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Original poster

alcohol overindulgence

102 replies

Inky · 20/11/2001 14:59

I've always been partial to the odd drink or two. I was practically weaned on it. None of my family are alcoholics but all drink (probably quite a lot). Always a beer or 2 with lunch (even brunch), not to mention every evening.

During my pregnancy I found it quite difficult to abstain, and almost impossible while I was breastfeeding.

Now I find I'm drinking quite a lot (on average half a bottle of wine every night). The thing that brought it to my attention was I was trying to loose weight but found it impossible to not drink. Is this just because of the strain (I am finding it quite difficult at the moment - at home full time, although I do have something to go to with the kids every day), no time off, not very helpful & very over worked dh, no family for help. Or does it sound to you like I'm a raging alckie?

I rarely wake up with a hangover but always wake up feeling shit, mainly due to a lack of sleep. I could solve both problems (ie too much booze & not enough sleep) by going to bed as soon as I put the kids down, but then I don't feel like I've had any chance to unwind, have any peace or adult conversation or any break from work.

I have no self control - I can't just watch one TV programme - I'll stare at any old rubbish all night, nor can I have just one malteseer - It has to be the whole (family pack). I can't just have 1 drink it always ends up being loads.

Any helpful & un-condemming comments/advice please.

OP posts:
janh · 22/02/2002 15:27

Thanks, jasper!
(I'll be round later then, OK?)

Rhubarb · 22/02/2002 20:49

Mommy - how about me coming to your house and drinking your wine for you? That way you won't put on weight and your wine won't go to waste! In fact, anyone else worried about calories in beer/wine, just invite me round and I'll consume the lot for you, 'cause I'm like that, ded kind me!

mommy · 22/02/2002 21:54

Hey Rhubarb, you're on. Can you cope though???

Well after a day full of chores (ie shopping, washing, banking, collecting dry cleaning/photos, garden centre, the dump even - and it's supposed to be my well-earned holiday from work, the other one !?!?!) I collected my daughter from Nursery to be told that she had diarrhoea and, horror, they had put a nappy on her. Oh my God, I hope she didn't feel as bad as I did, we've been doing so well with the (poo) training this last two weeks............ Poor thing just had a drink when she got home, I put her PJs on and popped her into bed. I felt (still do) quite tearful as though I had let her down, in total I've probably spent less than an hour with her today. DH came home after a so-so day, obviously wanted to watch the golf on Sky soooo desperately we've ended up eating different dinners (I insisted on Pizza as I WAS NOT cooking) he wanted stir fry (so did it himself) so our evening has been a non-event - he's downstairs watching Golf and I'm up here on Mumsnet. AAArrgghh what a frustrating day, why do the precious days NOT spent at work turn out to be such a disappointment.....

Just re-read this post and I'm not sure if I've just had a particularly bad day or if I'm a bit doom and gloomy, it's probably because I've now got Monday looming with a full working week ahead and I desperately hate work where I used to love it and had to be reminded to come home!!!!!

WideWebWitch · 22/02/2002 22:32

Mommy, sounds like a horrible day, hope tomorrow is better. Having said earlier that I couldn't face any alcohol today, I've found that since I've had a bath and loads of sleep (ds is away!) I've succumbed to the toffee vodka tonight..delicious, my dp makes it by mixing vodka with maple syrup, Mmmmm, diet starts again tomorrow!

mommy · 23/02/2002 00:01

WWW. That sounds disgusting, but then I'm still up here with a glass of red wine and some very very cold pizza. Think I just should end a bad day and go to bed. I posted somewhere last night about a hotel we go to in the South of France, so I think I'll zoom into Ryan Air's web site before I go to bed and see if there are any cheap flights betweet March and June (last June we paid just 1.50 pound sterling for our flights which really makes a difference on the total holiday expense). www.hotel-carasol.com.

See you...

Rozzy · 23/02/2002 19:54

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mommy · 24/02/2002 00:34

Sorry Rozzy but that bottle's gone!!

