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 drink slightly less than you,, but I have friends who share a bottle of wine with their DHs most nights,

Pregnant women aren't that big of a group, it's only 9 months.

I don't often go out in the evenings because it's too expensive.

In the week evenings I hang out at home with DH, usually we go on our respective computers, or sometimes watch TV together. I talk to people online which is a kind of socialising DH will occasionally pick up a bottle or two of wine or a crate of beer with the weekly shop which we'll drink in the evenings but it's not every week and I don't always want to.

Weekend evenings are usually the same - I do sometimes go out with a group of friends but it's much less often than once a month. DH and I hardly ever go out together because the babysitting often doubles the cost of the evening! A night out is a big cost. So for two of us + babysitting that's quadruple the cost of me going alone to meet friends. That's a big deal to us.

I socialise more often in the daytime or incidentally - speaking to people I bump into at work or when shopping etc or we visit each other's houses (most of my friends have small children, DS is older).

When we went on holiday last year we drank a couple of drinks every night and that was nice but it was sociable, again.

I agree with pp, the question 'What on earth do you do if you're not drinking?' is weird and a bit tragic really. As if there aren't a million other things you could be doing (including all the things you'd be doing if you were drinking - just do them withput the drinking bit!). I agree it's tedious hanging out with drunk people if you're sober, but it's them who are being tedious, not you. You just notice it because you're sober!
Anyway, like lots of others, I hardly ever go out socialising in the way I used to in my twenties. This has nothing to do with alcohol for me though- I just have no real desire to hang around in bars for hours. Would rather share a bottle of wine or a couple of pints with dh at home.

I drink about 2/3 cider bottles a month. If that tbh.

However thinking about my friends they all drink more than me - mostly at weekends and mostly at home / friends house as we all have DC.

I think hidden alcoholism is a big problem in the UK, I just registered with a new GP and with asking the usual questions there was a huge questionnaire on alcohol consumption. As for me, a bottle of wine will last the whole week, I have intolerance to sulphites in most drinks so that's what stops me drinking more. And actually can't afford to drink more, I'd rather spend that money on the weekly food bill. My husband hardly drinks too, that makes a big difference as in my youth I think I was very much a social drinker, and still feel drinking alone is a bit sad.

I see where you're coming from OP - that is more than I usually drink but that's not to say I don't put more than that away occasionally. I know a few people who drink more, or who have a glass of wine or two or three every night.

Last week I had nothing at all in the week, a large glass of wine on the Friday, a small white wine and lemonade with lunch on the Sat, another 2 large glasses on the Sat evening. I've had no alcohol since.

At least one week in 3 will pass without a drink at all. But then throw in a birthday, holiday, Christmas etc and the consumption goes up plenty. So my stats would look very different depending on which week you asked me - unless the people answering of averaging out their consumption over an entire year?

I don't drink at all.

I always wonder if the teetotallers and the one sniff of a g&t at Christmas gang are on the threads boasting about how many chocs or biscuits they can eat in one sitting. There is defo an air of holier than thou about a lot do you but I am sure you have equally unhealthy habits but because it's not alcohol think it's somehow less of an evil.

I drink quite infrequently. It probably averages one alcoholic drink per months. I could have nothing for two or three months, then one night have maybe three glasses of something. I used to be a binge drinker in my late teens/early twenties but I rarely go out anymore and I can't stand the hangovers. It affects my moods quite badly and I'm prone to depression anyway. I grew up with two alcoholic parents, and though I'm not against drinking, I don't want my dd to have memories of seeing me drunk/passed out every evening like I do with my parents.

I have no idea what the average is though. Assuming it is a national average it will be taking into account some women who do not drink at all so that would lower it. Most women I know drink more than me.

I used to be teetotal, now I perhaps have a bottle of cider on average once a month? I'm just not fussed with drinking, its usually expensive and doesn't taste that great anyway. I'd rather have the equivalent in chocolate. I'm 25.

My mother drinks between 1 and 2 bottles of wine a week. Most of my friends are probably around that too, they're in their 30s and 40s.

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

You do know that you can buy non-alcoholic drinks in pubs and bars? Stepping up and ordering a latte or a Coke doesn't turn you instantly to stone...

I used to drink way more than that, probably around 40 units a week! Did that for about 4 years but since Christmas I reduced it dramatically - I was tired of feeling grotty, my skin was awful and I was worried about the damage to my liver.

I'm not t-total but since Christmas have probably only had a drink 5-6 times which for me, is incredible!

I'm also surprised by that stat, most people I know drink a fair bit at weekends.

I drink way less than that - about 1 glass of wine a month!

