Wine, do you think you are an alcoholic if..

[EatsYummySprouts]

How much wine (that‘s my tipple) do you drink per day and does drinking 3 normal size glasses of wine every evening make you an alcoholic?

YABU = yes
YANBU = no

Four consecutive days a week off according to relations liver specialist.

I don't drink Mon- Thurs and also have a very stressful life. Luckily I don't associate alcohol with relaxation, relaxation to me is flopping in front of the TV then bed - I sleep far better when not drinking. I associate alcohol with having a break from responsibility - so only drink at the weekends if I am not doing anything too taxing.

Yeah but I think their glasses are much smaller

Drinking wine every single day is not healthy. It's up to the individual how bothered they are about that.

I think that is a sign of alcoholism or at least heading towards it. Alcohol is an addictive substance. You don't need to be drinking a bottle of vodka a day become alcoholic. Are you able to not drink the wine some evenings, what about 2 evenings in a row or 3? You say it helps relax you, what are you like if you just don't drink it? Do you show signs of alcohol withdrawal? How long before the 3 glasses isn't enough yo relax you and you add another?

I think that's not healthy and I wouldn't feel good if I drank that amount every night.

Does drinking every day make you an alcoholic? I don't know. Does getting blotto once or twice a week make you an alcoholic?

I don't drink every day. I drink two or three times a week. 1/2 a bottle to a bottle every time when socialising.

Maybe I'm an alcoholic. I don't really care. I enjoy life. I am busy, functional and energetic.

I was concerned about my alcohol intake so went cold turkey in January ( after I’d drank all the Christmas wine/ Prosecco) I don’t miss it really. I had a mini bottle of Prosecco on Mother’s Day but that’s it. I do think if I had a full wine rack I’d be tempted.

Im still trying to decide if I have an alcohol problem or just a lack of self control problem. I’d also be tempted if there was nice cheese/ chocolate or crisps hanging around too.

What is a "normal" size glass of wine?

I would say 3 glasses every day is probably too much. It could cause health problems to drink so much every night.

The big question is whether you can go without wine? Do you feel you have a problem?

Can you start to gradually cut down?

I can go for weeks without drinking alcohol. It doesn't bother me at all.

I love my wine but don’t drink Mon - thurs. Replace wine o clock with sparkling water or grapefruit tonic water. My tolerance has gone down as a result so I drink less when I do have wine at weekends

If you are counting down the clock until you can indulge or the first glass of wine gets earlier or you look in the fridge at any other time of day and the thought of having a glass crosses your mind - then I think there's a problem brewing. I actually don't think three glasses per night most nights is a great idea. How big are the three glasses? How much of a bottle do they equate to? The fact you are asking suggests you think it's possible it's problematic. I don't drink at home any more very often. Although I could go OTT on a (rare) night out so .. that's probably not great for the liver either, but isn't an addiction. If you are thinking "I need" a glass now, well if you really do need it or you will feel deprived / on edge / not able to be relaxed - yes, it's a problem. I'm not qualified to state whether it equates to alcoholism.

It depends if you're relying on it or not. If you can easily stop then I don't think you're an alcoholic but it might be worth cutting down as it is a lot. It's a bottle a night. I could probably have a bottle a night but I try and limit it to 2 a week, its not just the alcohol I'm thinking about but also the calories in wine.

How much wine are you pouring per glass OP? I'm a bit thrown that the general assumption here seems to be that 3 glasses is a bottle? But that's not what you're having is it? ... A 'glass' should be around 125ml, and you should be able to pour just over 5, nearly 6, from a standard 75 cl bottle. I think the style of oversized glass has a lot to answer for here: 125 mI looks like a bit of a puddle in the bottom of many glasses but you soon get used to it in a smaller sized one.
There's also the issue of taste here: people seem to chug wine like Ribena these days as the move away from classic French styles to New World and single varietal has made wine so much rounder and easier to drink. Very, very easy to neck in much greater quantity than it was 30/40 years ago. It's often sooo deliciously fruity.
So in the first instance, measure how much you're actually having, and how many units that really equates to. Then have a think.
For full disclosure, I've always drunk too much and am having to cut right back. I want to live to see my grown up kids settled and happy.

Yeah, I would say this is the behaviour of an alcoholic. The guidelines say

• You are safest not to drink more than 14 units per week. 14 units means roughly six pints of lager or one and a half bottles of wine. Use this handy calculator to work out the number of units in your drinks.
• It is best to spread this drinking over three days or more during the week.
• A good way to help you keep the risk low is to have several alcohol-free days each week.
• If you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all, to keep risks to your baby to a minimum.

No matter whether your 21 glasses of wine a week are small, medium or large they are all significantly in excess of 14 units a week:

Large glasses= 4,725 calories and 63 units per week
Medium glasses= 3,318 calories and 44 units per week
Small glasses= 2,373 calories and 31.5 units per week

Good point @L3ThirtySeven. It's still over the guidelines, even if a 125 size.

I suppose I was thinking quite a lot of people, from answers on this thread, must be pouring 250ml plus glasses as standard if they think you only get 3 in a bottle, so portion size always worth checking.

It's a tough one with alcohol. My mum is an alcoholic. When she was in her 40s she'd drink 2-3 times a week and that was it. She had to limit it though, and knew she'd drink every night if not. It crept up and when she met my step dad it went to every day. It's clear looking back that she was always susceptible to it becoming a massive problem and one life change happened and it did. She's now 70, frail and needing carers due to alcohol related seizures. It's very sad.

I definitely think that’s too much. For me, I like the taste of wine (bar rose and Prosecco which I wouldn’t touch even if I fancied a drink and there was nothing else). For me, I find I get the urge post-work/dinner time but if I can stop myself pouring one before about 745, I tend to not bother. Last night my DH was out and I was looking forward to a nice dinner in front of a good tv show so thought about wine. Managed to not do it by pouring sept some sparkling water then by 8pm wasn’t bothered at all.

Alcoholic means that you would have serious physical symptoms if you withdrew, not merely that you like a few. Could you stop for a week without showing the classic signs of alcohol dependence? If so you’re not medically an alcoholic.

No it doesn't.

I am the same even down to the dislike of rose and prisecco!

Most people don't measure out 125ml and so pour closer to 200/250 without realising

I was thinking along the same lines as you. When my DH and I split a bottle of wine (around 3-4x a year), we usually get 2 and a half glasses each..so 5 glasses total from a bottle. Only getting 3 glasses from one bottle would indicate large glasses of wine.

I can put a bottle of wine away absolutely no trouble at all, particularly in the summer if it’s a few glasses of lovely cold white. I’d barely be tipsy let smoke drink. Since I know I can enjoy it so much I really do have to limit it during the week. I’m not a ‘one small glass’ king of person at all, never have been.

Smoke drink?! = drunk 🤣

That to me reads like an alcohol dependency. That amount would wreck my sleep, and liver.
If you want to knowing you’re an alcoholic, stop for 30 days - if you can do it no probs without thinking about drinking that’s a good sign. Then when you start again give your self a 3 drink limit 1 or 2 time a week and see if that’s okay too.