To think 87.3% of British women don't drink less than me?

[theduchessstill]

I went on one of those sites where they track and evaluate your drinking - was inspired to do so by another thread. I know I drink a bit too much - across three nights I have a bottle of wine and often a couple of bottles of lager or another glass or 2 of wine.

The site calculated it as 16 units - I knew it would be there or thereabouts so no great shock there, but then said that 87.3% of British women drink less. I find that hard to believe. Who is buying all the wine then? There are people who are alcoholics, people who drink small - medium amounts every night, people who have a massive blow-out every week etc etc.

Surely we don't have a massive problem with alcohol in this country (and we do) if the vast majority of women drink less than me, who drinks slightly over the maximum amount recommended. In particular, I understood women's drinking was of particular concern.

I'm not looking for validation - I know the amount I have is a bit too much but I'm happy enough with it atm, but that figure seemed unlikely to me.

I'm not teetotal but I am pleased that I don't drink so much anymore. I partied hard in my 20's and it was in the back of my mind that it wasn't good to drink so much. Now, after 3 quick babies I am on the other side of drinking regularly and feel healthier, realise how ill it makes me to have more than a few glasses at a time, and see how hangovers waste time. It's really not that good to drink heavily. But i don't really care what everyone else on this thread is drinking.

I don't drink at all.

I know loads of people that don't drink.

So the figure is probably correct.

But on here I am either a liar or holier than thou. So who is judging who?

This. The OP drinks a lot in some people's opinion and a little in others. But if you don't drink at all? Then clearly you must be pregnant, elderly, infirm - or holier than thou.

I am a very light drinker because I can't hold my drink well. I get drunk very easily and I don't like that feeling. I enjoy a drink more now than I did a couple of years ago but I wouldn't mind if I could never drink ever again. I enjoy going out for a meal and having a drink and sometimes I have a glass of wine at home. I will drink a bit more now the sun is coming out I'm sure but I can take it or leave it.

However, I live on PepsiMax and my diet is crap. I also don't exercise enough.

I rarely drink (ten units a year), never liked the taste. For me drinking heavily has never been a social norm, probably because I can not be asked babysitting adults who can't take care of themselves when they've drunk too much. Your norm doesn't make it everyone's norm. Question the stats all you like but like it or not, binge drinking ove a period of three days every weekend is not healthy.

If they're going by what people report to their gp it's going be bullshit. People lie so they don't have to discuss it (not me!)

I get the impression from all the wine o'clock posts that most of mn is half cut most of the time

My dh and I share a 'mini' bottle of wine with Sunday dinner and have a very occasional small glass of brandy or port in Winter. If we have guests we share a bottle of wine between 4 of us.

Now you see to me that is very, very odd. A mini bottle of wine is 187ml - that's a glass. If I went to someone's house for dinner and was expected to share a bottle of wine four ways, I'd feel very cheated and think my host was exceptionally stingy. When we have people over we probably have a bottle EACH - not every week, not every month and I can easily go 2/3 weeks without having a drink at all, which is why the weekly figures don't work.

I do think there is an air of competitive non-drinking on here with people falling over each other to prove just how little they drink. If you don't want to drink that's fine, but it doesn't make you any better of a person if you're sat in the corner nursing the same drink all evening while others have a few glasses of wine.

Banana I am not referring to people who don't drink due to health problems, but the people who abstain because it's so terrible for your liver when I bet a few of those people are actually overweight and damaging their livers just as much with fatty foods. Only in their eyes overindulging in a few slices of cake a week isn't as bad as having a few bottles of wine over the course of the week. I think both are just as bad for your health. But no-one is perfect and we all have our vices and crutches.

The other reason I drink little is because I am a cheap drunk and don't like feeling out of control.

There seems to be quite a lot of hostility coming through toward light/non drinkers. I've not seen many posts at all judging those who do drink more. I've not seen hostility to people who drink. There was a conversation about people under reporting and how that may have affected the numbers.
Low drinkers are being accused of being holier than thou, judgemental, and competitive non-drinking. Lots of us have said we drank more at different stages of our life. Not judging, just reporting.

Low drinkers are being accused of being holier than thou, judgemental, and competitive non-drinking. Lots of us have said we drank more at different stages of our life. Not judging, just reporting.

Yeah but some judge and some don't. Low/ no drinkers are not a homogeneous mass of people.

I don't drink at all.

The judging and hostility against low or non drinkers is similar to that against anyone who dares to suggest that increasing portion sizes is a factor in the obesity crisis.

So if you mention that a chicken lasts more than one meal, that you can't eat a whole main when eating out, can't eat three courses or a whole takeaway meal you get accused of eating like a bird, serving homeopathic chicken or trying to shame 'normal' people about their over-eating.

The big/dependent drinkers and the over-eaters are just trying to normalise their excessive drinking/eating by sniping at those who consume more moderately. But the reality is that drinking well above the recommended guidelines is not healthy and statistics and simply observing people around you illustrates that most people are eating more than their body needs.

Gosh - lots of non/very little drinkers on here. But, yes, I should have known that would happen as it always does on drinking threads

So the breakdown of the thread is basically:

"website said I drink more than 87% of the population, this SURELY can't be true can it?"

...87% of people replying to the thread say you drink more than them...

"I should have known this would happen!"

I don't think MN is reflective of RL. Many mums drink. Some more than others.

I only know 5 people who don't drink. 2 through realising years ago they practically had an alcohol problem, so stopped, and 3 who just have no interest and don't like the taste. Fine. No problem. Doesn't affect me if you do or don't drink. If I meet you at a party, why do I care if you are drinking a glass of ... wine, or lemonade?

Nearly every woman I know drinks. Every playground mums night out shows this to be true.

And they had a shortage of prosecco warning. So who is drinking all this prosecco. Not me, because I don't like it. But there are plenty of people buying it!!

But apparently not. On MN. ?????

I've just scared myself a bit by putting in what I have (honestly) been drinking in a typical week of late.

I drank very little last year (dieting!)

I think I'll have to pay a bit more attention again. Because although I don't drink that much per day, I drink far too many days per week. So reducing the amount would probably help a bit, but reducing the frequency seems to be my next necessary step.

Kansas and Book, you said what I was thinking!

Dry January has led to people cutting down, I think. More people have realised that their drinking was a bit problematic FOR THEM. Not judging, just telling you what my friends who have cut back said. I'm not drinking much these days because I'm a bit low and it makes it worse- I just don't fancy it. When I'm hyped up and stressed, I drink more. I used to drink a bottle of (cheap weak) wine every Friday night, to switch off from a school week. It prevented me getting a migraine that laid me low all weekend.

People who drink a lot socialise with people who drink a lot. People who don't, don't. We all think we are normal.

Oblomov17, I would hazard that mumsnet, while not reflective of society as a whole, is probably more reflective of 'real life' than the experience of one individual and their perception of the people around them.

Bewty?