How much wine is to much

[beanflicker]

Please help settle a debate with Dh.

I've just put the kids to bed (as always at 8:15) waltzed down the stairs and poured myself a large glass of wine. My Dh has pointed out I go through 4 bottles per week.
Help me out ladies is that to much?

Where's the OP gone?

Yay so if 1 to 1 and half bottles is maximum weekly amount recommended then the bottle I have on a Friday is fair game

Do people really not think it's true that alcohol is associated with many serious diseases which cause huge mortality and morbidity?

I do, but I think its often overstated, the recs are too low and there is so much more to it than a simple alcohol=bad message.

Of course people realise there are risks. It just seems stupid to say 14 units when a) some drinks are better than others b) people are all shapes and sizes c) people internal organs are different.

I think 4 bottles is too much but it's very easy to drink two glasses a night ( 1 bottle Mon -Weds) and get through a bottle or so Friday and Saturday night.
I cut down to one night a week for a diet. I found it physically impossible to drink 2 bottles in a night so that helps with quantity. The problem with weekend only drinking is that's it's nearly half a week.

Queen I think a lot of people have that issue, if they drink they eat more, and it leads to weight gain.

I can control the eating now as am low carbing, but I get shit hangovers and it's just not worth it. The shit hangovers I get irrelevant of how I'm eating.

Op, so I guess we settled the debate, the majority agree with your husband,

So what will you do? Anything?

To put it into perspective, yes the recommended amount is I think 14 units. But to be considered "alcohol dependant" you have to be Downing 70+ units per week. So there's a very grey area in between.

Where did the 70+ come from, can you post a link to that please?

Yes it's too much.

14 units is 4 large glasses of red wine. In a week? Screw that.

No I can't post A link to thAt because not everything comes from google! I work with alcoholics and no one under 70 units a week gets our service, it's seen as the bench mark.

FAr too much, a glass every other night is fine, maybe two at weekends.

I once read that if a woman was drinking 35 units a week or more then alarm bells would ring if you were their doctor.

Do people really not think it's true that alcohol is associated with many serious diseases which cause huge mortality and morbidity?

I think people choose to ignore it but this gives a pretty clear message of the risks of alcohol use versus smoking and obesity:
"American public health research has shown that for every 100 obese men and women, compared with people of normal weight, there would be 50 extra chronic diseases compared with about 20 among those who had ever smoked, nearly 60 among people living in poverty and a similar number for drinkers."

When I do drink I drink far more than that OP but I know that it’s over the limit of what is safe. If you want to live life to the full and stay healthy then stop drinking altogether. Maybe you’re like me and can’t do ‘moderation’ so just don’t drink at all.

Work out how much you are spending a.month on this crap, then think about all the good things you could do with that money instead.
That will give you your answer.

'Where's the OP gone?'

Probably down to ASDA to pick up more wine.

Might have to step away from this one(whilst actually sharing my reality).

I 'downsized' to Lambrini. But. Still drink two bottles. Every night.

If you want to live life to the full and stay healthy then stop drinking altogether. Nope, not according to science, about 10 units a week should see you on the way to living longer.

A book recommendation - Kick the Drink by Jason Vale is an excellent read on this subject if OP interested.

Chanelprincess

"American public health research has shown that for every 100 obese men and women, compared with people of normal weight, there would be 50 extra chronic diseases compared with about 20 among those who had ever smoked, nearly 60 among people living in poverty and a similar number for drinkers."

That made my head hurt. What does this mean? I've re read that ten times and can't work it out! Now driving me crazy!

It’s well-documented that the guidelines on safe levels of alcohol consumption are for shit. They’re absurdly low in this country, the idea being that, if it’s set at 7-14 (2-3 large glasses a week), people will think they’re being a bit dicey doing 14-21, and therefore won’t even consider 21+. Huh. The fact is, it could be fine to throw down a bottle or two a night, or it could be dangerous to have one in a blue moon. Who the fuck knows? I suspect four bottles a week is fine. Wouldn’t shit me up in the slightest.

aaarrrggghh - I agree. Meaningless.

I work with alcoholics and no one under 70 units a week gets our service, it's seen as the bench mark.

If I were running a pressured service, I'd set the bar quite high too. The fact that you help them at that point, does not make it ok to drink 50-60 units a week. Many health service markers have little to do with health itself, and quite a lot to do with the economics of providing the service.

Thing is, its actually person dependent to a large extent. Genetics, environment, lifestyle etc...all have a major effect.
Example, I seem to come from a long line of people who drink an insane amount of alcohol and suffer very little from it. And I drink a good bit more than my husband, yet my liver is in top shape, I'm perfectly healthy all over. He on the other hand has liver issues yet drinks very little.

Any alcohol can be unsafe for one person, whereas a hundred units may be safe enough for another. Fuck knows. The guidelines are meaningless nonsense.

Your absolutely right kitty. Our guidelines are ridiculously low, part of the nanny state! Some people are too quick to believe what they're told by the government. 4 bottles, OP is probably on about 50 units a week. That's not horrendous. It would be worse if she was binging that over 1 or 2 nights, and it's not a bad idea to have a couple of alcohol free nights but she isn't a raging alcoholic by any means,