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 at all bothered what other people drink, and have drunk hard at different points in my life. I do object to staggering around in the streets kind of drunk, for all sorts of reasons.

It seems very low that stat but it depends on who they surveyed, I'm a non drinker so would easily pull down the stats if asked.

It may make people think about what they consume though, so many sadly can't see it's excessive or don't realise the dependency.

shovetheholly I don't go out in that sense either. More likely to have Sunday lunch down the pub than go in the week. My meet up with friends are usually lunch in cafés, coffee or dinner at people's houses. Probably in part because most of my friends are Mums so it's Mums and kids meet ups. Also because I do shifts so several evenings a week I'm at work til late. Also this means it's difficult to socialise with work colleagues, there's no such a culture for drinks after work in my environment, more like big nights out every few months (which I often avoid).

I don't drink either.

So if they survey 100 people and say 40 say they don't drink it would skew their averages

What do you guys who don't drink do in the evenings, especially Friday/Saturday night? Where do you meet up with friends in the evenings in the week?

I don't go out. I'm a lone parent to a 5 yo whose dad doesn't bother and no other babysitter. My last night out was last year for a family meal for someone's 21st. I do drink but don't bother at home alone. I drink when I'm with my parents but that tends to average out to Sunday lunch every other week and will be one bottle of wine between 3 of us.

I had a two week AI holiday last year and I probably had a drink on 3 nights. I do have a temperance bar near me and they do stock some fantastic soft drinks.

Although I don't drink very much my DM does. She probably drinks half a bottle of wine a night plus some extra over the week. I can well believe that the majority are low drinkers then there is a small number of very heavy drinkers who put the average right up and distort the figures.

I'm a light drinker. Sometimes I'll get the urge to have a can of pre-mixed gin and tonic. That could be 3 evenings in a month? I can go a month without drinking and not notice too. With young DCs and having to pay for baby sitting, I only get a few nights out a year. A couple of months ago, we had a rare night out and shared a bottle of wine over a meal and I felt very , but I've got no desire to go beyond into the hangover stage if I've got to do it with the company of my DCs the next day. Unusually for me, we also had a wedding the next week, so that was more than my usual again, but still not "drunk".

I realised part-way through my 20s that alcohol disagrees with my digestive system, and that gets me before the muzzy head.

It's hard to quantify my drinking on a survey as I can have months of drinking nothing, or up to about 5 units. Then a couple of months like December and other occasions will completely distort my mean consumption.

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude - I'm genuinely nosy curious what people's evenings and weekends are like!

I suppose part of the thing is that I've been to pubs with friends when I've been on antibiotics and unable to drink, and I didn't really enjoy it - my reaction was like lastnight's. Time seemed to hang heavily on me, and it was a bit boring. I can see how it wouldn't matter once a month or so, but I can't imagine spending the time I currently spend out with friends - probably 3-4 nights a week on average - doing it. So I am curious about the other things people have on, and how social life works without the lubricant of alcohol. We go out to the cinema, theatre, restaurants - but even shows involve a drink afterwards with friends, otherwise it feels like you're not really "seeing" people, just turning up at something together IYSWIM.

(Also, I do get the lunch and cake thing, and probably do that a couple of times a week as well - but that doesn't feel like an "evening" thing??)

What do you guys who don't drink do in the evenings, especially Friday/Saturday night?

Laundry, sort uniforms, make lunches, tidy kitchen, Hoover, watch a soap, bit of paperwork, shower, bed and Netflix. Fridays and Saturdays pretty much the same.

Where do you meet up with friends in the evenings in the week?

What? I haven't done that since I was 17! I'm a lone parent in a small town. There really isn't anywhere I would want to go midweek even if I could.

I don't have a drink every week, and I very rarely drink at home. I would never sit alone with a glass of wine but I'll share a bottle or have a beer with DP in the backdoor in the summer. I'll always be the designated driver when we go out for a meal as I can take it or leave it and DP enjoyes it more.

My problem is I'd probably be classed as a binge drinker, when I go out and start drinking with friends I have no 'off' switch and I get very drunk. I probably only get in that state about once every 3 months though. From what I've read I think my way is more damaging to health.

Basically 16 units is quite a lot isn't it if you are drinking that every week. Approx 160 calories in a glass of standard wine that's 2560 calories extra every week just on wine.

