Does drinking a bottle of wine, alone and at home on a school night, indicate a drinking problem?

[guineacup]

Or am I over-reacting? I'm just concerned about a friend who causally told me this earlier...

you can't think of any happy medium between a small yearly glass at a party and an entire bottle alone on a school night?

Even if it's about an adult in both cases.

Are you trying to insinuate that everyone who ever has an alcoholic drink is an alcoholic? Or have I misunderstood what you're getting at?

If you can drink a bottle of wine in a night, alone, it suggests it's not that irregular

I can. But about twice a year I'll have a bottle of wine of an evening.
I have an alcoholic drink on average once every two months but when I do it's a bottle of wine or a few Malibu and colas.

I don't think that was the insinuation at all. The PP clearly referenced regularity. It's fair to say there are lots of problem drinkers who are frankly in denial - it's tellingly defensive to say oh are we only allowed one drink a year when that is clearly NOT what anyone is saying.

Softening a full bottle of wine yourself in one night is some going, and it'd knock anyone who wasn't a very regular drinker senseless. How often is a 'one off'? Once a week, and just half a bottle on the other nights? That's a dependency, like it or not.

@Sainte What doesn't constitute a problem in your eyes? Because it sounds like anything other than teetotal is a problem for you?

Presumably even the famed MN half a sherry every other Christmas is a problem in it's regularity?

Look up grey area drinking and have a listen to Andy Ramage.

A baileys at christmas is a problem?

A champagne at New Year is a problem?

A pina colada on your birthday is a problem?

All are regular.

Some will say I’m incorrect, well perhaps I’m correct.

You're incorrect!

An alcoholic starts with 1 drink. This is worth thinking about.

Only if you're very very bored and there's no wet paint to watch

Of course it's not. If it was every school night it would be an issue.

Don't ask Mumsnet. You're only allowed a small glass every other Christmas or you have a problem.

Some over-defensive person always makes almost precisely this comment on every single thread about alcohol consumption on MN. It's not at all true though. There is a very wide range of views on how much is too much, as you'd expect on a big forum. Minus points for neglecting to use the word 'thimble' though.

Goodness I've never met so many people who don't drink or think 'ok once a year'...!!
When my husband was alive we would share a bottle. Now he's not i do find if i open a bottle I drink it over the course of an evening, so I limit it to a couple a week, though occasionally drink more I don't get hung over- it's just a nice way to relax. I regularly stop for a month or two at a time and nope, I don't feel any better and annoyingly I don't lose any weight!
But I'd say most of my friends have at least one glass a night.
The friend i DO worry about drinks about two bottles a night (a case a week). She actually does say she 'needs it'. However it doesn't interfere with her functioning at all - I think her body is used to it! But it must be doing some damage. She has had the doctor tell her off but she doesn't really want to stop, and as it has no impact (other than it may well catch up her health wise eventually), she doesn't see why she should.

@TheMurderousGoose (love your user name)

Sounds like the key is to drink spontaneously and completely at random. Maybe a whole bottle of wine alone on a school night, if that's not your habit?

@Fairislefandango I used thimble upthread so can I have those points? Ta muchly.

It’s not good but it’s not necessarily a problem either. More information needed on this one.

I think a whole bottle in one sitting is too much

I would vomit and pass out if I drank a full bottle to myself but I'm a lightweight 😄. Yeah I'd say definitely a big problem!

You sound massively controlling. Checking the bin and marking the empties on the calendar?

@Fairislefandango I used thimble upthread so can I have those points? Ta muchly.

Certainly! 50 points to you.

3 glasses of wine woudnt be considered a lot in my circles if it was on a night out, or I'm even.
Every night is obvs a different story but lots of my friends do this and more a few nights a week-I wouldn't say any of them are dependent on booze. I probably used to but now I work weekends so the Opportunity is less and I'm peri so the hangovers are worse and the weight gain is more .

I have a sweet sherry at funerals (to calm my nerves) and a nip of scotch in my last brew of the day. Is this problematic?

It is definitely the beginning of a problem. One whole bottle will affect your brain functioning. You will be hung-over in the morning. If you neither feel drunk nor hungover, you are definitely well on the road to being alcohol dependent. Add in your responsibilities to your family and yourself; you decide. It is never too late to start to stop.

IMO it’s unhealthy and speaking as a light weight I’d be very, very drunk. 😂

An entire bottle?? Yes, I’m afraid it does.

Is this post one of those 'Asking for a friend'?

The OP has vanished.

If you need help @guineacup posters can be kind- just reach out.

I don't drink wine but I do drink about 250ml of spirits (with a mixer) on a Friday evening. I don't have a drink problem.

Wouldn't concern me.

Every night would be a cause for concern, as would the type of wine. A bottle of Prosecco is about 10.5-11% ABV, so roughly the equivalent of 4 bottles of premium lager like Peroni or Staropramen or similar - so not great but not terrible now and again. Some of the Australian/New Zealand reds are 14-15%ABV and that could be the equivalent of about 6 bottles of beer, which would definitely be a problem if it was every night.