How much do you really drink?

[GJD23000]

It’s an interesting topic, and I think lots of people wonder how their drinking compares to others. For us, my husband tends to have a beer or two most evenings, maybe a couple more on weekends if we’re relaxing or watching something together. I rarely drink during the week but will usually have 2-3 glasses of wine spread over Friday and Saturday evenings.

If we’re out with friends or at a party (which is rare now we’re parents), we can definitely drink more, maybe a bottle of wine each or cocktails, depending on the occasion. But that only happens if we’ve got a babysitter and plenty of time to recover the next day!

I’m genuinely curious to hear about others drinking habits and whether this is typical or not. No judgement at all—just keen to know! For context we have one child and are late 30s.

2 mini bottles of Prosecco each month except for around 9 days every 7 weeks when I drink 1-3 glasses of Prosecco or one Prosecco and a Bailed every night.

Now next to nothing. Maybe 3 times a year. Four years ago. Every single weekend. binge drinking. Maybe a litre of vodka a night between two of us. Fri then again on the sat🙃.

Before I had kids I drink maybe 3 bottles of wine a week - which looking back is huge! But a couple of drinks afyer work in a Thursday , Saturday night out and maybe a client dinner mid week. . After kids very very rarely. And perimenopause has totally knocked my ability to drink - I’m floored by one glass now. I think it’s a phase most people go through, like clubbing or cross fit. You just loose interest…

Too much.
Big drinker through my teens and twenties. Went out several times a week and drank to excess - usually really awful stuff too like cheap cider and lambrini type drinks 🤢
Calmed down when I had my dc but during Covid it got really bad, at one point I was having a bottle of wine most nights of the week. Knocked that on the head but over the last few years it's crept up again. I only really drink at home. Very rarely go out. For me it's just a nice way to relax at the end of the day but I was averaging about 30 units a week which is double the recommended amount so I'm cutting right back to weekends only now. And I'm not having a stockpile of booze in either so if I have a bottle of wine when it's gone, it's gone. No opening another, that's my allowance for the week.
It takes up way too much thought and headspace, sometimes I really just wish I could knock it on the head for good. But the sad fact is, I enjoy the feeling and always have done.

Never really drink, not a teetotaller though. I will have a few drinks on the odd occasion I am out (probably about 4x a year). When I hear people struggling with dry Jan , or when people lose a load of weight 'just by giving up alcohol' - I just can't relate

I don’t like wine or beer so spirits for me and I love sweet drinks. Baileys and cocktails being my nemesis. We usually have one night a week where we try and all sit down together and play cards/board games/listen to music or watch something together. I usually just have a couple of drinks on this night.
occasionally I will have a drink on sat or sun night m. Probably drank more than usual recently due to Christmas/new year and having more alcohol in the house

Well, sure, but it's a bit like joining a thread titled "how many cigs do you smoke a day", as a non-smoker, and saying "Oh none, never touched one in my life". Sort of a pointless, slightly attention seeking contribution.

I go overboard. I normally do 3-4 bottles of wine on a Saturday night. I have a high tolerance, and a very very problematic relationship with alcohol.

What an odd take. Surely in order to get a complete picture, then it's useful to hear from everyone?

There's nothing attention seeking about answering a question that someone asked.

(And to someone else's point, it always happens on these threads, that people somehow take issue with people that don't drink much. It's very odd. You don't see the people that don't drink much making snarky comments about the ones that drink more. There's nothing competitive about answering the question asked)

I'm 44, rarely. I had a bottle of wine over the Christmas week and that was the entire amount of alcohol consumed in 2024.

I’ll have a couple of cocktails on a holiday, but don’t drink otherwise.
I don’t mind alcohol, but early onset Alzheimer’s runs in my family, so I’m aware I likely have a vulnerability to it. The research into the impact of alcohol use on that and later cognitive function is pretty clear. I’m not someone who dislikes alcohol or is pious about my limited drinking, but I really don’t love the idea of increasing my chances of early onset Alzheimer’s. There isn’t much I wouldn’t limit to reduce my chances of that. I don’t think everyone who is tee-total is judgmental, but for some people the long term health impacts do need to be a consideration.

