Alcohol Consumption - Open question

[Roberts13]

For various reasons (but nothing unsurprising for a middle class, family & career driven bloke) I have got into the habit of having a large scotch most evenings - 100-150ml with ice when I walk in through the door - drinking it over the course of an hour or so.

It doesn't give me a hangover, or get me 'drunk' but it does just soften my mood as I get back from work and get into family mode.

I don't hide it, I can afford it, and general just really enjoy it. I am otherwise fit, healthy, active (in the sense that I do my 12,000 steps a day) and am only slightly 'over wight' . I eat healthy, monitor my weight and otherwise have no other 'vices' in life - Smoking, fast food, over indulge with anything else etc etc. I drink a lot of water throughout the day, with a few coffees in there.


Realistically, I am not going to stop any time soon, nor do I really want to. I wouldn't class myself as addicted to it, eg; if I have a reason to not drink I won't - mediciation, driving in the evening, house to myself and I can relax in other ways, have eaten a large early dinner etc etc etc.


However, I am drinking twice that of the government's recommendations. Yes it is not ideal, but it is my treat to myself. Everyone knows smoking kills, being fat kills, recreational drugs kill etc etc - but society keeps on ticking.


What sort of risk is this?
What could I do to lessen any health impacts it has on me (other then reduce/stop it...)?
Should I be actively concerned/worried about long term risks?


Welcome your thoughts! Thank you

Edited by Roberts13 on Wednesday 16th January 08:57

[Freakuk]

I'm no doctor, but I doubt it's going to cause you much of an issue in the short-mid term or if at all.

You could always drop to 50ml and be within the government guidelines??

[thebraketester]

Errrr 150ml isn’t a large measure..... that’s 6 single shots.

[227bhp]

There is a huge and recent drinking thread, I would get stuck into that.
That aside I would say drink every other night or at least take about 2 nights off to give your liver time to recover.

[happychap]

Roberts13 said:

For various reasons (but nothing unsurprising for a middle class, family & career driven bloke) I have got into the habit of having a large scotch most evenings - 100-150ml with ice when I walk in through the door - drinking it over the course of an hour or so.

It doesn't give me a hangover, or get me 'drunk' but it does just soften my mood as I get back from work and get into family mode.

I don't hide it, I can afford it, and general just really enjoy it. I am otherwise fit, healthy, active (in the sense that I do my 12,000 steps a day) and am only slightly 'over wight' . I eat healthy, monitor my weight and otherwise have no other 'vices' in life - Smoking, fast food, over indulge with anything else etc etc. I drink a lot of water throughout the day, with a few coffees in there.


Realistically, I am not going to stop any time soon, nor do I really want to. I wouldn't class myself as addicted to it, eg; if I have a reason to not drink I won't - mediciation, driving in the evening, house to myself and I can relax in other ways, have eaten a large early dinner etc etc etc.


However, I am drinking twice that of the government's recommendations. Yes it is not ideal, but it is my treat to myself. Everyone knows smoking kills, being fat kills, recreational drugs kill etc etc - but society keeps on ticking.


What sort of risk is this?
What could I do to lessen any health impacts it has on me (other then reduce/stop it...)?
Should I be actively concerned/worried about long term risks?


Welcome your thoughts! Thank you

Edited by Roberts13 on Wednesday 16th January 08:57

The amount you drink is your business, however Alcohol is in fact a very cleaver drug that can creep up on you where you can develop at some level a dependency. I imagine over time the amount your drinking to have the effect it gives you at present will need to increase to achieve that effect. The fact is it has already done this as I imagine you didn't start of at this level. That's when it can become an issue. I'll get off my soap box now.

[HarryFlatters]

thebraketester said:

Errrr 150ml isn’t a large measure..... that’s 6 single shots.

Or just over 4 if your local does proper measures

I don't drink through the week. I'm a classic, card carrying binge drinker. I'm not massively concerned about it.

Who was it that said "find something you love, and let it kill you"?

[mercedeslimos]

In the UK shots are quite small, 25ml, the rest of Europe uses a larger shot I believe (37.5ml?)

The only thing I'd be concerned about is being over the DD limit. I'd often have a beer of an evening (something nice, a yeast wheat beer etc) and if I have two I've got that nagging at the back of my mind that IF I needed to go somewhere I'd be well over the limit (here, the limit is 0.2).

However it does help someone relax often

[227bhp]

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[Tumbler]

Regardless of any health implications, maybe you need to address why you use alcohol to soften your mood.

