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.

At last an honest answer,I drink way too much and know I've got to reign it in for health reasons.
I'm probably about 50 units a week.

I find this interesting. I've been thinking about my alcohol intake a lot over the last year, and with a brother who developed an alcohol problem it suddenly became quite stark. Come from a drinking family.

I love wine, I love the Friday night 'treat' after a stressful week (job is high stress) and I only drank at weekends. Definitely a lot more on a night out. But after a boozy Xmas I committed to DJ and am still going OK with it. Definitely not missing the hangovers and shit peri-menopausal/wine sleep. Having said that I've woken up with a face of spots today so definitely not looking glowy yet! 😂

I'm not tee-total, but almost am.

I certainly have a "single digit" number of drinks a year. And most years it's probably 5 or less.

I did drink quite a lot more during my student days, but never LOADS. I've just never had that much interest.

Why don’t you think any of the other answers are honest?

My answer was completely honest.

Why would I lie on an anonymous forum?

Why do you assume everyone else is being dishonest?

Does it make you feel better about your own drinking to assume other people are drinking as much as you?

You never get a broad range of views on these threads. It disproportionally brings out the thimble of sherry at Christmas people.
Just like when they poll before an election and reform/conservative voters tends to be quiet about their intentions to vote, as you get more of a backlash. Then the media reports it was a ‘shock’ result.

Drinkers don’t like to advertise they’re doing something to harm their bodies, so tend not to come on these threads!

I’m drinking too much at the moment, probably about 25-30 units a week, but so many of my friends who are mums and professionals do as well. Although I do want to sort it.

No more pointless than any other response. I used to drink and now I don't. My reply is as valid as yours. Unlike yours, I'm not being judgemental about it.

Maybe think about why you need to police the thread so that only people who drink can participate. Is there some sort of 'worthiness' attached to drinking or not drinking? I couldn't care less if you drink and by the same token, I don't expect any sort of comment about my not drinking.

Same here. I also drink far too much, especially when out (and i Go out a lot!).

at the moment (and for the last year or so) we have stopped drinking at home. We have two drinks in the pub, Friday and Saturday (I LOVE the pub!) and that’s it. I find it hard though. I love to have a drink to wind down when I cone in from work but I cannot stay fit and healthy like that any more (late 50s, kids left home).

I thought I’d come and give an honest response since, like every thread on mn about booze, everyone is teetotal.

Drinkers don’t like to advertise they’re doing something to harm their bodies, so tend not to come on these threads!

Hm, I see the opposite - anyone who says they don't drink (or drinks very little) is roundly mocked, and those who drink are more than happy to advertise it and laugh about the "thimble of sherry" lot, as they so wittily call us.

Your 'thimble of sherry' comment is so annoying. Why do you do that? What makes you want to slap down people who don't drink much or at all?

I read the rest of your post and you say you drink too much. Nobody makes 'jokes' about a 'vat of alcohol' but that's the equivalent of what you're saying and it's pathetic.

Try not to drink Sun to Thurs. Enjoy a glass of wine and about three lagers on a Friday and Saturday

Recovering alcoholic here ( 59) - still difficult for me to see that in print. Stopped drinking in Jan 24 as on some days, I was getting through 2 or 3 bottles of wine. I have never really had a healthy relationship with alcohol. Wish I could just enjoy a couple of glasses then keep the bottle in the fridge for another day but it’s all or nothing.

I think the thimble of sherry is a defensive reaction to the “you’ve got a problem with alcohol” trope that gets trotted out every time anyone says they drink more than two glasses in a sitting. Both are ridiculous and annoying to the ‘opposing side’.

Used to love a warming glass of cream sherry. Or chilled Tio Pepe.

Max 2 glasses of something, usually wine or G&T a week. But sometimes I don’t drink for a month or so.

Aside from alcohol health concerns, I couldn’t drink everyday without gaining a large amount of weight. Seems so easy to put on weight these days and hard to shift it!

Over Christmas I always end up drinking too much wine, port, bailey's so January I always make an effort to cut back.

