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 admit I've never seen it to be the norm to have a drink to relax after work. I grew up with a tee total father and a mother who had maybe a couple of glasses on a Friday night.

I'm 28 now and I've never been a big drinker. I have a glass of wine or a pint on nights out occasionally but I probably only drink 2-3 nights a month if that.

What you drink in a week is more than I've had in the last 10 years.

So to me that figure sounds about right. But I'm only going on what me and people I know drink.

Does the site give any more info about where they got their numbers?

Night out clubbing in town*

Oh and mumsnet is a wierd place regarding alcohol by the way.

Be prepared to be flamed for having the one glass just in case your
Perfectly well dcs need to be rushed to hospital and you would be over the limit.

I've been living back with my mum and she drinks every night without fail but just a couple of glasses. Probably adds up to the same as you but I'd never see it as way above the national average. I didn't drink for a few months but started having a glass now and then. I'm always surprised by the number of people on here who barely drink because most of my family drink everyday.

I very rarely drink, I can go six months without a drink, sometimes longer. I just don't enjoy it like I used to, so you drink a huge amount compared to me.
Lots of people don't drink for religious reasons so that will bring the stats down too

The NHS currently recommends no more than 14 units a week. You are crrrntly doing more than that in 3 days.

I drink a lot less than that, but I probably know quite a few people who drink the same. Not many who drink more though.

I drink far more than you. Far less than my peers, far far less than my mother and her peers.

It's cultural- I'm poor , working class- binge drinking, as much as people try to deny, is a thing. It's the norm. My friends go through a crate of lager and a bottle or two of lambrini on Friday/ Saturday nights easily, they're boyfriends and husbands even more so.

I'd have said the opposite about MN, Bat. I see 'wine o'clock' type posts a lot and it seems to be the norm to have a glass of wine or a gin of an evening.

I binge drink once or twice a year when I have a proper night out. I'm not really a fan of the taste of alcohol so don't drink at home or with a meal out. I only ever drink to get drunk.

Op you really don't drink a massive amount

ovo link please

I drink alcohol 2-3 times a month maximum and generally I'd have one glass of wine/ prosecco.

Perhaps twice/ three times a year I'll have a big night out and can get quite intoxicated.

I drink the least out of my friendship group too, so I don't think you're alone OP.

In my social circle people tend to drink a fair bit but I think the wine o clock thing is often just a joke. I know a lot of people who rarely drink / only drink if they go out. Also agree that young people seem to be drinking less than we did at that age ( students etc)

I have the occasional binge on a night out, maybe two or three times a year depending on the occasions. Apart from that I don't touch a drop. People like me presumably skew the statistics.

Im not going hunting through MN threads so I can link them, Bat! We've clearly picked up different ideas about MNetters drinking habits but there's hundreds of threads a day so that's no surprise.

On the other hand my DH would have a beer or cider three or four times a week.
He grew up in a family where drinking is the norm, his dad is a high functioning alcoholic and his mum would have a bottle or two of wine a week.
My mum has MH issues and is teatotal because of her medication. My dad would drink most weekends but he would go to the pub and we didn't really have alcohol in the house.

I drink about 3 times a year. In my circle of friends and colleagues I know one woman who drinks more than you (by lots), the rest are all occasional drinkers.

Nevertheless I'm surprised at the stats, I don't think the amount you drink would put you in the top 12%, it's really not that excessive.

I don't lie, I just don't really drink. I had a few sips of red wine on Christmas Day, the same of champagne at new year and had a glass of proscecco with DH a few weeks ago. If I want a drink I'll have one, but because I don't drink much, it goes straight to my head anyway.

I'm not elderly or pregnant, I drink nowhere near as much as you do and I don't know anybody who does.

Sorry OP, but I think it's entirely believable that you are in the 87th percentile.

I think the majority of the wine I buy goes in cooking.

My "normal" is half to one bottle of wine over sat/sun

In the last 7 days Iv had 1 home measure vodka and mixer
Half bottle wine
Pub measure wine.

About 1-3 times a year I have a blow out of about 1-2 bottles wine over an evening but it's never planned, say a night in runs long and I end up having more than I thought I would

Are you gonna give us a link to the website OP or what? I wanna know my percentile.

Considering that's what you drink from Fri to sun I really don't think that you drink a lot. I'm sure I drink the same amount of units over weekends.