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...

Apart from the health risks, guzzling wine like a beverage rather than as a carefully chosen part of the overall meal will completely destroy your palate for it. Then you are missing out on all the real pleasures of wine.

These are the scientific facts.

I easily drink 750ml of water in the evening. I’m massively busy almost of the day, have a disabled child who requires constant care plus 2 other children and a full time job. I often forget to drink during the day, and make up for it when I sit down in the evening when my children are in bed. I don’t think having what is essentially 2 large glasses of water, or juice, or whatever someone chooses to drink, is massively unusual to be honest.
I’ve never drank a whole bottle of wine to myself in an evening, mainly as I have to be on duty through the night with my disabled child. But to say that drinking 750ml of water ‘on a school night’ is bizarre is, well, bizarre.

The water argument also makes no sense! The recommendation for water is about 2l a day.

So having half of that over the course of an evening is normal! It’s two of those water bottles everyone has. I could easily have 2 bottles including a drink with dinner m.

I might even have, shock horror, 3 over an evening. Didn’t realise I was a bizarre water fiend

My question was about drinking 1l of water, not wine. The poster said drinking 1l of water would be bizarre on a school night. Water is unlikely to cause a hangover.
Totally misread your post. Sorry. 😳

I thought it was unusual to wonder why that much wine was bizarre 😂

I regularly drink that much water in an evening always have drunk a lot of water and evening is after when I've exercised
If I have a hot bath it makes me thirsty too
Drinking 750ml of water is hardly a sin or weird thing to do, I sip at it while I'm watching TV or reading

Once or twice a week ? No, not a problem. Every night? Yes, a problem.

An entire bottle of wine by yourself on a school night (even on a weekend tbh) does indicate a problem. And people don't do that as a 'one off' without getting so trollied they can't even get up the stairs.... so yeah, your friend does have a problem.

@riceuten once or twice a week?? An entire bottle on your own??? 😳

@OneTC this

I 'm afraid l think it does and if you think no one will notice then lm afraid you're wrong.
I hope this isn't a regular thing and you have support

Thursday night is my favourite night of the week. Cheers 🥂

From an alcoholic - YES

My answer is yes. Obviously as a complete one off, no, but even when I was a bigger drinker I never had a whole bottle on my own. I’m not saying I’ve never drunk a whole bottle in my life, but it was always in company having a good time. I don’t drink now for health reasons, but doesn’t colour my view as I would if it didn’t exacerbate my health problems.
It’s the reason why and frequency as well as the amount.

I’m an ex big drinker. That’s a huge amount of alcohol. Just because lots of people do it, doesn’t mean it’s not incredibly unhealthy. I’d be worried TBH.

People are saying once a week is okay but that’s actually a binge drink and over the recommended maximum of 6 units per drink session, so while not a problem as such it’s not very good for you and I daresay will have health repercussions.

I say this in a totally non-judgemental way as I could easily drink that in one sitting - not as frequently now as I have in the past.

Me too! And it's almost fetishished in the more high end TV programmes and films. Fabulous but care worn woman comes home and the first thing she does is pour herself a very large glass of wine in a glass the size of a bucket. In her fabulous kitchen. It has replaced sucking on a fag as shorthand for signifying emotions.

I think the fact it’s a whole bottle is a concern if it’s not a rare occurrence - it’s a sign if keeping going until it’s gone. Yes, it’s 750ml but if it were 1litre there’s a chance that someone who wants to or needs to drink whatever’s available, would drink that quantity. It’s the not stopping until it’s all gone that’s the issue.

As earlier posters have said, it counts as a session of binge drinking. The problem is that people don’t see binge drinking as an issue, but think it’s okay if it’s ‘only’ weekly or fortnightly etc.

I guess many people binge drank as young adults…perhaps on an almost nightly basis for a while. This being a cultural norm has led to distorted views. It means older adults think it’s the norm or not an issue to drink a whole bottle of wine on your own fortnightly or weekly…just as long as it’s not every night.

The fact the friend told you about it, suggests it wasn’t a one-off. It might well not be every night, but I’d say that if it is regular and more than once a month, that quantity in one go, is a problem. I know lots of people would disagree. They don’t think they have an alcohol issue and function fine and would say they just enjoy a decent drink at a weekend…but the question is about the quantity of units and also the regularity. Drinking large quantities of wine at the weekend is seen as socially acceptable or even a badge of honour. It’s too much if it’s a large quantity.

Stopping at a couple of small glasses without having a strong desire for more….that’s the question people should ask themselves about.

Most sensible thing I’ve read on this subject in ages

Absolute nonsense. I regularly have dinner, then sit down with a mug of tea. About 8:30 to 9 I'll make myself another one, and I always take a mug of tea up to bed with me, and drink it in bed whilst reading.

Easily 750 ml water. Know many people who do the same.

I sat down last night with about 500ml of volvic lemon water if that's acceptable!

It doesnt indicate a drinking problem. It indicates a mental health condition.

The op hasn’t given much details just friend drank a whole bottle of wine on a school night .
is it the quantity or the fact it was a school night ?
she doesn’t mention at all that it’s a nightly thing just that she’s alone , 1 bottle and a week night .
I can easily drink a whole bottle over a evening and have occasionally done it alone but rarely as I’m rarely alone when I drink but not on a week night as I’ve work the next day maybe the odd glass but that’s it .
this thread is strange because it’s what people perceive as drinking too much .
someone who never drinks will think a bottle of wine is too much , the op never mentioned it’s a nightly thing .
I personally enjoy a couple of wines at home some might be horrified that some nights I may have a glass of wine on a school night .
i know people that never drink at home but when they go out it’s to get steaming drunk , I don’t enjoy getting drunk I would never drink too much on 1 night .

Yes, if every night, then it is absolutely a problem.

And it is a very slippery slope.

It takes only two weeks to become addicted, so this is certainly not safe.

That's approx 42 units per week. Or more, depending on the alcohol content of each bottle.

I worked for an alcohol advisery centre, drinking a bottle of wine a night, especially alone, is a huge red flag and she needs help if she'll accept it, but I'm guessing she's in denial.