How much do you drink, honestly?

How much do you drink, honestly?

Author
Discussion

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

126 months

Thursday 23rd August 2018
quotequote all
wibble cb said:
I live in Toronto!
Ah! Yes, that'll make a difference...

Composite Guru

2,207 posts

203 months

Thursday 23rd August 2018
quotequote all
Average weekly intake for me is about 1 or 2 bottles of beer or a G&T.
Some weeks I don't even drink any alcohol, I find I don't need it.

hairyben

8,516 posts

183 months

Thursday 23rd August 2018
quotequote all
Greshamst said:
One question I've got for those that are drinking near the 100 units a week, or putting back a few bottles of wine every night, plus more on weekend daytimes... when do you get the chance to drive? Is it a case of only being able to drive late afternoons and early weekend days, or do you chance it with hopefully being under the limit by the time you wake up?
taking the question in terms of legally allowed to drive you'd probably be suprised at how much booze you can imbibe the night before and still be under the limit the following day. I can do half a bottle of 40% spirit over a few hours finishing at midnight I hardly register at 7am the following day. This 1 hour-per-unit is pretty far in safe ground in my experience - although I would suggest using a breathalyzer oneself rather than taking my word.

A couple of times I've had a big night and blown over so sat it out before going to work... I can lose .30 of BAC in like an hour.

FocusRS3

3,411 posts

91 months

Thursday 23rd August 2018
quotequote all
Composite Guru said:
Average weekly intake for me is about 1 or 2 bottles of beer or a G&T.
Some weeks I don't even drink any alcohol, I find I don't need it.
Nice , This is where I’d like to be some day .

My problem is I’m all or nothing so I’m either tea total or hammered


Mark300zx

1,360 posts

252 months

Thursday 23rd August 2018
quotequote all
I have found my desire for alcohol linked to my intake of carbs/high GI foods, since I have tried a keto diet my alcohol craving has diminished, anyone else?

TameRacingDriver

18,087 posts

272 months

Thursday 23rd August 2018
quotequote all
Mark300zx said:
I have found my desire for alcohol linked to my intake of carbs/high GI foods, since I have tried a keto diet my alcohol craving has diminished, anyone else?
More likely that you're either trying to lose weight or eat healthy and the alcohol doesn't fit into that?

grumbledoak

31,532 posts

233 months

Thursday 23rd August 2018
quotequote all
Mark300zx said:
I have found my desire for alcohol linked to my intake of carbs/high GI foods, since I have tried a keto diet my alcohol craving has diminished, anyone else?
Much of the craving you get if you give up alcohol is actually sugar addiction - most alcoholic drinks contain quite a bit of it. If you have been keto for a while you will have gone through the sugar withdrawal / keto flu.

BoRED S2upid

19,700 posts

240 months

Thursday 23rd August 2018
quotequote all
Mark300zx said:
I have found my desire for alcohol linked to my intake of carbs/high GI foods, since I have tried a keto diet my alcohol craving has diminished, anyone else?
Mine is linked to how exhausted I am. A heavy gym session long ride of the bike and my reward is a glass or two of red. The wife would prefer chocolate which really does nothing for me.

FreeLitres

6,047 posts

177 months

Friday 24th August 2018
quotequote all
Study today confirms that no level of alcohol is safe.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-45283401

TameRacingDriver

18,087 posts

272 months

Friday 24th August 2018
quotequote all
Breathing isn't safe either....

stongle

5,910 posts

162 months

Friday 24th August 2018
quotequote all
FreeLitres said:
Study today confirms that no level of alcohol is safe.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-45283401
Sorry, but this is alarmist. I could be biased as a self confessed drinker, BUT: 0.6% increased chance of death by drinking 28 units a week (2 drinks a day). And that includes cancers / accidents. Whilst statistically there is a link between alcohol and chance of death; the increased chances are tiny. 0.6%, nothing. Even if the rise is exponential / non linear - @ my estimated 45units a week - I'd guess my increased chance of kicking bucket come in @ 1.2 - 2%

They need to do better at explaining the benefits of lifestyle balance / negatives of binging. I'd like to be in the low 30 units constantly, but not fussed going lower - I don't want to give up the social / cultural side of drinking.

Its not news, leaving my house results in a 100% increased chance of death by random nutter.

GT03ROB

13,263 posts

221 months

Friday 24th August 2018
quotequote all
stongle said:
Sorry, but this is alarmist. I could be biased as a self confessed drinker, BUT: 0.6% increased chance of death by drinking 28 units a week (2 drinks a day). And that includes cancers / accidents. Whilst statistically there is a link between alcohol and chance of death; the increased chances are tiny. 0.6%, nothing. Even if the rise is exponential / non linear - @ my estimated 45units a week - I'd guess my increased chance of kicking bucket come in @ 1.2 - 2%

They need to do better at explaining the benefits of lifestyle balance / negatives of binging. I'd like to be in the low 30 units constantly, but not fussed going lower - I don't want to give up the social / cultural side of drinking.

Its not news, leaving my house results in a 100% increased chance of death by random nutter.
I'll take an increased chance of something that is certain!! beer

TameRacingDriver

18,087 posts

272 months

Friday 24th August 2018
quotequote all
Serious comment here... How long I wonder before drinkers are attacked with huge tax hikes much like smokers were / are? It has to be coming. Society is definitely becoming increasingly puritanical.