Try checking out Ryan Air's website or GO or BMi Baby for flights to Venice. Mind you I guess it depends where you live in the country as to which airport you're near.

Both of us (sometimes separately) have gone to Perpignan through Ryan Air for 1.50, 20.00, 25.00 and 45.00 pounds, depends how flexible you can be or when you want to go. Obviously during the school hols the prices are hiked (that includes their end, their school hols) but then again they might not have a plane full up and will put the remainder of the seats for sale on the Internet for a pittance. We either book a week hol from work out of season and see where is a good buy to fly to, or have a lee-way of a few weeks when we know we WANT to go away so play around with the dates when we go into Ryan Air's website (we find flying there midweek and coming back on a Saturday is cheapest).

ChanelNo5 · 09/04/2002 18:22

Hello everyone! Couldn't remember if this was the thread where everyone was talking about how much they were drinking, cutting down etc, but since it is about booze I thought it would do. Just wondering how everyone is getting along? Are you drinking more or less than last time you posted? Right, I'm off for a top up, look forward to hearing from you!

jessi · 10/04/2002 09:06

Hi Channelno5, yes I think this was the confession thread! I have definitely cut down on what I was drinking over christmas/new year.. it had got a little bit over the top during that time! I now drink 2-3 medium sized glasses per night of wine but the lower alcohol ones, around 11%. I hadn't realised before this thread that the alcohol percentage made a huge difference to units per glass! Anyway, I am on a mission to cut down even further and only have 2 SMALL (arghh!) glasses per night... haven't started yet though. What about you? Are you still Atkins-ing and obstaining?

Tillysmummy · 10/04/2002 09:11

I have a couple of glasses of wine every night and enjoy them thoroughly ! I must admit that I would be very depressed if I didn't have my wine. Problem is if I have 3 or 4 glasses now I have a terrible hangover the next day. I just don't have the tolerance I used to. Does anyone else find this ?

elwar · 10/04/2002 09:51

A way to avoid both hangovers and that 'groggy feeling the morning after 1 or 2 drinks' which has never failed for me is water - lots of it, before and after. At least a pint before you have a drink, and take one to bed with you. If it's been a heavy night, two pints before bed and one when you wake up should prevent that bowling ball in your skull feeling which ruins your whole day. Basically, alcohol causes headaches cos it dehydrates (& dries your brain out!) so just replacing the water does the trick without the need for paracetamol, etc. Of course, the only drawback is all the weeing! LOL

Tillysmummy · 10/04/2002 09:59

Hi Elwar

I always drink loads of water, normally have a glass on the go with every glass of wine so it's a good tip. Thanks. But still I seem to have suffered a lot lately. Also all the peeing is a pain ! So now I stick to 2 - 3 maximum. Although have the occasional naughty blow out !!

ks · 10/04/2002 10:10

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Tillysmummy · 10/04/2002 10:13

Ks, you are not big drinkers at all ! I so look forward to my first glass of wine in the evening !
On this note, don't know if any of you have the same experience, but my dh goes out every so often with his workmates, probably once a month and gets absolutely pissed ! I find it so strange that he feels the need to get this drunk. He tells me it's important to bond with his colleagues but also that it's his way of 'letting his hair down'. I find it so amusing that he has to get so drunk to let his hair down. Why do men have to do that when women don't ?! I must admit I have the odd session where I drink really too much and feel terrible but this isn't intentional ! I try my best to avoid feeling like this especially when having to look after DD the next day but dh goes out and deliberately tried to do this !!

ks · 10/04/2002 10:22

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Tillysmummy · 10/04/2002 10:25

Hi KS, that's EXACTLY what my husband says ! He is in law and they drink so MUCH !!! He doesn't do it nearly as often and is very sweet (although highly repetitive and irritating) when drunk. I am actually glad I don't get horribly drunk anymore because I used to hate waking up and wondering if I'd offended anyone or made an idiot of myself because I could only remember bits of the nigth before !! I am actually going out on a girly night on Saturday - will have to be careful I don't over do it. Then again, what the hell, it's the first big night in about 18 months !!