Last week I had 2 medium wines during the week then 2 glasses of prosecco and 2 single G&Ts at a party.

This week I had half a bottle (one large, one medium) of wine at a party last night then today one mini red wine. I'm going to drink it later this afternoon when all my jobs are done, husband is out and I can relax in front of the TV.

Next week I'm not going out so I'm aiming for either nothing or maybe a bottle at the weekend.

I have friends who drink similar amounts so it's very easy to get into the habit because they are having one so you fancy one. It's also nice that we can encourage each other to cut back.

I drank in my 20s, a couple of pints once or twice each week.

I gave up smoking at around 29, and lost my taste for alcohol with it. Now I probably have one alcoholic drink every couple of years.

It's not "competitive" to not like or not want to drink.

These threads always, without fail, bring out a poster or two who will say: "On Mumsnet if you have a thimbleful of sherry once a year you're an alcoholic." Literally every single thread.

Sorry, but these people are invariably people who know they drink more than is good for them and feel defensive so they want to neg people whose drinking is more healthy.

I have no problem with people who drink alcohol: I drink myself (though a lot less than I used to). But don't kid yourself that just because you and all your mates drink more than the healthy drinking guidelines that its OK. We live in a society which is hugely socially dependent on alcohol and people who drink too much tend to see everything through the lens of "everyone does it, so it must be OK". But it's not.

Drink as much as you like, but stop having a pop at people who don't. Its not their problem that you're uncomfortable with your drinking.

In practice, I don’t drink that much day to day. I can go for weeks and weeks without alcohol at home and often do. If I do drink at home it would be maybe three glasses of wine or three G&Ts or cocktails, one night in a week. But most weeks I don’t drink at home.

But I always drink when we go out - for a meal, to a pub quiz, with friends. We eat out maybe once a fortnight. I’d probably have an aperitif or two and half a bottle of wine with a nice restaurant meal, possibly a nightcap as well; with a more casual meal just a glass or two of wine. At the pub quiz I’d have maybe three or four pints. I sometimes spend a day with two mates and over the course of 12 hours and two meals we can happily put away four or five cocktails and two bottles of wine each. That’s about three times a year. I have a higher alcohol tolerance than most women.

Nobody needs to be defensive though, do they? It's something that we put in our body. I can't eat cherry tomatoes because of gall problems. I know it and still I do it because I love them. If I posted about it here I would be told that I'm stupid to eat them. I know it, I don't need to be told - and neither does anybody who drinks alcohol, takes drugs or smokes. Everybody knows what is and isn't good for them.

The point that I'm trying to long-windedly make is that unless whatever you're doing affects somebody else, people really don't care. My gallbladder; I eat tomatoes at my peril. Nobody else's problem or business. Same with alcohol. Same with cigarettes, fast food, chocolate, whatever.

Just to add, DH quit drinking last time I stopped (2011) & hasn’t had alcohol since. He was never a big drinker, just wine with a meal out & the odd Magners Gold at home.

On an average week I'll have a couple of small glasses of wine/lager two or three times a week. Sometimes less. But if I'm going on holiday, which I do more often than a lot of people, then I'll drink most days but still just a couple of glasses.

My husband is a heavy drinker, beer, wine, whisky most days. He drinks at home watching TV. If we are away somewhere or if he goes out, he tends to drink less. He has the occasional no alcohol day.

DS is early 20s and does the typical binge drinking on a weekend thing. His friends are the same. As was I at that age, but I keep reading that today's younger generation aren't into alcohol. Not my experience.

Interestingly, both DH and DS raise concerns about each other's alcohol consumption.

If you're comfortable with the amount you drink, why would you feel defensive over it?

But people do care and do Make some pretty outrageous judgements about people who drink what they consider to be too much. Several posters in here have said they are ashamed. Most people who drink too much shy away from these threads, just like people with little / no savings avoid the “how much savings do you have?” threads. They fear the judging.

but I totally get that the thimble comments are irritating.

commiserations about the gallbladder. It’s a real (literal) pain I know.