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.

I drink a bottle of white over the course of a week. No extra at weekends, I like a weak spritzer best with plenty of soda water.

I chat or play games to unwind

I'm probably the only 40 year old who doesn't drink. Wine in particular tastes awful and I get an instant headache with most alcohol. Guess I still have the taste buds of a child.

I used alcohol as a crutch during the pandemic and have successfully cut down since. Easy habit to slip into.

No I don't. I find I get a headache if I only have one or two so only drink to get pissed which is probably around 3x a year. My mate and her dh drink every night as do most of my friends

Used to drink most nights. Saw it as a treat, my time, relaxer etc. Turns out that none of those things were true and it actually just made me anxious, short tempered and tired. I've now been alcohol free for almost a year and the difference in me is amazing. More energy, clear head, patient.
Anyone who has to attach rules to their drinking should really give that some more thought. If it wasn't a problem, would you even have to only drink certain amounts on certain days or would you just not give it a second thought?
I'm heavily influenced by the alcoholism of my ex, father to my children. I can't describe the ways he has ruined our lives and yet he still refuses to deal with his problems. So yes, I'm a bit more preachy than I'd like to be, but if I can prevent even one person taking the problem drinker route then I'll be happy.

When I was younger I worked for quite a posh family and they drank every day, early evening G&T to start, wine with meal and maybe a brandy or whiskey before bed. I never saw them drunk or messy or drink a lot more, occasionally a bit more wine if they had friends over for Dinner.

This was seen as perfectly normal and socially expected and acceptable.

Yes, I'm totally with this. I wouldn't have all three in the evening, just the G&T or the wine (one glass as I have a pretty low tolerance) for example. I do so because I like the taste, and prefer low alcohol content choices, because i don't actually want to feel tipsy in any way. It's literally because i like the taste. I'm never drunk.

It's strange, because DH and I have only really started having a "sit down the kids are in bed, let's have a glass of something together" about 3 or so years ago, and it's really nice. But no nicer than our first morning cup of tea together. It's sharing something we enjoy, it's almost irrelevant that one of those occasions the drink contains alcohol. I don't really distinguish between this, and say, the bag of maltesers we have twice a week when we watch films. Haven't got a malteser problem either, but that's probably a lot more than most people have.

I definitely, when I drank only at Christmas or meals out, would think, oh my god, only an alcoholic would drink at home. And yet here we are, neither of us with an alcohol problem, just doing something because it's our preference.

I find this thread really interesting.

I do especially after a stressful day but now I try and think ok a nice herbal tea will relax me so much better - doesn’t always work . I’ve worked my way through the Pukka brand and now have 2 I like . I do find my sleep is worse with a glass of wine

Neither myself or DH drink at home, it's just never interested us, but back in the day we used to love going to the pub and having a skinful with our friends. To us alcohol is just a social thing. We also have best friends who are functioning (using that term loosely) alcoholics, and it's very sad watching their lives slowly going down the pan.
Another thing, how do people afford it? We do our weekly shop, no alcohol in trolley and it costs a fortune, if we add in several bottles of wine etc, it would be bloody ridiculous!

No. Plus I hate wine of any colour or variety.

@TwinsandTrifle
That’s mad, I absolutely hate the taste of alcohol. I’d have to put loads of 7up or coke into something to tolerate it, it feels like poison or something the way my body reacts to it. I always though people had to build themselves up to getting used to the taste and just eventually tolerated it, but to actually like it, that would make it very hard to give up!
I understand though that everyone’s taste buds are different, I love the smell of tar and hardware shops and firelighters etc.

@CockSpadget Aldi do some very nice wines at very reasonable prices! Still adds to the shopping bill though!

@3luckystars The fake Malibu I get from Lidl is the same alcohol content as wine. So in effect, it's like having a cm of wine in a tumbler, topped up with coke. I don't actually like the real stuff anymore, as you can taste the alcohol in it. Whereas this is just a lovely refreshing coconut drink, that just tastes of coconut. And I don't worry about the alcohol, because it's like having a "shot" of wine, which is what, a tenth of a glass?

Would highly recommend, it's a quarter of the price as well!

No. I don’t drink Sunday-Thursday. I will have a couple of G&T’s on a Friday and Saturday evening usually. Sometimes I don’t bother though. All in all
I’m not really a bit drinker at all. I don’t have a good tolerance for it these days either.

I 'think' that a glass or so is within the recommended amount isn't it.

I have a stressful job and I never really drank unless in a night out until I got this job and Friday became bottle of prosecco day.

I cannot handle my drink. Not in a drunk way but in a headache, tummy ache, bad skin and real down day the next day. I seriously think I am intolerant to it. £10 a bottle a week is expensive too.

I'm consciously cutting down because it still calls to me and I stupidly forget how bad I'll feel even two drinks in but I know others who drink daily and handle it fine.

No. I could if it didn’t put me weight on. I stick to a weekend.

No. Occasional G&T during the week. Husband and I share a decent bottle of wine (as in £20+) over the course of a weekend. We would rather have that than multiple mediocre vinegary bottles. Maybe we feel this way partly because my parents are borderline alcoholics. Definitely alcohol dependent. They weren’t always that way. It is a slippery slope and you know it. We have seen how it affects my mother’s behaviour particularly and it isn’t nice at all. I will never forget some of the things she has said to me while under the influence of alcohol. But she does. I never want to put myself or my child in that position.

No. I couldn’t function if I did. Also it’s linked to breast cancer. Drink maybe once a month

I have a drink Friday - Sunday , never more than 3 with the odd exception. It’s bad for and I want to be healthy and feel good but still have a life.

Oh and have family of alcoholics- I hate being around heavy drinkers tbh.

I'll have a glass of wine maybe 3/4 nights a week. But if someone is coming over I'll definitely have more

Never. If I needed alcohol to be able to cope and ‘do life’ I would be concerned.

Yes - no more than 2 glasses a night and I feel fine on it. If I didn''t, though, I'd cut down (and I'm not especially keen on chocolate, so that helps a bit from the calories perspective.)

In some countries it is regarded as normal and even healthy to have wine each day .

I dont drink mon to thurs but drink a lot at weekends. Usually 3 or 4 bottles of wine. I know I drink to much but i enjoy it.

Just a different take on it but I gave up alcohol about 5 months ago due to Perimenopause symptoms. I also started HRT and recently thought, well now everything has settled down, perhaps I could have a glass of wine again. Did an experiment with one large glass of wine in the evening - sleep was awful and headaches back in the morning (which was a major symptom for me). Left it a couple of nights, tried it again, exactly the same!

I have felt so much better not drinking and now with a quick experiment, it's solidified that for me. I notice mood, motivation, physical changes that whilst only subtle and not debilitating, even a small amount of alcohol has an effect.

I also now know all the best no alcohol drinks! A low alcohol red mine doesn't exist that is drinkable [vomit] Belle and Co do a great prosecco substitute and Brooklyn Beer co's no alcohol beer and Freedam no alcohol lager rules! Stowford Press low alcohol cider is also delicious, as is Clean Co Gin.

Cheers!