Alcohol

I'm not much bothered whether a drink is alcoholic or not. Easily the nicest drinks I've ever had were both non alcoholic : fresh lime and soda in Bangladesh and a wonderful green apple, basil and mint crush in SA. Maybe hotter countries do more imaginative and refreshing drinks?

I saw white Merlot in Tesco the other day. I had no idea there was such a thing.

Maybe I should merlot as I'm not really lazy ?
What is annoying about going out to pubs and restaurants is that nice soft drinks are often more expensive than alcoholic ones. I am a real ale drinker - there are less units in a pint than large glass of vino.

Fraid so, Lazigirl I rarely drink red wine these days. Maybe I should change my name.

With me its more a habit than needing the alcohol. When DH has a gkass of wine I can drink sparkling elderflower in a wine glass instead.

I rarely drink alcohol, but I do enjoy a G&T occasionally. I had to stop drinking wine, as it gives me awful acid reflux. Now I stick to my own versions of mocktails. I also choose from the mocktail menu when we go out for meals with friends. My favourite at the moment is orange and cranberry spritz.

White Merlotgran??

At SW we were told to replace rum with a few drops of that rum flavour ing added to cakes. With diet coke, ice and lemon it’s hard to tell the difference .

I think if you are worried enough to ask the question then you probably do have a problem. The liver is very forgiving and does not really give out symptoms until it is badly damaged.
Diluting white wine with chilled sparkling water makes a refreshing drink on a warm day.

I'm odd when I'm stressed I dont drink...because I like to be in control.So this past year as my daughters health issues got worse by the day I can count on one hand the number of drinks I've had.That'll be one at new year and two on my birthday .Sadly I haven't noticed any weight loss or improvements in my health/skin/looks .I think if you feel you drink too much then you must make changes .

After a very stressful week I'm enjoying my glass of chilled dry white and I will definitely be having another.

Agree with you nfk.
But as long as you can control your intake I think it’s ok.
I get cross about arbitrary recommendations too, outside of which people are made to feel guilty or anxious for no logical or scientific reason.

Well sitting here with my nightly glass of red I don't think I'm overdoing it although the pharmacist did suggest I have a couple of alcohol free days when she did a prescription review on Thurs. I don't drink when stressed and only have the one per night. I'd be better off having a chocolate free week - that's not going to happen any time soon either

I think it depends on the size of the glass, the alcohol content and whether you can go without if need be. Back when I had a problem, I couldn’t go without. Slippery slope.

Here here to that.?

I’m obviously in a minority of one here, but I see nothing wrong in two glasses of wine a night, either morally or from a health point of view.
It depends on your lifestyle and what else you’re eating and drinking.
If you’re eating lots of salty or sugary snacks or a lot of sweet things generally, that’s probably worse for your liver and general health than a moderate amount of alcohol.
If you exercise moderately, eat plenty of fruit and vegetables & don’t smoke, I don’t think the alcohol is going to do any harm at all.
And as long as you keep it under control it can reduce stress and aid relaxation.

I found myself developing a problem donkey’s years ago when the DC were little. Nips from bottles in the mornings, etc. It was harder then as there weren’t the alternatives as there are now so I had to go cold turkey for a while. But since then I’ve kept a constant check. No shorts drunk without mixers and learning to sip! Avoid lagers and drink real ale as a treat as that’s more difficult to quaff. Learn to love Becks Blue!

And only spritzers and not wine. It’s a much longer drink. I don’t like canned drinks. To sweet. So if I’m driving I find fizzy water with a slice of lemon or lime a good long drink and no one knows there’s nothing in it. I also use wine glasses a lot as it just feels better drinking from them!

I tried a new beer a couple of weeks ago which tasted just like Ribena. Only it was 4%! These new beers seem to be replacing alcohol pops. It’s a minefield.

We had developed the habit of two or three G&Ts in the evening then when DD2 was nearing her due date and I was the transport we changed to tea instead and have not gone back to the G&Ts. Added benefit is that I have lost some weight which is a great spur to stay with the tea. Because we drink diet tonic I hadn't realised about the calories in the gin. Our drink driving rules in Scotland mean you can't risk any alcohol and drive so unless I know I am not driving in the evening I will never risk it. Sadly a few restaurants/bars out of town have closed because of this however alcohol abuse is a huge problem in Scotland so anything that helps lower the rates of alcohol related disease is good.

We had got into the very bad habit of 2 glasses of wine a night well 2 for me , more for him.
We’ve just returned from holiday and have cut right back, now we have a very large G&T a night. Very little gin plus one and a half cans of fevertree aromatic tonic, lemon and lots of ice. delicious and only 1 unit of alcohol.
Like MamaCaz leaving out the gin makes me drink more quickly.

After what I took to be a bout of Gastritis plus feeling distinctly “porky” three weeks ago I embarked on the diet the day after the last BH Monday, and had my last glass of wine the day before.
Oh I had about 1/2 a glass of very good champagne to celebrate DGS’s birthday a fortnight ago but am finding it surprisingly easy to stick to water when it’s hot or tea/coffee now it has turned cooler.
Friends and family are helping by sticking to soft drinks (“driving”) and while I am sure that a wee glass of single malt would lead to another I can’t say I am really missing it.
Lost 7lb too.

Oldbatty the fact you have asked the question suggests YOU think you are over doing it. For what exactly is overdoing it? Does it vary from person to person or are you equating to government suggestions?

IF you are worried then cut down before it becomes an issue. Personally I just go with my body - if I’ve had too much it tells me ?. I wouldn’t be able to stick to a regime of any kind say two glasses and no more. I take each situation as it comes. As I said my body tells me ENOUGH ?

Should have been ......I don’t drink on school nights.....

I do t drink on school nights (Sunday-Thursday) unless it’s a B/H or whatever and I’m not at work .

I know I drink too much on a weekend but as others have said it is a stress relief “after a usually shitty working week”

As MamaCaz says, tonic water. It is my favourite fall back when on driving duty or when I just don’t fancy anything alcoholic. Having said that, it is the only fizzy drink I will countenance, and I do, very occasionally, like a large measure of Tanqueray in it! I have stopped buying wine except when we are expecting people for a meal, because invariably, I am the only one who wants to finish the bottle once it is open (over days, though, not all at once, but still!), and, as indicated above, it is full of calories ?! If I don’t buy it, I can’t drink it.

Try to find different ways of dealing with your stress...mindfulness, yoga, exercise, going for a walk, get a pet. Change your routine so you're doing something else at the times you normally have a drink.
A visit to your doctor might help. They can give you advice and maybe arrange counselling.
Good luck.