I’m A Secret Lemonade Drinker
I’m a tryin’ a give it up but it’s one of those nights…
Ok, so maybe I’m not actually talking about lemonade.
There is a running joke between most of my friends and colleagues about wine consumption. I’m guessing from what I see on twitter that we aren’t alone in this. Most nights someone will tweet the imortal words – Wine or Tea? Knowing that they’ll be buried in a sea of tweets crying WINE!
A lot of my friends say that they drink every night. Some claim 1 glass, some claim 1 bottle.
So how much is too much? And how often is too often?
Calorie wise, a bottle of wine is said to contain between 800-1000 calories. That’s a whole day’s worth of calories for some.
Unit wise a bottle contains between 9-12 units of alcohol. Current guidelines state:
- Men should drink no more than 21 units of alcohol per week (and no more than 4 units in any one day).
- Women should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol per week (and no more than 3 units in any one day).
Do you drink more than that?
All I know is that sometimes the best sound in the world is the sound of perfectly chillled dry white wine being poured 😉
I’m afraid I’m a binge drinker. Nothing for months then a night out & that’s it!!! Not sure what’s better for you. Love a Goidelic drink though! 🙂
Very few people admit to the amount of alcohol they imbibe. One glass a night usually means the minimum of half a bottle. One bottle is normally that and a can or two/ g&t. Your one step off being alcohol dependant if your not already. Try giving it up and see what happens.
I should probably add that if you do genuinely think you have a drinking problem then you shouldn’t just go ‘cold turkey’ apparently it is quite dangerous for a heavy drinker to do that. Instead please speak to the professionals http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/
Ha! Indeed…. I’ve become something of a gin lover of late. Never thought I liked the taste but OMG there’s something about the fizz as the lemon hits the tonic after a long day…. Nom etc
I recently had an overnight at a work event. Over the space of 7pm until midnight had 3 tall glasses of White wine & lemonade. That was the first drink since New Year, although I did have a small bucks fizz at Easter.
To be honest I ‘d rather have a cup of tea!
CC is quite correct about going cold turkey on alcohol. Coming off drugs won’t kill you but coming of booze can make you fit and the chance of dying. Besides AA, which is very God Squady, your local council will have an alcohol advisory team to help you. Of course there’s always your own Doc .
Just want to follow up and say coming off drugs is dangerous & can harm you. My husband, following 6 operations for bowel problems (numerous obstructions, and 3 resections) can only manage his pain with morphine. The amount needed to cope with the pain increases as the effects decrease. If he were to just stop taking it, the ‘cold turkey’ would kill him
Sorry to hear that Fay. And it is very true – same for alcoholics – very dangerous just to stop. Lots of help available to those wanting to quit.
I’m sorry I should have been clearer in my referral to drugs. I was talking about heroin, weed and social drugs not prescribed drugs for illness:-)
A few points of view come to mind in reading this excellent article, CC.
One being, that it’s up to the individual how much and how often they drink alcohol. It’s their life and their health. Some people can drink a lot throughout their lives and never suffer any health related problems, others not so much.
It’s if their alcohol dependency becomes a problem for those around them, that gives rise for concern.
And if the problem can’t be resolved, that is when drink can wreck people’s lives, (including the person’s with the dependency).
There is an online unit calculator at drinkaware.co.uk the link is here if anyone wants to do an easy check:
http://www.drinkaware.co.uk/tips-and-tools/drink-diary/
I’m not against people drinking, even though I’ve lots of reasons to be against it, personally.
It’s fine if the person isn’t offensive, aggressive or a nuisance when drunk. Guess it’s about responsible drinking.
I tend to get just plain old fashioned silly or giggly when I drink, which isn’t that often, once in every several months.
Thank you for such a great comment – and the link to the unit calculator. Responsibility is the key isn’t it, you are so right. Guess that applies to an awful lot in life too! xx
You’re welcome CC and yes, I agree with you entirely, responsibility applies to a lot of stuff in adult life. That’s not to say we can’t enjoy life, or even act like kids from time to time. True harmless fun is a great thing to posess and to share. xx
😉
The trouble is, it is so easy to start with one drink – and then polish off the bottle. To me, having the first glass of wine of the evening is the start of our adult time – when work is done, the kids are in bed and we can have a meal or watch TV uninterrupted. But, as you say, it’s calorific and can lead to some terrible hangovers. Personally, I try to lay off the stuff during the week and have a few drinks at the weekend. And then, there is nothing more boring than being told how much you have drunk!
So true! One of my colleagues casually mentioned to her GP that she wondered if she ought to drink less as she drank every weekend and the GP gave her a funny look and said “who doesn’t?! – it’s all about achieving a balance” which we took as a bit of a green light!
CC – good article and well written as always.
This is an issue that has been on my mind for some now. It is an issue which is also brought to my atention running OnlyDads.
So much to say:
1. I probably drink more than is good for me
2. I know lots of parents (if they are honest) would say the same
3. Onlydads is discussing this issue with our MP at the moment. I sense a gap in the market between AA and those (hundreds of thousands) who admit to drinking too much but would not describe themselves as alcoholic.
We will be borrowing this excellent post for our websites idc CC. For that, many thanks.
Bob
I love a glass of whisky, and at one point I was guzzling far too much. Mixed with Coke, it’s just like drinking pop!
I cut out most weeknight drinking, and together with cooking meals from scratch, have lost about 2.5 stone. Apparently, there’s more calories in a glass of whisky than a pint of lager! I also find it easier to get up in the mornings, and I’m a cheaper night out 🙂
Blimey well done you that’s great! x