So how much do you drink?

[MarshPhantom]

Used to drink like a fish but I've calmed down a lot.

Roughly 12 pints a week and 2-3 bottles of Port.

[FlyingMeeces]

Me - fewer than 10 units a year. Meds + booze = terrible idea. Even without also being the eternal designated driver.

There are a few versions of too much - physiologically too much is different if its regular or a binge and obviously totally different according to both BMI and build. And psychologically too much is maybe the more worrying one and is even harder to pin down but I think the 'needing' rather than 'wanting' alcohol must be a primary thing.

[bloomen]

Zero for several years. Not because I ever had a problem with it myself but I became so overwhelmed with disgust at the behaviour of others on it that I don't want to be around it in any capacity any more.

[craig1912]

Silver993tt said:

he problem is that alcohol depletes zinc in the body and the body needs zinc to process and absorb vitamins and minerals from food. No point eating 'healthily' and drinking more than the recommended amounts each week as most of the benefits of 'healthy' food will pass straight through the body.

But zinc also protects against alcoholic liver disease

http://www.wellnessresources.com/weight/articles/z...

and by taking a zinc supplement you can negate any depletion from drinking alcohol. To say healthy food just passes through the body is absolute rubbish, many people are deficient in zinc and have never touched alcohol.

Edited by craig1912 on Wednesday 15th June 09:43

[Silver993tt]

craig1912 said:

But zinc also protects against alcoholic liver disease

http://www.wellnessresources.com/weight/articles/z...

and by taking a zinc supplement you can negate any depletion from drinking alcohol. To say healthy food just passes through the body is absolute rubbish, many people are deficient in zinc and have never touched alcohol.

Edited by craig1912 on Wednesday 15th June 09:43

yep, just keep on thinking that 30 units a week aren't doing you any long term damage.

[olimain]

I get through 1 bottle of whisky, 2 bottles of wine a week (though drinking every night). Something I really enjoy, glass of wine or two with dinner then a couple of whiskys when the wife goes to bed.

Too much?

[Femur]

olimain said:

I get through 1 bottle of whisky, 2 bottles of wine a week (though drinking every night). Something I really enjoy, glass of wine or two with dinner then a couple of whiskys when the wife goes to bed.

Too much?

50 bottles of whisky a year does sound too much. I feel I'm doing something wrong every time I put a whisky bottle in the recycling (probably a couple of times a year) - I guess you're used to it!

[Timmy40]

Silver993tt said:

craig1912 said:

But zinc also protects against alcoholic liver disease

http://www.wellnessresources.com/weight/articles/z...

and by taking a zinc supplement you can negate any depletion from drinking alcohol. To say healthy food just passes through the body is absolute rubbish, many people are deficient in zinc and have never touched alcohol.

Edited by craig1912 on Wednesday 15th June 09:43

yep, just keep on thinking that 30 units a week aren't doing you any long term damage.

Well given there is absolutely no evidence that 30 units a week will do you long term damage why wouldn't he think that?

Until recently the BMA recommended linmit was 28 Units per week, but that was based on Drs assuming the public would abide roughly by that.

I think there was growing concern that alot of the pulic just assume you can safely double that limit, so they recently halved it.

But seriosuly 30 units a week isn't going to cause any problems from what I have heard and read. And telling people it will is just going to either worry them for no reason or worse just end up with them not listening at all to any limit warnings.

[olimain]

I agree 50 bottles a year does sound too much - I'm wondering if it actually is though. 7 units a night, doesn't affect me getting up 4 times a night with the young children then at 6am for good, I don't get drunk etc. No problem having a break for a day, a week, a month at a time - just something I genuinely enjoy.

Most people I know only drink one evening a week but then hit Friday and Saturday hard (say 15-20 units each night) - not sure if that's better or worse for you!

[olimain]

Timmy40 said:

Well given there is absolutely no evidence that 30 units a week will do you long term damage why wouldn't he think that?

Until recently the BMA recommended linmit was 28 Units per week, but that was based on Drs assuming the public would abide roughly by that.

I think there was growing concern that alot of the pulic just assume you can safely double that limit, so they recently halved it.

But seriosuly 30 units a week isn't going to cause any problems from what I have heard and read. And telling people it will is just going to either worry them for no reason or worse just end up with them not listening at all to any limit warnings.

