Share your drinking habits with me please

[gulp]

Because I would like some examples of responsible drinking as I think I am on the verge of starting to drink too much too frequently. An idea of real-life responsible approaches to it would be very helpful. Thank you.

I'm sure I read somewhere that studies show that your liver recovers better with one day gap between drinks, even excessive drinks, rather than constant small amounts. I read this as

Monday 1 bottle
Tuesday pace irritably

repeat, ad nauseum...(well, not literally)

Like many others here, I drank much more pre-dd's, mainly so that I could conduct a civilised conversation with dh after a stressful day. Wouldn't like to go back to that in a hurry, I must say.

am thinking it is prob best policy for me to just drink when out (hardly ever, but actually am this sat!) or have people over for dinner etc.

have to break this connection between drinking and TV/reading/relaxing

When not pg, a glass of wine (rarely two) up to 4 nights a week, not necessarily regularly - I will have a bottle over 4 or 5 days and then nothing for a few days. Only when ds is in bed - drink tap water with meals.

If you are really concerned, you could try taking your wine with soda. DH screams 'sacrilege' every time I do this, but it makes for a lighter drink, and you're not chundering it down at quite the same rate. And then if and when you return to undiluted it tastes so much richer and heavier that you sip and enjoy more slowly, like wot your supposed to.

Or have a small measure of spirits with much much mixer, if that's your thing.

I'd like to think I could go cold turkey, but we've always had wine with dinner, since we married, and it's a hard habit to break.

God, it is. I don't know why I suddenly am worried.

I think you know in yourself when it's getting over the score.

Personally, if I spend more on alcohol in a month than I do on shoes, I give myself a shake and try to gain perspective

wine with soda bloats you out and make you crave salty things. so you eat crisps then drink more = fat haha

hmmm, really think abstinence unless drinking in company (other than dp's! os the way forward - I hope)

got to re-train brain - wonder how long that will take???

I'd love it if that was my excuse, southeast

I only really drink on the weekends. Its rare for me to break this.

LOL at sea Julie Andrews / Amy Winehouse

I don't drink regularly and I donl;t drink much.

I stopped drinking wine because it makes me feel awful - headachey and crap after only a glass or two, esp. red.

I drink when I go out with friends (perhaps once every 2 months or so) and drink vodka and don;t mix (usually ) - 3-4 for the night will do me.
I am the sort of person for whom being merry tips very easily into being very sick and ill so I've really gone off it.

I do think though that if I didn;t suffer ill effects I would drink quite a bit more.

I haven;t drunk during the week since i was a student and it seems perfectly normal to me to not drink anything, iyswim.

In the evening I drink 2 cups of chamomile tea

I don't drink. I can't drink sensibly, so I don't

cider and perry drinker here, every night, on the verge of what the govt would consider too much, I suspect.

dh is away, \i am 3/4 down a bottle of rose, not good as I am in sole charge of dd atm and she is refusing to sleep

normally, one or two bottles over the course of Fri, Sat and Sun evenings. Sometimes with help from dh but generally not. No booze on a school night as a general rule.

F&Z, how long have you not drunk for and how did you make the decision to stop?

thanks for all these response by the way - really helpful

I haven't drunk for over 5 years. I used to drink every night and would always drink to unwind. The amount I drank crept up and up and despite having periods where I tried to cut back, it got worse and worse and started to affect my health.

I got help from my local Drug and Alcohol Service through the NHS and they were excellent. I had counselling, and the option of medical help, and have not regretted it once. My life is so happy and so simple now compared to when I was drunk every night.

I used to find it difficult to imagine how I would get through an evening without a cigarette so I am sure it is perfectly doable with alcohol as well.

The habit thing is probably the hardest bit to tackle. You need to find something else to do at the time you would normally drink.

Change your mealtime for a bit, do something else rather than tv for a few nights, etc.

Did you find it hard initially, to stop, F&Z? What thoughts stopped you reaching for a drink?

FK - yes, often think that about smoking.

I haven't drunk since my mid-twenties, so that's 13 years now. Similarly to F&Z, I don't miss it.

drinking is a very easy habit to get

very little as a rule. A small single malt occasionally. G & T rarely. We do have certain friends who when they come to stay we drink a lot though. I had my first hangover since dd's were born last week after friends stayed and felt so ill all day 3 G & T's, 3 glasses of wine with meal, then 3 substantial whiskies. EVeryone elso bounced out of bed and away the next day. I really struggled. THey all drink on a far more regular basis but i don't want to get into that, must just be more restrained next time - it was fun that night though and brought back memories of student days. Tonight just a cup of peppermint tea so far, may have a glass of water chaser later

Yes it was hard. I personally couldn't have done it without professional support, to help me examine the reasons behind my drinking and to find coping mechanisms while stopping.

was it hard going to ask for help?

Yes. I kept thinking someone I knew would see me going in

the counsellor was fabulous. I wish I could still see him but (sadly for me and luckily for them) he only deals with people at the sharp end of addiction.