Those of you who are ’social drinkers’. How much do you drink?

[PainfulAnkles]

I always thought this meant like once or twice a year MAYBE, and like a glass or two.

Do you drink until you are drunk?

Surely a 'social' drinker is someone who drinks when they are being sociable - so if they go out or if they have people over rather than being someone who drinnks at home with their partner or has a couple of glasses of wine with Netflix on a Friday night.

So that is a huge range between someone who goes out 3 - 4 times a week, to Aunty Pat who has a small sherry at Christmas.

In the same way I used to be a social smoker - I'd probably have a couple if I was out and other people were smoking, but I didn't smoke on a day to day basis.

A glass or two of pimms in a pub garden in the summer. Never enough to even get tipsy.
I’ve done the party girl lifestyle, drinking till I was drunk out of my head at 3am. It was great fun then but I have zero interest in that any more.

Very similar for me. Just don’t like being drunk or having a hangover anymore.

For me it means only drinking when I'm socialising with other people. Very rarely drink at home unless having guests staying or a party. How much do I drink? Shitloads when I'm out in pubs and I really enjoy it. I only go out a few times a month these days.

Of course social drinker doesn't mean once or twice a year! Unless you only socialise once or twice a year, which I suppose happens for some people.

Sometimes I call myself a social drinker for lack of a better term but I actually only drink once probably every month or 2. I do sometimes get drunk. I go to bars and pubs more often though just don't drink most of the time.

I would consider a social drinker someone who drinks in company rather than people who also maybe drink at home and things like that.

I drink every other weekend when I'm out and about and DD is with her dad. This normally involves many g&t's and cocktails. I hardly ever drink alone.

I would call myself a social drinker as I never drink at home and can go however long without drinking if I don’t have stuff planned.

Probably averages out at 3-4 drinks every couple of weeks.

I drink at social occasions - eg parties, weddings, nights out but almost never at home (except for rare occasion when we have friends & family round and even then not always) and not at 'low level' social occasions (eg after the sport I do some people would have a glass of wine or a beer but I would rarely do that). Generally I have say 2-3 drinks with a meal out (maybe every other month) and occasionally at a party etc really let my hair down and get a bit drunk. I think of it as drinking mindfully. I wanted to drink less but I do enjoy the buzz of being drunk occasionally. I maybe do that once a month on average? I don't mean blind drunk, just say 3-4 drinks and get a bit merry. Works for me - I don't miss drinking at home at all.

Me too, i can't imagine getting drunk these days. I rarely drink but i am still sociable.

I'm what I'd call a social drinker. I go out of an evening probably once every 6 - 8 weeks, usually to see a live music event. I'll have a maximum of 4 glasses of wine, usually less,more likely 3 glasses. If I drink more than 4 glasses,I'm bordering on being drunk!

I hate being drunk. So I drink when it with friends, rarely even to tipsy levels.
Except when I see one particular friend who has a habit of refilling my glad before it's done as that's what she does, but then I'm not sure how much I've had and realise too late.
But I don't like that so last time I saw her I didn't give her a look in. We still had fun.

No, it’s just that I always thought it basically saying ”I don’t drink (much)”.
And now that I learned what people mostly mean by it, they could just say that ”yeah, I drink”.
It just made me wonder why say drinks socially in the first place….

And to be clear, nothing here is about being judgemental, all I mean here is the language people use.

I consider myself a social drinker. For me this means I only ever drink on occasions where its the main focus. So on nights out to bars and clubs, but not at theatres, restaurants or concerts. I never drink in my home apart from on the very rare occasion people are round 'for a drink', so maybe twice a year. Until about 5 years ago these social drinks would be a binge, bottle of wine, few vodkas, shots. But weight loss and getting older has lowered my tolerance and i can only have three glasses of wine now before I start feeling dizzy and headachy.

For me being a social drinker means drinking when socialising, rather than when at home on one’s own or just with family. But the phrase does suggest something a bit occasional rather than very regular. That’s just my view.

I do not buy alcohol as part of my weekly shop. And I don’t drink every week. But during the summer months I entertain a bit and buy and drink alcohol when having friends and family over.

I usually have 3 little parties each summer. Then something for my birthday in the autumn. And something on NYE. I will probably have 2 or 3 glasses of wine or gin and tonics at each of these. And on Christmas Day. And similar if/when invited to a friends house. So I have a few drinks most months. I think I’m a social drinker. Even were the social occasions a bit more often I still think I’d fit the profile of a social drinker.

2 or 3 units maybe 4 or 5 times a year if the weather is nice or it's Christmas or a wedding.

20 years ago it was more like 15-20 units a week. But I grew up.

"Social drinking" is often used as a euphemism, though.

You don't have to drink every single time you socialise, to be a social drinker.

I could call myself a social drinker as I only ever drink when out with good friends about once a month on average. I'll have 2-3 glasses of wine max. Don't drink spirits now as it gives me an upset stomach. The joys of getting older.

I'd say I drink about a bottle of wine a month, approximately. Not consistently. Sometimes months might go by and I won't drink. Sometimes it'll be every weekend for a while. Depends what's happening in my social life.

I never drink alone. And I'm happy to do a social occasion sober. But if I'm out with my friends, I'll usually have a few glasses. I might occasionally drink a whole bottle to myself but that's not frequent.

I like being silly and having fun. I'm not especially bothered about alcohol being involved or not. As long as I don't make myself ill, I'm all good.

I am a social drinker i.e. don't drink on my own and DH doesn't drink so we never drink at home. But I don't drink we I go out i.e. once or twice a week when I will have a couple of glasses of wine.

I consider myself a social drinker. Socialise out the house 1-3 times a month. Depends what's on but usually a wedding/dinner with friends etc. only then do I have a few drinks and enjoy being 'merry'!

I don't sit at home in the evenings and drink alone or with my husband. I've done my crazy drunken nights in my youth, now happy with a few glasses of wine and a nice dinner at the weekend!

It means you only drink on social occasions and that's literally all it means. Can be a huge range of things.

I feel like it's seen as the "acceptable" thing which is why people use the term

I am mainly a social drinker these days. For me it means I don’t drink home alone or at least only rarely. I found during lockdown I was getting through maybe 5 bottles of wine a week so I stopped completely. I am single. Now I drink when I meet friends so once a month or so and then I will have 2 glasses to a bottle of wine. I haven’t had alcohol in over a month but have 2 social events over the next couple of weeks.

Should have said I stopped drinking for a year.

I’m a social drinker. I don’t really drink at home (unless someone comes over for a meal but that is rare as all friends are in the thick of baby period atm) but I’ll have a drink at a work event or weddings/parties etc. I’m such a lightweight now that I’m tipsy after very little and start feeling hungover before I’ve really got drunk.