To Drink wine most nights?

[Monique10]

I always try to have 2 days off per week but the volume is creeping up. I used to only have one or two glasses whilst cooking dinner but now its gone upto 3, maybe a bottle. I am never drunk and I do consume it over a few hours. I have loads of alcohol in the house that I dont feel the need to touch but white wine is so good! I also put loads of ice in it. My mum and dad drank so much and I seen things I shouldnt have seen growing up, I am never drunk though and fully in control but maybe I am on downward path? what do you think?

Sometimes just having a “treaty” drink in a wine glass has the same effect - to be clear this is if you’re NOT an alcoholic, relying on feeling tipsy/drunk.

Yeah wine is delicious, but so is fresh lime and soda, a posh fizzy water, a mix of fruit juices, a mocktail, an alcohol free beer.

I realised I was drinking too much but I didn’t actually want the booze, I just wanted to feel like I was having a refreshing treaty drink.

Good luck OP. It's a brave thing to recognise alcohol isn't serving you and to want better for yourself. You've had loads of good advice here. I live with a recovered alcoholic and life is so much better for the whole family. As others have said, you may well not be an alcoholic. Being aware of your drinking and its effects is a great start to a healthier life.

OP please read this book! https://thisnakedmind.com/this-naked-mind/ it literally changed the way I think/look at alcohol. I used to drink 2-3 glasses of wine a night and in all honestly I felt that it could eventually become a problem. I've never been one to just cut back, I've always been an 'all or nothing' type of person. So I read the book and then one day it was literally like a lightbulb going off! I just knew that I'd never drink alcohol again. I've been AF for 4 1/2 years now and I'm so happy and free. And I wake up feeling great every morning. Good luck xxx

What PP said. You're getting close to a bottle a day, which is way too much. Despite not feeling drunk (you've probably developed a tolerance), you're doing damage to your body with that amount of units.

I wonder if there is a difference in quantity and frequency. "Wine o'clock" might mean sharing a single bottle with their partner on Friday night, and then that's it for the week.

DH always says: "everyone likes to have a beer on the weekend." Or "i'll have a few beers on Saturday and Sunday". At one point, the amount he was referring to was 30 x 440ml cans in the house, plus maybe 10 pints out the house across 3 days (Friday, Saturday, sunday).

Whereas, the people who would agree with him "i like a few beers on the weekend", were literally referring to drinking 3 pints across the whole weekend. When they say "i want to go for a beer", they literally mean one beer.

When people speak in general terms it might make you think "everyone does it", but saying "I drink 70 units a week" (in my DH case) is completely different.

It does sound like you have an issue with alcohol but you aren’t a bad person and you are engaging with it/acknowledging it’s a problem.

We all have our issues / vices and it’s natural to rely on crutches when life is hard.

today is the day to make a change, you will feel so great once you’ve kicked the habit !!

You aren't don't worry, you've just let a habit get out of hand.
I realised I had to change too so 2 weeks ago I cut it out Monday to Thursday so 4 days completely off and it's been fine. I cannot believe I can do it as I have been drinking at least a bottle of red wine every single night without a break for the last 20-25 years.

I'm having alcohol free red and rose wine or Nozeco as I don;t like soft drinks and drink water all day so want something else in the evenings when i'm cooking and eating.

My DH has continued to drink red wine next to me and I don't mind.
Just tell yourself it's only .... many days and then you can have some and you may surprise yourself and do more days than you think. Good luck, you'll be fine and Fridays wine tastes so much better 🙂

I read a post similar to this one on MN last year and was shocked enough by the responses to stop my (large) daily glass of wine. You can do it, too, OP. I've gone back now to a sherry-sized glass, not every day, because I really do enjoy a drink, and if I can keep to that I think it's a healthy enough level. You've done the right thing by posting here. Now you just need to follow through (My dad was a never-drunk alcoholic; for those of us with parents who had a problem with alcohol, we have to be extra careful).

It’s not healthy. Alcohol is a big risk factor in breast cancer

"A bottle of wine a day is not bad for you and abstaining is worse than drinking, scientist claims"

Well, if science says it!

only joking, very light hearted! I know I have to kick this habit

So I went to the shop and walked past the wine! I got myself a nice can of coke, no wine tonight! haha

Good on ya 👍👍

Well done OP ☺️

There's some really good alcohol free threads on here if you need some support from other posters who are doing the same.

@Monique10 I find drinking wine addictive too. Its a personality thing I think as I also find other stuff addictive.

There are over 600 calories in a bottle of wine, so that's an extra 4200 calories a week you're consuming.

Basically you're eating 9 days calories in 7 days which is why you're gaining weight.

I can't not drink in the evening. I NEED wine O clock!! BUT I now have a small wine glass, I wait until 9pm, then I only have ONE glass. A 1/4 bottle size glass.

I make sure I'm doing something in the evening so I don't drink fast. Crochet, reading, music practice (can't drink much when drumming 🤣).

If you can't stick to the one glass then giving up for a month would be better, but be careful replacing it with fizzy drinks containing sugar or chemical sweeteners. I opt for herbal tea!

Good Luck! X

Monique10 · Yesterday 17:16

So I went to the shop and walked past the wine! I got myself a nice can of coke, no wine tonight! haha”

Well done! Don’t want to rain on your parade but you’d probably be better off with an alcohol free beer (Aldi does a really nice pilsner, I’d challenge most people to tell the difference when it’s cold from the fridge and just 7 Cala each bottle) if you bought a regular coke.

That must be costing a fortune!

You're creeping into alcoholic territory there.

Can you stop?

I know lots of people who drink wine 3 to 4 times a week, including work friends, old friends and nysekd, not saying its right but chances are loads of your friends do and just aren't mentioning it, I wouldn't go bringing it up to people unless they ask.