And from the reading up I've done in the past I came to the same conclusion - wasn't the definition of a 'unit' something that was just plucked out of the air? I'm sure I read something about them thinking "OK a bottle of wine should be 5 units" then realising it didn't sound enough and then doubling it (or is that what I hoped I'd read!)?

[craig1912]

Silver993tt said:

ep, just keep on thinking that 30 units a week aren't doing you any long term damage.

Yep just like breathing car exhaust fumes, eating bacon, worrying about every "scientific" report published saying what else is going to cause cancer.

[Silver993tt]

craig1912 said:

Yep just like breathing car exhaust fumes, eating bacon, worrying about every "scientific" report published saying what else is going to cause cancer.

It's called education but never mind, keep going.

[K50 DEL]

I probably drink 5 evenings out of 7 but usually only a max of 2 dbl vodka and diet cokes
once a month or so I may go out with a mate for a few but even then my absolute max is 6 doubles.

I don't drink lager or bitter, can only stomach 2 pints of cider before I feel so bloated that I can't drink any more and although I like white wine, more than 2 glasses gives me a headache the next day so that's my maximum.

I do sometimes get concerned at how much I drink as for many years I was almost tee-total but in the grand scheme of things I think I'm probably OK!

[C0ffin D0dger]

Silver993tt said:

ep, just keep on thinking that 30 units a week aren't doing you any long term damage.

I watched a documentary (Horizon I think) a while back about the effects of alcohol and the medical advisor who had set the new limits was on there to explain why the changes were brought about. The old limits we essentially set with a view as to how much is likely to cause you liver damage in the long term. These limits haven't really changed but what they've now figured out is that regular drinking also increases the risk of certain types of cancer. The amount of alcohol you need to consume to increase that risk to a level where the medical bods deem it unacceptable is much less than that for liver damage, hence the revised guidelines.

Personally a like a drink and I'm prepared to accept the risk of drinking outside of the guidelines, I also eat bacon and probably a load of other things that are known to increase the risk of cancer. For me it's a balance of enjoyment vs. risk to my health.

[FlyingMeeces]

olimain said:

I get through 1 bottle of whisky, 2 bottles of wine a week (though drinking every night). Something I really enjoy, glass of wine or two with dinner then a couple of whiskys when the wife goes to bed.

Too much?

IANAD (in fact neither doctor nor really drinker) and have just been reading up a bit 'cos I got interested.

Assume as you haven't mentioned it that you're in decent nick in terms of heart/circulation/weight and liver health.

That's a lot of legwork your liver's doing, as it were, and clearly currently it's doing it just fine, but it's equally clearly quite a bit more than most people drink. It's a lot to ask of your body. It's unbelievably hard to sift out data about people who drink a lot but do not routinely get very drunk, and people who drink a lot but don't have an emotional or physical dependence on it (how would a person even know, if they were consistent?), from data about people who are binge drinking, getting VERY drunk and so on. In terms of long term health stuff - my assumption for example is that increased rates of dementia, and at earlier ages, will show up in people struggling with serious alcohol misuse rather than just rather heavy habitual drinking.

I think you're getting through around 60 units a week, potentially a good bit more - I'm assuming that's a litre of whisky at 40%, I know some are sometimes a bit stronger. The recommended upper limit seems to change about every five minutes and varies internationally but the NHS currently says 14 units a week for men, and the highest I can recall any recommendation being is 35 units. So the stats definitely say 'way too much!', but there isn't a lot of good quality info about what it might be doing to you, in the context of drinking at home, with/after a meal, spreading your intake out steadily over the week, and generally NOT having almost all the risk factors aside from the actual alcohol which generally come with people who drink a lot. Stuff like the number of people who drink that many units all in one night and then are at huge risk of accidental or violent injury and so on along with everything else.

You could probably improve the (largely unknown and unknowable) odds of the nasties quite a bit by really savouring the first whisky and not going for a second one. Glass of wine with a meal isn't just not a problem but I think is now well accepted to be protective against various issues and is for almost everyone actively a good idea.

Cliff notes version: yeah, I reckon too much but not mega panic stations stuff. Have a bit less! You'll save a fortune, unless you're drinking 'orrible stuff, and it'll improve your long term odds a bit.