ks · 10/04/2002 10:35

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Tillysmummy · 10/04/2002 10:43

lol ! I can indeed, have been there and done that many a time. In fact, have several weddings to go to this summer and am already planning how to avoid getting absolutely plastered in the heat (ever hopeful !) when the champagne is flowing and the mood is euphoric !
Really looking forward to Saturday actually, chance to dress up, be girly and have a good chat. I think you are absolutely right about the talking thing. Isn't if funny how guys can't be open and expressive about feelings like women can. My dh is horrified when I tell him some of the things that girls discuss !

ks · 10/04/2002 11:25

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Tillysmummy · 10/04/2002 11:28

Definitely, doofinitely, deeeefinitely, duffinitally

jasper · 10/04/2002 13:44

Tillysmummy I considered changing my name for this confession - it's not just men, I was exactly like that before I had kids. I regularly (at least once at the weekend, sometimes twice) went out with my two closest friends and drunk a LOT. We took it in turns to be completely sober, and the sober one drove, so there was never any hanging around waiting for taxis.(Janz if you are reading this, Shawlands was our regular haunt!) The rules of the evening were that the two drinkers got to decide where we would go, but the driver at any point could say "Enough! " and insist we went home.
We were all in our early thirties at the time.
About once a year now we do the same thing in a modified version - one of the girls lives close to town and we gat a taxi back and stay at hers.
If I had the chance and the other two were still available I would do it more often!
Definitely takes me much longer to recover and of course you can't lie in bed recovering from a hangover if you have kids to look after.

Tillysmummy · 10/04/2002 14:53

Jasper,.

I have done it too, many a time and thoroughly enjoy it. Maybe I just have sour grapes because I can't do it as much as he does !!! That's probably the truth of it !! I get v jealous .

Zoe · 10/04/2002 21:06

There is an article in Red Magazine this month about how much we drink which sort of scared me as it shoed how easy it is to go completely over the top and also reassured me that there was much much worse than me!

Interestingly due to the proliferation of tonsillitis (me), exacerbation of asthma (dh) and a chesty cough (ds) no alcohol has been consumed in this house for ten days, which must be a world record. And do we feel any better? What do you think??

I am going to weigh myself on Friday to see if it's made any impact there though.

ChanelNo5 · 10/04/2002 21:41

Love your comments girls! Has made me feel much better about the amount I'm drinking.

Jessi - Nope I'm not abstaining from booze anymore (nearly finished me off!) far from it infact and am making up for lost time (hooray) Still Atkins-ing of sorts though (boo)

Tillysmummy - Have a great night out and have a few for us. Very true your comments about male bonding and drinking lots (but then who am I to judge lol!!!!!!)

Agree with the comments about having a big drink of water before bedtime to prevent/reduce that groggy head feeling in the morning.

Off for my glass of wine then, cheerio!

Rhubarb · 11/04/2002 14:24

I have managed to steer clear of alcohol so far this week. I do drink a lot at weekends, especially when the weather is sunny. We might go into town for some bits and pieces and then we nearly always have to go to the pub afterwards, it's a habit now. We've had 3 pints in the afternoon before now and then gone home, made tea and had another 4 cans with that. Then we do it all over again on Sundays. Now that dd is getting older I am feeling less comfortable with the idea of drinking in front of her, I would never get drunk whilst she is awake, but she now knows the difference between wine, beer and Guinness - surely not a good sign for a 20 month old!

Trouble is I enjoy drinking, it's so nice to relax in a pub with a pint. I can't remember the last time I ordered a half, I would feel so poncy doing that now. Over Easter I think we drank almost every day, except Good Friday for religious reasons and that almost killed me! (pardon the pun Jesus!) We're going out together this Saturday which makes a change, but his mum is babysitting and I hate coming in drunk when his mum is there. I think I am acting sober but I so obviously am not!