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

I really wish this bloody term “an alcoholic” would be done away with. It leads people who are clearly drinking problematically to keep going and think they are OK because they aren’t “an alcoholic”. I was one such person. But I clearly had a serious drink problem.

OP even small glasses are half a bottle a night - 3.5 bottles a week - over 30 units of alcohol, which is twice the recommended maximum safer amount. So yes it’s too much. The fact you are even asking tends to suggest you know it’s a problem, even if you don’t fall into the stereotype of “an alcoholic”.

You certainly don’t have a healthy relationship with alcohol and are abusing it. Try reading your OP back replacing any reference to alcohol with another addictive substance and see how it sounds:

“How much weed do you smoke per day and does smoking 3 normal spliffs every evening make you an addict?”

”How much doo you bet per day and does placing three small bets every evening make you a gambling addict?”

Whilst addiction certainly has a physical element, the psychological components are just as, if not more, damaging. Your self medicating.

Wine is also my tipple and I agree a glass or two can feel relaxing at the time, but the next day, even after just a couple of glasses, I am more tired that if I hadnt drunk and consequently more stressed so it's a vicious cycle. I very rarely drink on a work night anymore. I think your drinking sounds problematic, it's a huge health risk and it isn't helping you relax properly infact it's probably making you more stressed over all.

I would say it was certainly excessive and indicates a poor relationship with alcohol if you need it to not feel stressed. I reckon you would feel a lot less stressed if yoou didn't drink near on a bottle of wine every night.

You clearly don't think it's anything serious either....

This is an excellent post and I agree with every word.

Of course you will know people who drink more than you - probably loads more. But equally, you are clearly worried about your own drinking to have asked the question.

I gave up drinking altogether. I don't think I was physically addicted to alcohol - didn't get cravings or withdrawal symptoms - but I was definitely relying on it in a way that wasn't healthy, physically or emotionally. My life is immeasurably better since I quit. Same is true of my husband. Our relationship is better, our health is better, we do more varied things in the evening, we have more money! I absolutely could not recommend sobriety more if I am honest......

The term 'alcoholic' is shorthand - not helpful shorthand though. But typing out 'alcohol misuse' or 'problematic alcohol use' doesn't readily lend itself to the onlinosphere.

I hope OP takes heed of what has been said though.

@TooOldForThisNonsense
Spot on!

I like this checklist, it makes the main things very clear and easily understandable.

@maddy68 serious question but honestly in what country is it normal to have half a bottle of wine with breakfast??

Can you stop at one...? Most alcoholics would find it almost impossible once the first glass is down.
This is why the whole Dry Jan thing is just daft, because it's stopping once they've started that most alcoholics can't do. Not drinking at all is easier physically (unless you're really really far gone in which case you could be quite ill)

Good evening,

Thank you for all of your comments and advice, interesting reading.

People have vastly different ideas about the size of a glass of wine. For me 3 glasses is not almost a bottle! I measured it and it’s about 400ml and a bottle is 750ml

I probably am reliant on it at the moment, and do look forward to my first glass of wine in the evening. The first glass is always the best.

I never feel hungover after 3 glasses and can function no problem the next day. I run 5k almost every day and do not smoke and am generally healthy.

I just checked the recommendation for healthy drinking in Germany where I live.
Here they say that drinking alcohol for 5 days a week with 2 days abstinence is okay.

For females 300ml of beer or 150ml of wine per day, so one bottle of beer or one glass of wine. (For men double.)

This is less than I am drinking at the moment…maybe I should cut back a bit and make new habits. As I said earlier, the first glass in the evening is aways the best, so maybe I will stop after that.

The alcohol free beer here is very good, and I do have a bottle of alcohol free wine in the fridge…and a real one too..

Enjoy the evening everyone, hope the sun is shining where you are :)

Good that you're going to try new habits. Even at 400ml a day that's nearly 4 bottles a week, which as you know is a lot.

Alcohol free days gives your liver a chance to recover, so probably a good idea.

Op, I could feel myself falling into similar coping mechanisms and I was definitely kidding myself about how much I was actually drinking. The Drinkaware app has been amazing! When I started using it, discovered to my absolute horror that I was drinking between 35-40 units a week. Just seeing that was a wake up call. I started gradually reducing it and finding other ways to manage my stress. I now drink about 8-10 units a week and I feel loads better. No more sore heads or terrible munchies the next day. I actually feel less stressed too because I realise now that I thought the alcohol was de-stressing me but really it was just adding to my problems.

OP, I'm impressed that you're stressed, and managing to run 5 km most days, and drink 3 glasses of wine 🙏Is stress negatively impacting you, or could it be helping you to have a fulfilled live? Sometimes a manageable level of stress can help us perform well. Would you like to drink less or are you happy as is? What would you most like to change in your life?

Thank you for your support ☺️

Thanks, it’s easy to tell yourself it’s okay..
thanks for sharing.
I get the munchies too, but mostly in the evenings.

On the days that I don’t drink, and there are a few here and there, I do find that I drift off to sleep, and sleep through the night better, and feel much better and fresher in the mornings. My skin also looks better. Lot’s of reasons to try harder.

I’ll take a look at that APP thanks 😊

Thank you, I find that running helps immensely with stress, I have just started again after a very long break. Must keep it up, and the wine down!

I don’t find the stress helpful! and am managing it with running in the daytime and wine in the evening. What would I like to change in my life? I would like to find a new man 😂🤣😂

As a suggestion for anyone who's thinking about their wine consumptions.... Over time for some reason we've made wine extremely acceptable to drink often like a cup of tea. I love wine so I too am in wine lovers club.
In all the posts replace the word wine with vodka and see if you would feel the same way. If you friend said I have 3 vodkas every night would you react differently than if she said wine. It's all alcohol, just a different type.

This exactly

I totally agree with this. I don’t know if there’s even a medical consensus on what an alcoholic is but I take it to mean someone who is physically dependent on alcohol.

Obviously that’s bad but it’s the tip of the iceberg and there are huge numbers of people who are not physically dependent on alcohol but who have a highly problematic relationship with it.

I think there’s a tendency to go; “I’m not drinking four large glasses a day: I’m alright Jack.”

For me the definition of an alcohol problem is when someone or their loved ones are troubled by their relationship with alcohol.