You don’t say how old your children are, perhaps an activity with them to get you back in to family mode, that could benefit you and your family.

[C0ffin D0dger]

My old Dad used to have a couple of beers any night he wasn't working, he did shifts so night shift days were obviously no booze days. He started after a bad spell with stress, and having been to the docs been given some pills which didn't really agree with him and then decided that a few drinks (but never to excess) was a better option. Stress is a big killer too!

There was an interesting interview with a medical professor on the Chris Evan's show a while back and I think he'd written a book or two on trying to avoid cancer. He said that a few drinks throughout the week wasn't really a problem but better off to avoid the top shelf stuff and have wine or beer instead as it tend to have some positive health properties as well as the negative ones.

Personally I don't drink every night though I could easily fall into it. Following an extended spell over Christmas where it was every night I've found it a little difficult to come back to the norm. I was questioning my potential addiction last night having come back from a run and really fancying a beer to round off the evening but held off in the end. Will try to stay off it tonight too.

[rossub]

Depends what you drink at the weekend? If its the same as that, then that's a max of 42 units a week.

Personally I don't think that's a massive issue, as long as it doesn't creep up.

The current guideline of 14 units a week is just stupid.

[anonymous-user]

If you are concerned about it enough to write a long post about it, then it is on your mind.

I wouldn’t like it as a habit, but don’t think you have any immediate cause for concern unless the volume or frequency has been increasing - which might (only might) indicate the start of a journey towards more than habit

Would it be less on your mind if you reduced the frequency to every other day or the volume to 50 - 75ml?

[rossub]

samsock said:

rossub said:

The current guideline of 14 units a week is just stupid.

Can you expand on that? My doc says 10 units is probably the max safe level for a healthy liver, but there have to set the bar a bit higher to prevent people just giving up on moderation.

Presumably your doctor is a teetotal health freak. There are plenty of articles out there that suggest that nobody is going to die by drinking double the 14 guideline and the chances of any life limiting damage would be slim. After all, it’s not so long ago that 28 for men was considered perfectly fine by healthcare professionals.

Personally I wish we could go back to the 80s/90s when there was less of the nanny state bks we have to put up with now.

[rossub]

samsock said:

Booze kills thousands a year.

Edited by samsock on Wednesday 16th January 17:48

Those people are not dieing from drinking sub 28 units a week. They are going to be people who have been drinking 80-100++

[rossub]

No, I drink a bit more than what I expect would be healthy for my body. That’s my choice and I accept the risk. If I only drank 28 units, I wouldn’t even give it a second thought.

If you think that there is any chance whatsoever that drinking only 14 units a week for a ‘normal’ and ‘healthy’ individual will ever give any kind of health problems, you’re being a bit naive IMO.

[Badda]

rossub said:

No, I drink a bit more than what I expect would be healthy for my body. That’s my choice and I accept the risk. If I only drank 28 units, I wouldn’t even give it a second thought.

If you think that there is any chance whatsoever that drinking only 14 units a week for a ‘normal’ and ‘healthy’ individual will ever give any kind of health problems, you’re being a bit naive IMO.

You’ve yet to provide a single shred of evidence to back up your forthright points regarding alcohol consumption.

OP, you’re getting through 6 bottles of scotch a month. That is a huge amount regardless of what anyone else says and likely to damage your liver.

[rossub]

You’re starting to sound like some kind of Cult leader weirdo with an agenda here I’m afraid. I’ll not be responding to any more of your strange comments

[rossub]

Badda said:

You’ve yet to provide a single shred of evidence to back up your forthright points regarding alcohol consumption.

OP, you’re getting through 6 bottles of scotch a month. That is a huge amount regardless of what anyone else says and likely to damage your liver.

So what do you think is a safe limit then?

[FredClogs]

Find someone in their late 50s who is still knocking back a large one after work every day (Don Draper style) and ask yourself if you want to be that guy, because I'm almost certain they won't be in an enviable physical state.

[Badda]

rossub said:

Badda said:

You’ve yet to provide a single shred of evidence to back up your forthright points regarding alcohol consumption.

OP, you’re getting through 6 bottles of scotch a month. That is a huge amount regardless of what anyone else says and likely to damage your liver.

So what do you think is a safe limit then?

I would go on the years of research and evidence of patient harm and disease that the NHS have based their opinion on.

You don’t believe it and that’s fine.