Am I drinking too much?

[Gilli]

I know this is going to sound silly, but I'd really like to know if I'm drinking too much wine, so the sisters in the yurt need to come out and help me decide!
Basically, I get to the end of the day, with 3 out of 4 children in bed, and open a bottle of wine. I usually have 2 glasses or about a third of the bottle: very rarely more, and sometimes less. I don't want to drink more than that, I almost never drink anything else, even at parties etc, I never binge drink (well not in the last decade!) and I don't feel I am addicted to the wine. I think I am addicted to the relaxation part of the process, as I sometimes think 'oh I won't drink tonight' and then I'm so bloody tired I pour a glass and sit down. I do try and have one free day per week, and wondered how I compare to other mumsnetters?

You sound virtually teetotal to me I wouldn't worry!

I wish I were you Gilli...

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Sounds fine to me I enjoy a drink to wind down with at night, especially after work. DH and I have a bottle of wine 2 or 3 times a week, other times a dry sherry, a port, a Baileys, maybe a lager or two. We don't drink every night, but most. We rarely drink more than a couple of galsses. Sometimes much less. We rarely go out drinking lts anymore either - can't remember last time!

So, Gilli - sounds pretty normal to me.

You sound exactly the same as me. I enjoy unwinding at the end of the day with a glass of wine, it's almost become like a ritual for me!! I don't see a problem with it, but I have seen my mum raising her eyebrows when she's out shopping with me and I make ANOTHER trip to M&S for a bottle of Chenin Blanc!! I think she thinks I'm an alkie!!

Gilli - don't worry you definitely sound virtually teetotal I need at least 2 glasses before i can even turn the pc on..........

Gill you sound very normal to me & a glass or two isn't a problem is it? Feel quite envious now as I am on the wagon this month - trying to lose a few pounds before holiday & the overdraft is looking very scary so out go our treats...wonder how long it will last..!!

Gill, DH and I have a bottle of wine between us almost every night (and sometimes a little whisky or something afterwards! Not v often though). On Fridays we sometimes open a second one! Try to have a night or two off a week as well. I think I'm addicted to the relaxation bit too, I know when I've got my glass of wine that dd is in bed, the dog is fed, supper is nearly ready and my sofa is waiting for me.....bliss!!

You don't sound like you have any kind of problem to me!

I certainly don't see a problem. Please tell me someone else has a first glass of wine when feeding tea (6pm - my mother would be horried at any earlier) to the little monkey.

After ds goes to bed I open a bottle of wine, finish it then sometimes drink half of another!!! And that's about 2 or 3 nights a week!!

You have no problem Gilli.... enjoy your relaxation with a clear conscience!!

vkr - me too!
mum2toby - me too!
Is there any hope for us????

(Gilli - don't think you need to worry too much!)

Thanks for all your support - I guess I'm just worrying about lots of little things at the moment, like my health, because I'm tired as hell, and my mum is very very sick... don't think I'm depressed (and I should know!) just a bit down, and your kind comments have made me feel a whole lot more cheerful. Now, where's my glass....

PS: wher do I find smileys etc: do I need some sort of special software or something?

Gilli - no special software. They are easy-peasy when once you know how. You can even do them when your half-cut !!!!

Colon then Closed bracket =
Semi-colon then closed bracket =
Colon then the letter O =
Colon then Open Bracket =

Go on.... give it a wee try...

I think they need to design one for an Angry face and perhaps one sticking out it's tongue!!

Gilli - the 'recommended' amount for a woman per week is 14 units = 14 small glasses wine. You should also try to have at least one alcohol free day per week

Just been reading in this month's Good Food mag that one unit of wine is 125 ml of 9% wine. I don't know about anyone else but I never drink 9% wine, the stuff I had the other night was 14.5% which if I only had a 125 ml glass (ha! try 3/4 of the bottle) would have been slightly more than 1.75 units.

My problem is that I have really large wine glasses. I looks like I have had one glass yet really it's more like 3!

Don't worry Gilli, I think it's totally normal what you are drinking. The other night, after a particularly stressful evening of putting 2 very poorly children to bed and DP being away, I came downstairs to discover there was no wine and ended up drinking the sherry! How desperate is that?

Grommit, those limits were revised some time ago and are now:

21 UNITS (for female) and 28 UNITS (for male) - Government advice

What they recommend is 2 -3 units per day for a woman, ie binge drinking is more harmful.

SamboM - hooray, we can all drink more! Will now just have rethink my rather large wine glasses....

Gilli, I drink wine virtually every night, from 2 glasses (normally) to a full bottle (once a week or so). I always feel remarkably proud of my restraint. I used to drink loads more and smoke like a trooper too so I consider myself a healthy moderate drinker now.