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!

Maybe a glass of prosecco at a celebration or a cocktail or two at a nice bar/restaurant a few times a year. Really not interested in alcohol tbh, never have been!

Sun to Thurs I never drink.
Fri or Sat - maybe a glass of prosecco or a gin a tonic.

Holidays and birthdays a couple of glasses.
Term time I tend to not really drink - its mainly school holidays (I'm not a teacher but have kids in school)

I don’t know. I did dry January and it stuck. But I used to be alcohol free Mon - Thurs and then we’d have a couple of bottles of wine over the weekend between us.

I hardly ever drink, I’m of Chinese ancestry though born in England and it’s not a big alcohol culture. I get tipsy on literally a single drink. The last time I had alcohol was at a friends house in the summer so beginning of July and I had 2 small measures of gin.

I got drunk 3 years ago when I went out for my birthday and friends bought me drinks. I had 3 cocktails and I was sick later. I felt so awful the next day I really have no idea why people do it to themselves.

Same as you op, but my wine guzzling days are Friday, Saturday and Wednesday. Love a Wine Wednesday to break up my week. I’ve always been honest with health professionals about how much I drink and none of them have ever expressed any concern over 3 bottles a week. You’re fine.

On average, probably a couple glasses of wine once or twice per year, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less.

Zero.

been on meds for the last 11 years that are zero alcohol,

I would rather have a cup of tea. Never been a big drinker. Not a massive fan of the taste. Might have a glass of Prosecco with my MIL every couple of months. I do like red wine, but as I’ve got older I seem to get a raging headache the next day.

At Christmas I’ll have some Bailey’s 😋

Why?

This entire year, just one bottle of home brewed cider that was made by a friend. These days alcohol just makes my bladder anxious. I enjoy the taste though, so wouldn't give it up completely.

I drink every night. I have 1-2 glasses of wine.

Zero.

Nothing at all, honestly! I developed histamine intolerance and any alcohol sets off reactions so I just avoid it.

I was beginning to think it was just me. I have a G&T pretty much every night, and then a beer or two.

I like the taste. I've yet to find a soft drink I like as much.

Well, because as I said in my post, I was truly surprised to see the amount of people on the other thread who don't drink alcohol and thought "That can't possibly be true! I will start my own thread and be the Pied Piper of the wine drinkers!" And then everyone proceeds to say how they have one glass of prosecco at Christmas and I feel terrible😂

As I said, pretty much ALL of my friends, family, colleagues drink. So I find it genuinely surprising that so many on here say they don't.

But at I'm being honest and maybe this will be what makes me cut down!

I don’t drink at all. Once I hit 28 the hangovers suddenly got really bad so it’s just not worth it

Only very occasionally when out with friends and don’t have to drive home. On average about once every 3 months I would say.

Never drink at home, DH not bothered or interested. Usually drive home after events for convenience and cost (live semi rurally, a taxi can double the price of a night out).

Also find hangovers much more difficult now than when younger. I think I drank my life time allowance in my 20’s and just can’t cope now in my mid 50’s. 2 glasses of wine and I have a headache now.

Maybe 6 alcoholic drinks a year, max.

I was a heavy drinker in my youth, stopped drinking when I was pregnant 24 years ago and never really started again. Don’t miss it.

I don’t drink at all anymore really and I don’t even miss it. I drank enough at university - I was the poster child for binge drinker. A bottle of cava as pre drinks, then copious double vodka cokes once at the club x3 nights a week for 3 years. I never even particularly enjoyed the taste of alcohol, at that stage of my life I just wanted to get drunk.

Now at 31 I might have an espresso martini or cocktail on NYE or if I’m out for a special occasion, but it’s not a necessity. I’ve never enjoyed the taste of wine and I can’t imagine craving it as a drink to ‘relax’ to, but I totally understand why those who love wine would!

I think growing up with a parent who drank a lot and wasn’t particularly a nice drunk has likely influenced me to avoid alcohol though.

You are maybe younger than many of us who don't drink?

we drink on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday so maybe 3 bottles between 2 of us. I could easily drink a glass of wine a night but do not drink in the week now at all. I occasionally have a gin.

Did you purposely cut down or just grow out of it, out of interest?

I had to stop drinking about 10 years ago due to long term medication. I wasn't a heavy drinker but I did like a glass of wine occasionally.
I don't really miss it but I do occasionally fancy a glass of wine - I haven't found any alcohol free options that are really good but I will keep trying

I doubt it - I'm in my 40s!

Having said that, reading a lot of comments, people say that they can't drink for reasons such as having bad hangovers. I am lucky in that I've never really had hangovers (even when I used to drink massively in my 20s!) but if I did then yes, I probably wouldn't drink anywhere near as much.

I used to have a bottle of wine every Friday and Saturday night. Now I have maybe 1 or two bottles a month - but when I have a drink, I have the whole bottle. I also drink for social occasions. I don't get hungover as such, but I got fed up of feeling tired/groggy and not having enough energy for the kids at the weekend. Still get that when I do drink - but I really enjoy a prosecco so haven't gone completely teetotal!