How can I be in the top 5% of drinkers at 20 units a week?!

[Pooshy]

I've been tracking how much alcohol I drink since the start of the year in an effort to cut down

It's working and I think I probably drink about half as much as I used to, around 20 units a week on average. Still over the women's recommended limit of 14, but this is better than I was

However the app I'm using says I'm in the top 5% of drinker so that means only 5 people out of 100 drink more than me

Surely that can't be right... how many unit do you drink a week usually?

*2 bottles of wine or 6-7 lagers.
I swear I am sober 😂

I only know one couple who drink regularly, the majority of others may have a glass or two at the weekend or at parties.🤷

I may have one or two drinks a month if that. Dh tends to buy a couple of bottles of beer, or a bottle of wine for the weekend.

@Jazzmin
Hahaha

In total, combining this year and last year I have had four mouthfuls as a toast. I’m not sure what I had in 2017 but it would have been very little.

I’d be amazed if I have had 20 units in total in the last five years, let alone in one week.

Well before I started fertility treatment about 3 bottles of wine a week.

I haven’t really drink since Xmas and actually found it easier than I thought I would!

Am actually just enjoying a nice glass of nonsecco as I write- best alternative I have found!

Last week was 6, week before 0, week before that 3.

If you average it out across the month, probably 2 units per week.

Interesting replies. The app is called Drink Less, a few people in my family (also heavy drinkers) have been using it and we've all found it easy to cut down using it

I thought that 20 units a week was ok as this is me just having half a bottle of wine, three or 4 nights a week. Plus a drink at a pub lunch or two. That's how it adds up for me, and I'm never really drunk or hungover

Guess I need to rethink it though and lower my weekly average

Jazzmin ha ha!

Easily more than 20.

20 units is 2 bottles of wine right? Spread over 7 days. That doesn’t seem excessive at all. Could be 4 nights of half a bottle which is a couple of large glasses.

Usually 0 units per week, occasionally I'll have a small whiskey on a Saturday night (probably once a month) but no more than that, I do drink when I go out, but that's only every few months at the least and then I'm such a crappy drinker and it takes me a good few days to feel normal again!

I don't drink at all.

Half a bottle of wine a week most weeks. Gin and tonic or a glass of wine if I've had a really crap day at work - maybe once a fortnight.

So approx 6-10 units a week depending on strength of wine?

20 units a week works out about glass (175ml) and a half of wine a day. Doesn't seem that much.

20 units is about 6 pints isn't it?

I'd say most of the men I know put that away a week no probs.

Bottle wine is what about 9? So 2 of those...

Doesn't sound like lots to me

I do think that people tend to be in certain groups though my DH group and my mates were always big drinkers when young so probs our view is skewed.

20 hear too. And many of my friends drink more. 20 units is about 2 bottles of wine. Clearly more than the 14 but not a bottle a night!

I have a bottle of wine on a Friday (10 units maybe) and 2 long vodka type drinks on a Saturday (double measures) = 14 units in total

I go to see my sister midweek and we share a 12/16 pack of lager and on a Saturday we will share bottle of vodka or rum. I dread to think how many units that is ! but I used to drink waaay more and so am just glad I am not drinking every night.

Alcohol was my crutch, still is to an extent but if drinking twice a week is the worse thing I do then I can live with that.

I've just worked out what I've had this year so far and my average for 2019 is about 1.5 units a week. Pretty standard for me, I don't drink much.

Normally, none. I drink tea instead.

People lie about their drinking.

My colleague once did a survey at work (for public health education reasons). I came out as the heaviest drinker at 16 units a week.

Absolute bollocks IMO. I’ve seen them on nights out and most of my colleagues can put away far more than 20 units in one night.

People lie, to others and to themselves.

I think it's quite a lot, the only people I know who drink that much every week are my parents generation. I think the amount people drink has generally gone down though - for years DM used to drank a glass a night but has now cut down, I think mainly because she became aware that made her relatively a heavy drinker now in a way it didn't 15 years ago.

I don't really drink at home so it very much depends on what/if any socialising I do! Last week was a shocker as I had a 40th on Saturday (probably 4-5 glasses of fizz) Friday celebratory drinks with girlfriends (2 G&T plus a glass of fizz) and sunday lunch with a bottle of wine between DH & I.

Previous 2 weeks absolutely nothing!

I've not drank this year and last year in total I had about 30 units of alcohol for the whole year

I haven't had a drink for 15 months, not made a conscious decision to stop, just not bothered about drinking. I watched my partner die aged 34 from alcoholism 4 years ago, another of his friends is going through the same thing now & it's such a waste of a life.