[Stiggolas]

I have always been a lightweight drinker. Very cheap night out and can't stomach more than 3 pints.
Any more and the room starts to spin and I throw up. Guaranteed.
Now throwing up ranks as the worst, most disgusting, thing I can do. I really hate it more than I like booze so I hardly drink at all anymore.
Just a stubby bottle of lager every now and again (8 bottles will last me a month) and maybe a glass of red if we go out for food.
I haven't puked in 10 years now and I'm loving it

[Timmy40]

C0ffin D0dger said:

Silver993tt said:

ep, just keep on thinking that 30 units a week aren't doing you any long term damage.

I watched a documentary (Horizon I think) a while back about the effects of alcohol and the medical advisor who had set the new limits was on there to explain why the changes were brought about. The old limits we essentially set with a view as to how much is likely to cause you liver damage in the long term. These limits haven't really changed but what they've now figured out is that regular drinking also increases the risk of certain types of cancer. The amount of alcohol you need to consume to increase that risk to a level where the medical bods deem it unacceptable is much less than that for liver damage, hence the revised guidelines.

Personally a like a drink and I'm prepared to accept the risk of drinking outside of the guidelines, I also eat bacon and probably a load of other things that are known to increase the risk of cancer. For me it's a balance of enjoyment vs. risk to my health.

+1.

I was quite intersted listening to a R4 program a few months back about genetics. An eminent genetecist said that it's far from as simple as press button A and X will happen.

I'd liken it to us all being born with more or less 'genetic armour' some have body kit, some are born in a tank ( very little cancer predilection ) some with no armour at all ( and might just spontaneously get cancer no matter what).

If a bacon sarnie is a bullet it might be a real danger if you're unlucky enough to have no armour....equally if your'e in a tank....who cares. Fire away.

It's just none of use know what we were born with. So the best 'average' assumption is that we are all equally prone to cancers and therefore should all follow the same guidelines.

Which clearly isn't true. Sadly there's a great deal of cancer in my wifes family, but none at all in mine. None, despite the smokers, the drinkers etc.

One of my wifes mates is dying young of cancer, she didn't smoke, didn't drink anything other than very moderately and is a life long vegetarian and always kept fit.

[Silver993tt]

Justification is the first sign

[TurboHatchback]

So far this year I have had a pint of cider, a very small glass of red wine and 4 small measures of cognac. Last year I had a glass of champagne. I'd say it's more or less under control.

[olimain]

FlyingMeeces said:

IANAD (in fact neither doctor nor really drinker) and have just been reading up a bit 'cos I got interested.

Assume as you haven't mentioned it that you're in decent nick in terms of heart/circulation/weight and liver health.

That's a lot of legwork your liver's doing, as it were, and clearly currently it's doing it just fine, but it's equally clearly quite a bit more than most people drink. It's a lot to ask of your body. It's unbelievably hard to sift out data about people who drink a lot but do not routinely get very drunk, and people who drink a lot but don't have an emotional or physical dependence on it (how would a person even know, if they were consistent?), from data about people who are binge drinking, getting VERY drunk and so on. In terms of long term health stuff - my assumption for example is that increased rates of dementia, and at earlier ages, will show up in people struggling with serious alcohol misuse rather than just rather heavy habitual drinking.

I think you're getting through around 60 units a week, potentially a good bit more - I'm assuming that's a litre of whisky at 40%, I know some are sometimes a bit stronger. The recommended upper limit seems to change about every five minutes and varies internationally but the NHS currently says 14 units a week for men, and the highest I can recall any recommendation being is 35 units. So the stats definitely say 'way too much!', but there isn't a lot of good quality info about what it might be doing to you, in the context of drinking at home, with/after a meal, spreading your intake out steadily over the week, and generally NOT having almost all the risk factors aside from the actual alcohol which generally come with people who drink a lot. Stuff like the number of people who drink that many units all in one night and then are at huge risk of accidental or violent injury and so on along with everything else.

You could probably improve the (largely unknown and unknowable) odds of the nasties quite a bit by really savouring the first whisky and not going for a second one. Glass of wine with a meal isn't just not a problem but I think is now well accepted to be protective against various issues and is for almost everyone actively a good idea.

Cliff notes version: yeah, I reckon too much but not mega panic stations stuff. Have a bit less! You'll save a fortune, unless you're drinking 'orrible stuff, and it'll improve your long term odds a bit.

Thanks - agreed on all points really. Yes in decent nick, 31, sporty, not overweight - 70cl not a litre so that's 28 units plus the wine gets to about 50 a week, time to cut down I reckon (especially as it's decent whisky/wine and I have a house to renovate and pay for!).