It's basically the equivalent of more than an extra day's food without decent vitamins.

I think alcohol really contributes to modern levels of obesity and type 2 diabetes. It doesn't matter what others drink it matters what you drink.

Sine Christmas I have been out to the pub twice had about 6 units one time and had 2 last night. Have had the very occasional beer at home. My intake is probably 20 over last 3 months.

I agree Holly, meeting friends in bars and pubs when you aren't drinking is pretty tedious. I prefer quieter socialising, you get to know people better. The things I want to talk about now are not really shouting over music kind of conversations.
I spent the weekend with family who live a long way away. We drank and danced one night, and I didn't feel like I'd seen them at all. The seven am coffee with the early birds was great though.
I suppose I don't socialise well in groups.

I just did that You vs UK test on the drink aware website and agree with PP ^^ that it's not very well laid out. Some people do have less than one drink a week but more than none a year. No wonder the results are a bit off.

Makes me wonder what else they've over-simplified/got wrong.

Mmm I'm inclined to agree OP. I have just done the survey and it suggests that 75.2 % of women drink less than me.

I drink a bottle of wine over Friday - Sunday and while I'm perfectly happy with that, it seems low compared with most of my work colleagues and social circle.

What do you guys who don't drink do in the evenings, especially Friday/Saturday night? Where do you meet up with friends in the evenings in the week?

I still go to the pub - I just have soft drinks. I live and work rurally so most people have to drive home afterwards - people might have a pint or a glass of wine but nobody cares if you have coke or fruit juice.

If I don't have work the next day, I still don't drink much. I go for meals, binge-watch Netflix, work out, wander along the beach in summer, play video games or board games, read, surf the web - the same as any other night. I don't see weekends as an excuse to get pissed or eat my body weight in cake.

It's cultural- I'm poor , working class- binge drinking, as much as people try to deny, is a thing. It's the norm

Rubbish. Dh and I are both in low paid, working class jobs. We rent a social housing home. We are outnumber by small people. I'm teetotal and dh drinks a pint or two when we go out or have people over. I stopped drinking when I realised how much money I was spending and how many calories I was consuming to feel like shit the next day.

What do you guys who don't drink do in the evenings, especially Friday/Saturday night?

Order a takeaway, put on a facepack and watch trashy tv.
When we go out we go for dinner, the cinema, see a show, bowling.... etc. Same as people who drink alcohol really.

Even one glass of wine can put you over the drink/driving limit where I live so mostly I don't bother and just drive, unless it's a big night out like a very close friend's birthday. Mentally I weigh up the public transport home and the hangover while a small child goes "mumeeee" and decide it's not worth the bother. Pregnancies meant I got very used to going out and driving, it's been easy to continue that.

I have one or very occasionally two at the weekend. Don't drink in the week whether I'm in or out.
I have never been a big drinker. It tastes horrible to me and whatever I drink now has to have lemonade in it. I know more people who don't drink or hardly drink or modestly and only two who drink heavily. I don't go out to get drunk. I go out to watch bands, dance badly, meet friends and have a laugh with DH.

I did that calc. I drink about 10-14 units a week. My result came out at 13 units a week which apparently means 78.7% of women drink less than me. I have no idea if this accurate or not. I know people who drink less and people who drink more.

So long as I stay within the guideline and have plenty of alcohol free days I'm not going to worry.

It is rare that I drink of an evening - even if I'm going out I normally stick to soft drinks

Just go out with friends as normal and don't drink I suppose? I think it's a bit sad that you feel you have to drink to enjoy an evening with friends. Happily go to the pub and just drink tonic or whatever and still have a lovely time.

If I lived with a drinker I'd probably drink more. Perhaps when my dcs are older I might drink more again.
I view it as a stage - if I continued drinking as I did in my twenties I'd certainly damage my health!

wearenot - I don't mean to suggest that there's nothing that can be done with alcohol. Just wondering where people meet up regularly with friends outside of pubs/bars! Board games/video games makes sense as a group I guess - I know loads of people like those role-playing Dungeons and Dragons groups as a social event, though I've never been into it myself.

If I think of all the women in my life, I'd say most drink very little (most weeks nothing), a few drink a glass or two every couple of days and a teeny tiny amount of them drink a lot. I'm 35.