Does anyone else drink most evenings?

[SandraOhh]

I do. Wine usually, a couple of glasses. It's how I unwind. I do skip some nights. I know it's not great for you but everyone has their vices. It helps me cope and feel happier and more able to 'do' life.

No. I can unwind without alcohol.

@Fordian

I admit I read and replied, 88 messages in...!

This is not to excuse or give license to any behaviours, but '14 units' is totally made up. There is all but no science behind it; it's a 'stab in the dark' number.

I agree, and the real medical concerns are actually around binge drinking, otherwise known as 'save it for the weekend'.

If you’re drinking every night you’re an addict.

The less I drink the more I enjoy it, and for me the sweet spot is a couple of glasses of wine on each of Friday and Saturday night. It also has the benefit that I'll wake feeling I've had some booze but once I'm up any hangover feeling immediately fades away.

I've been down the slippery slope and although I remained functional my life was pretty miserable with many days being me waiting for my first drink, particularly because that would be the first moment of the day when the hangover from the previous day would go. The only way I found I was able to climb back up the slope was to move to another country and make all of my habits anew. Life came back in Technicolor then.

We did during the first lockdown and then I started to hate how it made me feel the next day so stopped. Have a drink 1 or 2 nights a week now.

No, I'm tee total. I've watched my father drink far too much (though he seems to have survived and not become an alcoholic) I later lost a partner to alcoholism, she was only 51.

My good friend - the daughter of two alcoholics - is a doctor who directs a large alcohol support service. She tells me that research shows that people generally underreport their drinking by around 50%, and that most people who drink consume too much for their long term health.

I genuinely think it's sad that people feel they have to turn to alcohol to cope, both in terms of when/why/how much they drink as well as in terms of their culture and conversation, which is all about "wine o'clock' and "time for gin" - the acceptable face of over-drinking in contemporary society.

People like to deflect attention to 'binge drinking', but if you are drinking daily then you have a problem.

I'm pregnant at the moment so definitely not, but when I'm not, I probably drink 3 or 4 nights a week and have one drink each time. G&Ts are my preferred tipple.

For now I have become obsessed with Freedom alcohol free beer which is delicious and tastes like the real thing. Sometimes I have a can of tonic water with ice and lemon/rosemary/cucumber. Half of the joy is the ritual, I find.

The health guidelines for women are no more than 14 units a week; spread your drinks over at least 3 days and try to have drink free days.

So I'd suggest if you are following those guidelines you are fine.

I think the posters scoffing at the "more than a thimbleful and you must be an alcoholic" posters (which by the way, I'm not sure I've ever seen) are just as harmful as the ones saying drinking several units every night is fine. In the UK large quantities of alcohol consumption is way too normalised.

That's why I'd suggest looking a health guidelines and not "what everyone else does". IME if you're questioning if you are drinking too much, then you probably are.

(I've gone off alcohol since being peri-menopausal; I believe that's quite common?)

Helps you cope with what, Op?

I do. But I know it’s not ok.

No, but I've never really been an 'at home' drinker anyway.

I have a few drinks when out with friends, or at parties or whatever, but don't feel the need at home.

I do have a shocking Pepsi Max habit though, and I still vape after quitting smoking about 6 years ago. We all have vices.

I've gone through patches of drinking heavily/regularly. All those patches coincided with upheaval and stress, but once a habit is formed it often self-perpetuates and each time I notice my drinking is unhealthy, I make a conscious effort to get into new habits.

I really notice that alcohol, for me, does not really help the stress because after a while it actually makes me feel rather anxious and depressed. By contrast, when I make an effort to dive into regular exercise etc, I start to feel happy and energetic. It's a bit of a no-brainer really and yet I still get into drinking now and then! I think there is just a really perverse side of me that thinks "Fuck it."

I remember reading Greg Wallace saying it was his wife who pointed out that you only really enjoy the first two glasses of wine, and after that it takes you to a different place. That is brilliant and true. Yet for me, it's just as I finish the second glass that my demon side goes "Fuck it" 😈

I have to be so compos mentis for work that there is something appealing about letting it all slide. At the moment I'm saving it for weekends and focusing on a healthy lifestyle during the week, which I hope is a reasonable balance.

I very rarely drink but I don't see the harm in people having a glass of wine or so with evening meal. In France it's normal to have wine with a meal.

No & never have. Chocolate is my weakness.

I’d like to but after a recent health scare I’m teetotal. If you get more from a nightly glass than it costs you then I’d carry on.

Sensible post RedskyThisNight.

Completely agree, 25ml of gin is less than a unit. Less than 7 a week if you have one every day.

If you like it so what 🤷🏻‍♀️.

I only ever drink at home, always the driver when I go to the pub. I drink pink tonic, no gin at the pub.

No, not since early 30s

" 19:02Lanique

Don't ever ask on here op. You'll be diagnosed as an alcoholic as all the tee totallers fall over themselves to tell you."

This totally 🤣 Maybe try to do one 125 ml glass a night and just keep eye, it's really easy to do mindless eating and drinking in front of telly. If it's not effecting your life thats a good sign. Only you know how it affects you and whether you are able to tolerate it.

I’ve had 8 alcohol free days since March 2020.

Mostly one or two a night, sometimes half a bottle of wine.

About a week ago I thought to myself 'Ooh, I rather fancy a gin and tonic'. We have gin in the house but no tonic, and it took me until yesterday to get around to actually buying some. I have still not had my G&T yet. That's how little I'm bothered.

Nope I don’t.

I don’t have an issue with drinking a glass of wine every evening. I would be more at someone who has no other way to unwind than alcohol.

No. I have 3 friends who do drink wine most nights though. Two of them are very overweight, always on diets and totally in denial about the amount of sugar in wine. Both say it's their only indulgence and they'll give everything else up but the wine. Hmm m.

Nope, never been a drinker. There's some bottles of wine in the house but the only time we really drink them is when BiL comes to visit.

@Lanique

Don't ever ask on here op. You'll be diagnosed as an alcoholic as all the tee totallers fall over themselves to tell you.

True

I'm pregnant so not at the moment, but pre pregnancy I would usually have a glass of wine with dinner 2/3 times a week? Then maybe 2 or 3 glasses on a weekend. Obviously nights out/weddings/events were different. I don't think it's that much of an issue as long as it isn't severely impacting your life.