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?

@Pooshy this is a MN drinking thread so of course everyone on it only drinks a thimble of Sherry every third Christmas.....

In the real world however, most people lie about how much they drink 😁

It might mean the top 5% of female drinkers. I don't think I know any women who drink (or at least admit to drinking) 20 units a week. I know a number of men who regularly drink that much.

I probably average 1-2 units a week.

I don't consciously track it but maybe around 5 a week. I dread to think what my answer would've been in my 20s though. Probably around 70 😱

None, normally.

Rarely, 1-2.

Nat999

0 been teetotal all my life

I'm another that doesn't drink any usually. I will have between one and two glasses of champagne at a rare night out to friends for dinner....and that's it.

I just don't feel the need or desire to drink alcohol usually because it affects me very quickly and I don't like the loss of control. Literally on the first sip, I feel it go to my head.

When I have a rare night out, I know I'm going to "let go" and then I do enjoy a glass or two.

But no more or I start acting silly.

I generally don’t drink Monday to Thursday and on a typical weekend usually drink about 1.5 bottles of wine over fri, sat, sun. So about 15 units

If I have a night out or on holiday then would be a fair bit more - I certainly don’t bother counting them on these occasions. Like I wouldn’t count calories on these occasions

Do you actually mean the top 5% of drinkers? Or that your alcohol consumption is in the top 5% of the whole population?

Because that is massively different. So many people don’t drink at all that you would easily be in the top 5% of the general population. But I find it harder to believe you would be in the top 5% out of people who drink..... you could be though, with all those who only drink v occasionally.

I was like you op. I quit drinking in the house last January (2018) and so obviously cut down a lot, then at the back end of the year I slipped a bit and started thinking one or two like everyone else is fine! So I quit drinking full stop. Feel much better and I enjoy house parties/nights out much more now I’m sober!

I’m 26, no kids and go out most weekends. I probably drink about 3/4 cocktails or vodka cranberry on a Saturday night. If I’m having a messy night maybe a bottle of Prosecco and a few vodkas. I don’t drink during the week really.

I don't really drink regularly but will have the odd glass of wine or beer.

Leigh I think it more likely that women on here who do drink a bit, just don't comment.

I certainly see no reason to lie about the amount I drink. Someone asked...so I answered.

I drink less, but to be honest I'm quite surprised at that. Most of the people I know seem, from the outside, just going by what they mention, to drink more than 20 units a week.

So apparently only about 20% of population doesn't drink at all or haven't had a drink in a year.
Mumsnet average is really off 😂

Just to make sure. I am not laughing at people not drinking! Just the average numbers compare to offline world.

I drink 2 units per week max. Most weeks I have none. I stopped drinking while TTC, pregnant, breastfeeding, TTC thru secondary infertility, pregnancy, breastfeeding. All up 6 years not drinking and as a result, I don't miss it now.

Hmm I don’t think Monday-Thursday, maybe a glass through the week. I work FT as does DH, have two kids. By the time we have finished all chores, done any admin, had dinner, I am ready for bed. I don’t have time for two glasses of wine per night to be honest, and I am not sure how I’d feel about a full day of work the next day.
Weekends- maybe a bottle of wine across the entire weekend. Some weekends nothing at all.

DH works v long hours as well but comes home early to see the kids. So once I am in bed has to put in maybe another 2 hours. So again no time for drinking.

And while neither of us is overweight we like our food and could really really do with eating more healthily! When we are both working after dinner we eat way more junk than we should.

I don't drink anymore. I love wine, but I went so long without drinking due to pregnancies etc that now i just can't handle it. If I have 1 or 2 glasses, I can't sleep well and feel horrible the next day. It's rubbish. I loved wine...

There will be lots of people like me who tilt the scales and people also lie about alcohol consumption so that skewes results as well.

I don’t drink, maybe once or twice a year. Having said that, my DTs are becoming toddlers now, so I may revise this soon!

When I do go on a really rare night out, I get shit faced.

I used to drink an absolute fuck load pre-kids. Never counted the units but enough to be tipsy/drunk at least 3 nights a week. But for the past few years, basically none (too knackered and hangovers with small noisy children are brutal).

I stopped drinking alcohol in Dec 2017 (migraines) so zero.

None for most weeks. Never more than a glass and a half of wine when I do drink, even that makes me tired the next day. If I was drinking 20 units a week there would probably be mornings I wouldn't be safe to drive.

Haven't had a drink in many years. Just decided I didn't like it and that was it. DH doesn't drink anymore, either. We were very light drinkers even before stopping. Maybe 2 units a month