I no longer drink. I don't need it anymore.
In a previous life, every day until I was rotten.
Never been married but have had relationships with other drinkers in my past.
I'm far happier now, but my relationship with alcohol bares no resemblance to yours.

One drink about every 3-4 months! I'm not anti alcohol and very occasionally I just fancy one...usually while I'm cooking. As I drink so rarely even one makes me tipsy so I wouldn't feel comfortable driving on it.

I'd say I binge drunk at uni 20 years ago for a relatively short period. Gave up for health reasons but also I have a general (personal) view that alcohol is something you do when you're younger and then grow up and grow out of. I know that sound judgy and I don't really mean it to sound that way.

My DH on the other hand can go without alcohol for several weeks when he's on a health kick but otherwise drinks to excess and has unhealthy relationship with it. He drinks the amount that people would be utterly shocked at on mumsnet. Pints and pints at a weekend. A few in the week during stressful periods. He doesn't see it as an issue because his peers do as well and his family are drinkers so it's normal. Basically he doesn't share my view.

I'm 56, DP and I don't drink in the week but will have 2-3 gins on Friday and Saturday night.

When we go on holiday we do tend to drink most days though.

My DH tends to have a beer most evenings with his meal but he doesn’t necessarily drink any more at the weekend if we are home. I don’t drink in the week and will have 1-2 glasses of wine if we are home, more if we are out. Potentially a bottle if we go to a party.

We were on holiday over Christmas/NY so I had a drink everyday but nothing since we’ve been home. Have friends over today so I’ll probably have a few glasses of wine.

I can’t stand feeling hungover any more and wasting the next day! I’m 56 with grown up DC.

One bottle of wine a week, spread over Friday/Saturday/Sunday.

It's supposed to be one bottle of wine a week over 2 nights. But when you factor in Christmas, summer cocktails, bank holidays, holidays in general, it definitely averages out as more over the year!

I don't drink in the week though.

I only drink when socialising and even then no more than a couple of pints because I’m a lightweight.

Oh don’t be silly. OP asked how much do you drink? None is a valid answer to that question 🤷‍♀️

To be honest probably a glass or two of wine a day! Sometimes at lunch at the weekends. But never feel tipsy and never get drunk anymore as have a nine month old.

This is such a stupid comment and I eyeroll every time someone says this on a thread like this.

I rarely drink. Many people state they rarely drink. But when they do drink plenty of people enjoy it. There's no need for the faux empathetic 'dearie me.' If you take offence to people's lack of drinking, you obviously have a problem.

This is very precise 😃

Last year regularly 4-5 units a night (2 beers) maybe 4-5 nights a week, and could be double on a weekend evening, mostly at home drinking. Some nights out or friends over for dinner (maybe monthly) I could drink maybe 20 units to be honest. Hangovers have turned into all day ones if not the whole weekend, so I'm doing dry January. I'm ok with it, I like the taste of wine and beer but I was definitely using it to relax (bad COVID habits, crept up on me) so trying to break the habit, it's actually been fine and I don't miss it. We're also trying to save money so might just keep going.... Much of my socal circle drinks like this, although many without the weekday drinking but more regular 20+ units nights out then me.

I’m 42 and don’t have kids. I still love a drink, but am doing dry January. I have quite a high tolerance for booze which is not helpful! Most weekends we’ll got to the pub one night and I’ll easily drink a bottle of Prosecco or 3-4 pints of cider. I might drink at home the other night of the weekend too but try to get the mini Prosecco bottles and just have 1-2. I don’t drink in the week at all.

If I’m on a day out with friends I’ll drink a lot more but that’s a handful of times across the year. I love a margarita or two.

That's exactly what I thought, I'd only be in this thread if I drank, seems everyone is jumping on it and they don't drink...strange