I know many of us have our issues but I'm saddened by how joyless the world is becoming. None of us are going to live forever and for many this is a largely enjoyable past time, both for their effects and socially.

No great story ever began with a salad...

rossub

4,443 posts

190 months

Friday 24th August 2018
quotequote all
It's financially counter productive for the country too.

The longer we live, the more our pensions cost and the more complex our health issues become. The factory worker who dies of heart failure a few weeks before his 65th birthday having worked for 45 years is the government's dream outcome surely?

ben5575

6,264 posts

221 months

Friday 24th August 2018
quotequote all
stongle said:
Sorry, but this is alarmist.
I agree. Or at least I did but I see that they've now completely rewritten the article.

In essence the big deal is that if you don't drink you have a 0.914% risk of developing an alcohol related health problem or suffer an injury.

If you drink two drinks per day this increases to 0.977%

If you drink five drinks every day, this increases to 1.252%

If anything this shows me how safe alcohol is laughbiggrin

deckster

9,630 posts

255 months

Friday 24th August 2018
quotequote all
Come on guys, let's not be in denial about this. Drinking is bad for you, we all know that. This study just confirms that any and all drinking is bad for you. There is no 'safe' level at which it's actually helping you live longer. But that shouldn't be a shock to anybody.

Nobody's saying you need to stop drinking. Nobody's saying that you'll drop dead tomorrow if you have a glass of wine every day. All they are saying is that there is no scientific basis for claiming that it's good for you. Which, again, isn't really too much of a surprise.

Driver101

14,376 posts

121 months

Friday 24th August 2018
quotequote all
TameRacingDriver said:
Serious comment here... How long I wonder before drinkers are attacked with huge tax hikes much like smokers were / are? It has to be coming. Society is definitely becoming increasingly puritanical.

I know many of us have our issues but I'm saddened by how joyless the world is becoming. None of us are going to live forever and for many this is a largely enjoyable past time, both for their effects and socially.

No great story ever began with a salad...
Aren't they already taxed highly?

A bottle of 37.5% ABV spirits has £7.50 alcohol duty before VAT. You can get a bottle for £10.50 at the supermarket. The vast majority of the bottle is tax. Many spirits are 80%+ in tax.

Drinking keeps lots of people in jobs.








TameRacingDriver

18,087 posts

272 months

Friday 24th August 2018
quotequote all
Driver101 said:
Aren't they already taxed highly?

A bottle of 37.5% ABV spirits has £7.50 alcohol duty before VAT. You can get a bottle for £10.50 at the supermarket. The vast majority of the bottle is tax. Many spirits are 80%+ in tax.

Drinking keeps lots of people in jobs.







Indeed but I'm sure cigarettes are something like 90% tax. Do we see things going that way, eventually?

stongle

5,910 posts

162 months

Friday 24th August 2018
quotequote all
deckster said:
Come on guys, let's not be in denial about this. Drinking is bad for you, we all know that. This study just confirms that any and all drinking is bad for you. There is no 'safe' level at which it's actually helping you live longer. But that shouldn't be a shock to anybody.

Nobody's saying you need to stop drinking. Nobody's saying that you'll drop dead tomorrow if you have a glass of wine every day. All they are saying is that there is no scientific basis for claiming that it's good for you. Which, again, isn't really too much of a surprise.
I don't think anyone in this thread has claimed it is safe. In fact most of us, admit we all drink too much! Completely demonising drink is a nonsense though. It has some positive lifestyle benefits - and even at double the weekly recommendation the chances of dying from it are tiny.

The problem is digital messaging - whipped up by media looking for "hits". I took the drink is good for you message with as much a pinch of salt as this one that drink will definitely, probably, maybe a little bit contribute to the odds of you kicking the bucket (by way of bingery, liver / heart disease etc). It's much more likely I'll die from something totally unrelated to my 14-18 pint a week habit.

What is important - the people wanting to drink responsibly or less, are given encouragement.

Edited by stongle on Friday 24th August 13:19

Driver101

14,376 posts

121 months

Friday 24th August 2018
quotequote all
TameRacingDriver said:
Driver101 said:
Aren't they already taxed highly?

A bottle of 37.5% ABV spirits has £7.50 alcohol duty before VAT. You can get a bottle for £10.50 at the supermarket. The vast majority of the bottle is tax. Many spirits are 80%+ in tax.

Drinking keeps lots of people in jobs.







Indeed but I'm sure cigarettes are something like 90% tax. Do we see things going that way, eventually?
The £10.50 bottle is 87% tax with VAT.

They squeeze booze, fags and petrol every year. Scotland already has minimum pricing and I can see the rest of the UK going the same way.

I don't think a bottle of vodka costing £13.13 over £10.50 will make any difference. The cheap cider market is ruined now. Nobody will be drinking Frosty Jack's up here.

I'm sure there is less people drinking these days. I also think less people people are drinking to excess with more willing to pay for premium products. Craft beer and gin is doing very well. Look at the rise of Fever Tree too!

Edited by Driver101 on Friday 24th August 13:49