How much do you drink? Honestly!

[Starlight1984]

And yes, yes I know there is an "alcohol support" section of MN but this isn't for help or advice or anything other than curiosity!

Just been reading on another thread about what people do and don't do which others would find unusual and a LOT of the posts include people saying they don't drink alcohol which I find insane as pretty much everyone I know drinks to some degree!

Anyway I'll start, I don't (or try not to!) drink from Mon - Thurs but on average will have a bottle of wine on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. So 3 x bottles of wine a week. I know it's above the guidelines of "normal" drinking and know I need to cut down but it's something I genuinely enjoy. DH is the same. We never get drunk. We just slowly drink 3-4 glasses over the course of the evening (from about 6pm to 11ish) whilst making dinner, sitting down to eat, watching a film / reading a book... It's just something that helps us to unwind after a busy week!

So for AIBU

YABU - No thanks, would rather have a cup of tea.
YANBU - Pour me a large one!

I don’t drink at all, haven’t for years. I used to in my twenties and then had a fairly significant accident with multiple surgeries, medications that weren’t compatible with alcohol and just never went back.
All of my friends and family drink but I’ve never felt pressured to drink with them, I think they’re just happy for me to be willing to drive!

I don’t drink at all- gave up almost 2 years ago. Feel so much better for it

I haven’t had any alcohol since Saturday.

last Saturday I drank about

2.5 - 3. glasses of white wine
1.5 G&T
A little ice wine

I will probably have about 2-3 GT tomorrow but won’t drink Saturday or Sunday.

also op and I’m not saying this is true of you, but I used to start threads like this when I was quietly concerned about my alcohol intake and wanted some reassurance that I wasn’t on my own and other people liked to drink as much as I used to.

Usually, one spirit with appropriate mixer on Friday (sometimes not if im too tired), two on a Saturday night and sometimes one on a Sunday.

Occasionally, I'll really fancy wine and drink the bottle over the course of the weekend.

I dont drink anymore and one of my biggest regrets in life is thinking dtinking most days was normal for 20 years. I had a yearly skin condition, ibs, fatigue, over weight, perpetual anxiety. None of this since I gave up. Wish we didnt live in a drinking culture.

None.

Don’t like the taste of alcohol, alcohol breath makes me nauseous, especially wine breath, and it made me ill the last few times I had it.

I realised I didn’t care about it and only did it out of socialisation and thought it a bit of a silly reason because otherwise I wouldn’t drink at all or spend the money on it.

It didn’t bring anything to my life. I don’t need a drink to talk to people, get loose, relax me, or to have fun. It isn’t a necessity and it’s a known carcinogen and poison. The cost alone is off-putting to me and I can think of plenty of food and beverages I rather spend my money on.

My uncle loved his drink and it cut years off his life, he died of cancer in his brain, heart, and kidneys due to his years of drinking.

Definitely this.
Without wishing to sound glib, I'd love to be able to drink but can't touch a drop as makes me feel awful the next day. I have no ovaries and no HRT so wonder if oestrogen acts as a bit of a buffer.

In my teens and 20s - a lot. Probably two pints of beer every night.
In my 30s and early 40s half a bottle of wine most nights.
In my 50s a couple of glasses of wine 4/ 5 days a week.
In my 60s a small beer 2 or 3 times a week, seldom drink wine and have a very low tolerance now..
I enjoy drinking but I can't tolerate it and recognise it's bad for you.
My DC in their 20s are positively puritan about drinking.

I completely agree with you! As I said in my OP, I KNOW I drink too much. And yes of course it's comforting to hear of other people who drink similar amounts to me.

I know in my friendship circles I'm not unusual. I have a WA group with my old friends (so not a friendship formed round drinking but longstanding school friends) and most nights at least one person will post a photo of a glass of wine in front of the TV or a large G&T on the kitchen worktop.

But also it does fill me with reassurance to read about all the people who have cut down / no longer drink as I know that at some point I will be aiming to go the same way. But right now I do enjoy it, even though I know that yes, my intake levels are far higher than they should be.

@Starlight1984

And as a drinker I feel like a MASSIVE outlier on MN (although maybe not so much in real life

How old (roughly) are you though? Age is a massive swing factor. If you were asking this question of a group of 20 somethings and most people didn’t drink it would be slightly surprising. Bear in mind a lot of people are over 50 and its a completely different set of rules around alcohol if you’re older.

I don't think this is funny. You wouldn't mock a diet thread...

I'm 41.

I generally don’t drink. Might have one at Christmas and at the odd occasion so probably 3 times a year maximum. I’m just not fussed about drinking and would rather not feel rough afterwards!

OK so guessing you’re pre menopause then. (You don’t need to answer this btw).

But come back in ten years. It’s probably going to be a very different story. For a fair amount of women menopause basically makes drinking impossible. Or massively lowers their tolerance.

Always been teetotal . My Dad and brother were functioning alcoholics so it put me off tbh .
I have no problem with anyone else drinking .

Sorry OP but I don’t drink a drop and haven’t for years.

Jay-sus, everyone is abstemious these days! Not criticising, just a sign of the times.

I try to 'only' drink four nights a week AT MOST and very rarely more than two glasses of wine then. Never drink more than three glasses a night.

I had three glasses of wine on Monday and now probably won't have a drink until Saturday when I may have a couple of glasses.

I genuinely hope so!!!

None.

Grandfather (Mum's Dad) died of a massive stroke (alcoholic) aged 60.
Uncle (Mum's brother) died at 47 - bowel perforation, alcoholic.
Other Uncle (Mum's other brother) - nearly died at 45, alcoholic.

Oddly enough, I've never liked how it made me feel. At 55, now can't tolerate it at all - makes me headachey, nauseous and unwell for days. I'll have one or two sips of champagne if it's good stuff at weddings/Christmas.

I barely drink. Maybe 2-3 times a year. I just don’t really see the need to get drunk and sleepy on my time off. It also increases my acid reflux which can cause gastritis

Mine is a bit seasonal - 6 weeks in the summer when I might have 12 drinks, November -Dec one a week and maybe a few times two in a week. Through the rest of the year maybe none, maybe one every 2 months. Not limited just that more than one in a night wouldn’t feel great the next day and I don’t crave it or miss it or anything.

BUT I’m Canadian so weed is maybe twice a week 😂

1 bottle a week

I definitely agree about menopause and tolerance - I am now 63 and ok with up to say 3 regular glasses of wine at the time , feel ok, not pissed etc -however next day feel lousy all day even on just a couple and nearly always get a squiffy off tummy too

My 20 something DC, their partners and friends barely drink. They had moments at uni but now they drink nothing like I did in my 20s. I assumed that was the norm for their generation.