My DH drinks nothing but coffee and alcohol - how bad is that?

[MommyisBusySean]

Every single drink my DH has is either coffee or alcohol. I literally can't remember the last time DH had a drink of water or squash or coke or juice.

He doesn't drink alcohol every day or drink to excess- we have a couple of glasses of wine a couple of times per week.

But every single drink he has during the day is coffee. He's probably drinking about 10 coffees a day.

I don't believe all the stuff about drinking 2l of distilled unicorn tears every day but I can't help feeling that (a) he's not getting enough water in general and (b) what water he is getting is coming only from coffee or alcohol.

Generally he's in okay health but I'm really worried about his drinking habits. Is it as bad as I think it is? What problems might be encounter from this? And how the actual fuck do I convince him to drink other stuff?

Thanks, I've NC because I'm a regular

My DM has drunk nothing but very strong coffee, gin and tonic or wine her entire life. Obviously she is much older than your DH. She has been told bluntly by various doctors that her kidneys are not coping, she is dehydrated and can no longer wait for the toilet once she gets the urge to pee. Cue lots of pads, clean clothes and mopping up by me.

Penfold Sounds like my DH and it's that kind of thing in the future I'm concerned about.

I think you can get headaches from caffeine withdrawal if you're used to driving a lot - so if you had something caffeinated it would go away.

I must admit I don't understand why you wouldn't drink water knowing the health benefits - it's free, easily available (in developed countries anyway) and is good for you. You can always add something for flavour if you don't like water on its own.

I absolutely love coffee but honestly couldn't drink 10 cups a day. I'd never sleep again!

Flipping autocorrect. Driving = drinking.

It doesn't sound good. At the very least is must be wrecking his teeth.

That's aside from the health implications.

Just to give some context, my BIL was in his mid thirties when he had the aphasic migraine. It gave him a real fright, unsurprisingly.

meglet His teeth are going a bit discoloured but he's booked in to get them whitened next month. Obviously that says nothing about the actual damage done to them.

Like you I am kind of about the advice about drinking litres of water every day, but both alcohol and excessive caffeine can have an effect on your heart. Do you know if this is just a habit or if he is struggling to stay awake or have enough energy to get through the day?

I love tea and probably drink too much of it, but I think 10 coffees a day would be considered excessive by any measure. I'd think any benefit you get from the fluid in coffee would be negated by the giant hit of caffeine. Most sources are pretty non-committal about any ill effects though. www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/caffeine/art-20045678

Tbh the first thing I thought was is he not in the loo all day?? My gut turns to water after only two milky coffees!

arousing No, it's just habit. He only really likes coffee and booze as drinks- he says he doesn't particularly like the taste of anything else. But, I think he'd now struggle to stay awake without coffee because he's so used to drinking so much

I don't think he goes to the toilet any more than is normal.

If it's the instant coffee and he has no trouble sleeping at night, then what's the problem? Yes he's addicted to caffeine, but most people who drink tea and coffee are addicted to caffeine to a more or lesser degree. If he's overweight or never exercises or he smokes, then that's a much bigger issue.