"What on earth do you do if you're not drinking?' is weird and a bit tragic really"

And I suspect there are elements of rationalisation about the non-drinking Mum. My guess is that the teetotalism is less of a choice, and more of an obligation imposed by financial constraints, the need to function at a job in a capitalist society in order to pay large mortgages and bills, and the requirement to devote enormous amounts of care and energy to child-rearing. I suspect that, together, those things leave very little time and energy for socialising, but that this gets written up by those concerned as a kind of 'adult decision' taken for beneficial 'health reasons'

I'm an academic/writer in my late 30s without kids - so along with writer and artist mates, I see a lot of the older, retired generation in cafes and pubs during the day, and many of them speak glowily about being "off the leash" once the kids have left home. Of course, the location is self-selecting and I know there are many older folk who choose not to drink (my own mother being one), but I do think it's a sign that this might be rather more of a tradeoff for some than is often presented here.

But everyone is different. You hate drinking, I love it! Variety and spice of life and all that.

I very rarely drink. I did when I was younger but not since I was on ivf so that would be 10 years at least. Now mid 40's. This stat will include older and elderly women, including those in care homes. Women live to a ripe old age these days. So the stat may be correct.

I don't drink. I used to, then my dad died young (before he could pick up his pension) from alcohol abuse. Made me think of the waste of it all and I just stopped before we decided to have a family.

I know many many people who used to drink and don't now. It just does not have the same buzz as it did when we were young, seems like a different phase of life.

Even though I'm basicaly tee-total, I still socialise, and still go to pubs and bars. I love music, and am happy enough to sit and drink a coke and listen, or get up and have a dance. Atmosphere is the main thing, there's a few pubs close I like that have an Irish cottage feel, big open fireplaces, rustic beams and oil paintings etc, but sometimes dp and I like to get dressed up and go somewhere modern/swanky. There's also going out for a nice meal, going for a coffee (few nice cafes that stay open late near here). Cinema, bowling, going for a walk, going shopping, or just staying home chatting over tea/inviting mates round for a cuppa or takeaway/movie night.

Interesting that non and low level - drinkers are being classed as holier than thou.

I don't drink much or often. I think the op drinks a lot. I haven't judged her or anyone else for the amount they drink, that's their choice and their life. Most of my friends drink much more than I do. I don't judge them for it either.

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

I mostly don't drink at home. This is more physically imposed on me, as opposed to being a lifestyle choice.

I can no longer have more than a glass of wine without feeling the after effects the next day. Like most people on here, I'm busy with work/kids/DIY/hobbies most of the time, and don't want to lose time to mild hangovers. I'm tightfisted, and so won't open a £10 bottle of wine if I might end up chucking half of it, because I've not finished it up. So most weeks I drink nothing.

If I go out-out, which is probably on average once every four weeks, I'll have a half a bottle to a bottle of wine, depending on how long I'm out for. This will give me a mild-moderate hangover. Any more than that and I'm properly debilitated for a least a day, sometimes two.

This amount of booze at once is clearly not recommended, yet by social norms round here I'm considered quite conservative on nights out.

My reply to what do you do if you don't drink when I'm out and driving say, is to drink tea. It's actually quite good fun watching the smile become rigid on the poor bartenders faces. Most of them hate making tea

But that is a lot OP, it used to be more but I think it's still a lot. There is an issue with hidden alcoholism in this country and it's pretty much the same with the obesity crisis. People have been overindulging for so long now that we don't have an accurate measure of what 'moderation' is anymore. It's the same with money and debt too.

I agree with turn about the hangovers, I can't be arsed with them either. I hate wasting time and losing a Sunday to feeling rough would really annoy me. I really enjoy the first drink, but following ones are never as good, so although I may drink my one beer at home, on a night out, I will have mostly tonics with only one G&T.

So who is judging who?

I think there are judgmental people at all levels of drinking. I like a couple of glasses of wine a few times a week, DH hardly ever drinks anything at all. He doesn't judge me, I don't judge him it isn't an issue to either of us what the other drinks (within reason of course...!)

But interesting I sometimes feel judged for not drinking enough in some company, but people who try and pressure others to drink more/ drink when they don't want to are to be avoided imo.

I always wonder if the teetotallers and the one sniff of a g&t at Christmas gang are on the threads boasting about how many chocs or biscuits they can eat in one sitting. There is defo an air of holier than thou about a lot do you but I am sure you have equally unhealthy habits but because it's not alcohol think it's somehow less of an evil.

I don't think it's an evil

I just don't think it's sensible for me as an epileptic to risk a seizure and lose my driving licence

I don't begrudge anyone else drinking

Why is being teetotal equivalent to being holier than thou?

Only read first three pages but I don't think the op drinks much. I only drink occasionally at the moment due to having young children. When I do go out with friends we drink lots, far more than the made up government guideline!

Pre children I drank a lot, but only on nights out, never at home. So Fri /Sat party nights, rest of the week dry. I wouldn't think that was unusual.

Everyone lies to the doctor and says they drink the weekly amount, so these statistics are not much use really.