Am I drinking too much?

[littlebutloudly]

I have been drinking a lot more than I usually do lately but I’m not sure how much is too much.
I don’t drink every night and I don’t need to drink but I feel very stressed at the moment and enjoy to relax and drink probably the best part of a bottle of wine 2-3 times a week.
Dh thinks this is bad but I’m not sure if that’s just because it’s more than we’d usually drink which is once or twice a month maybe a bottle each.
I know I’m using it to cope and can take it or leave it but I just really like to have a drink and unwind at the moment especially as I’m feeling very stressed.
I usually only drink at the weekend but if I do have a drink during the week I’m still up in the morning.

I think that sounds a lot. But I only drink if I go out and would never drink at home.

Three bottles, yes. The problem is, it will probably slowly creep up and in five years you’ll be on a bottle a day.

I don’t usually go out anymore but will occasionally have a drink inside with Dh together but lately I’ve been having a drink when he doesn’t but it doesn’t feel like I’m drinking on my own because I’m not actually sitting on my own.

I seem to get through most of a bottle and then there’s maybe half to a glass left so I think I’m going to finish that but that’s not much so I’ll open another bottle and won’t finish it completely so the cycle goes round again.

The average bottle of wine is around 10 units and advice is not to drink more than 14 units per week (spread across the week I.e. better to have that one bottle of wine spread across 4 nights than in one sitting).

You are drinking around 20-30 units per week. It’s a slippery slope so just keep a watchful eye on it. I know someone who started with a glass an evening and now orders a crate of wine every week. She can easily polish off a bottle of wine every evening.

It could be a lot worse, but it is too much. Can you start to cut down?

It's double the recommended amount. By my calculations.But compared to what other folk on MN drink its not a lot. But cut down to the recommended amount. 14 units a week. 9-10 units in 750 bottle of wine

3 bottles is approx. twice the recommended amount of units per week so probably not good for your health over a long period. I think also, as others have said, it has a tendency to creep up.

Maybe I need to find another way to destress in the evenings then

Using alcohol to self-medicate for stress is a very slippery slope. You're already drinking far, far too much and it's so toxic for your body.

Is it affecting your sleep? You don’t sleep as deeply after alcohol.

It wil make you gain weight. Your body prioritises metabolising the alcohol over any food. 3 bottles of wine is also about 2200 calories. Over a year that’s approximately 30 pounds you’ll put on.

It will age your skin

Thats just 3 downsides!

3 bottles of wine a week is like eating an additional days calories each week!!!

That's a LOT of alcohol too.

I have one bottle a week and drink it over 3 or 4 days.

Sounds fine to me.

I drink anywhere between 2 bottles a week and nothing a week depending on circumstances and situation. I probably average around a bottle a week maybe slightly more - so around about the recommended maximum but I don’t stress if I go over.

For me I don’t think it’s an issue, it doesn’t prevent me holding down a job or being a present parent and when circumstances conspire and I drink nothing I don’t feel withdrawal symptoms and I don’t think I ever get particularly ‘drunk’ preferring a glass or two an evening rather than downing a bottle,

importantly it also doesn’t ’creep up’ i’ve had the same intake for going on 20 years!

My husband doesn’t drink so I suppose there is an element of ‘drinking alone’ but as long as it’s not ‘vodka for breakfast drinking alone…’ this doesn’t bother me either.

I suppose what I’m trying to say is- is it a problem for you? If so stop/cut down. If not, crack on.

Yes, it's too much, certainly enough to be bad for your health. Alcohol is not a good method of de-stressing. You're much more likely to become dependent on it if you use it as a crutch rather than as something you do when you're in a good mood and being sociable.

How is it "fine"?

Yes,that is a lot and too much. Each bottle of wine contains between 8 and 11 units of alcohol, depending on its strength. So that's anything between 16 and 33 units of alcohol per week. 16 units isn't too awful,as the recommended for women is 14 per week,but 33? You're storing up a load of health problems on that many.

Alcohol is physically addictive. You need more to achieve the same effect as your tolerance develops. It also causes anxiety the next day, so you start to crave more alcohol to cure the anxiety caused by the alcohol the night before. If you are asking the question, you probably realise that you’re drinking too much.

Because it's fine.

I think its a bit much. I remember my drinking crept up in 2020 and after a few months I had to do something.

I started by only drinking at weekends, which meant at most I had 1 bottle of wine (I can never do more than 3 glasses in one evening) and then gradually it changed to maybe 1 or 2 weekends a month.

I then went on a diet and cut it out altogether for months.

I do still drink, but more like once every 2-3 months than regularly.

I once heard someone define alcoholic as anyone who drinks more than you do.

Good news!! To me you are not an alcoholic!!

It sounds like a lot to me and it's way more units than advised
It sounds like you are trying to justify to yourself that its ok.

You would be better finding another way to manage stress

I don’t want to drink I think that’s the problem, I’m not sure how else to get through a difficult time. Drinking seems to speed up time and then I’m through another day

Could you go fof a walk every other evening? Especially whilst the evenings are still light. It's good for body and soul. When you get back have a glass or 2 of wine if you still want to, but you'll have less time to get through a whole bottle.