of beer/glass of wine/gin and tonic once a week, twice at the most. I like the taste but hate feeling drunk. My dh isn't much of a drinker either.

Do you struggle with having an open bottle of wine and not finishing it? You could try buying those mini bottles that contain a glass or two instead. It is slightly more expensive per ml of wine and you're limited in the selection but it might help you moderate your intake of alcohol.

I know it's not quite the sans but I have an open bag of crisps (or even know they are in the house) I just eat them-no willpower at all. I now don't keep them in the house and go out specially to buy one normal sized packet when I fancy them. It really helps me with not overindulging.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es]

I'm not sure what normal is, but outside of Christmas and holidays I probably only have one or two drinks a month and virtually never drink at home. I think I've probably had three drinks this year so far.

I agree that you've done really well having 4 alcohol free nights a week, but that you now need to cut down on the remaining three nights. Could you try buying the small 25cL bottles of wine instead of normal ones, maybe allow yourself two a night for a while, then drop down to one. I know they are expensive, but that is even more incentive to cut down.

[Miffytastic]

In the last 7 days: lots of fizz at a PTA do last weekend, maybe 4 small glasses but hard to tell as someone was topping me up. Then nothing til out Tuesday night, when I had 2 cocktails and 2 glasses of wine. Won't drink this weekend. This feels like a lot for me. I don't drink at home usually and doing Weightwatchers so I'm aware of the calorie cost of drinking.

[whats4teamum]

I knew it. Never ask if you drink too much on mumsnet as the "I have a thimble of wine with Xmas lunch" brigade will be out in force.

I think you have done extremely well in cutting down your drinking. I have done a similar thing myself. A dry month is a real eye opener but didn't make me think I never wanted to drink again.

[OhYouLuckyDuck]

A couple of nights a week when I am on holiday. Most often, the left over in the bottle is poured away. We fancied a glass tonight, I drank maybe a third of it and poured the rest away.

[LuluJakey1]

I can go months without even thinking of alcohol. I like the odd G and T or glass of white wine or one of Dh's bottles of quirky beer but it can be months between drinks. I prefer pink grapefruit squash (very sophisticated!)

[LuluJakey1]

But if we opened a bottle of champagne, I would drink it

[JennyOnAPlate]

I can easily slip into the habit of a bottle of wine every night. My parents both did it so it's what I grew up with. I don't think I even refused that other adults don't drink every night until I was in my late teens.

I kick myself out of the habit by having a dry few weeks and then exercising moderation. It's so easy to slip back into old habits though.

[Tupperwarelid]

DH and I normally share a bottle of wine on a Saturday night. If we've had a bad week we might have a couple of beers on a Friday too. I go out with friends and drink a lot more probably every 2 or 3 months

[JennyOnAPlate]

Realised not refused!!

[SpaceDinosaur]

I could have written your OP.

I too am cutting back. I just find it so so hard to leave wine.