How much alcohol is it okay to drink in a day?
I have about 3 or 4 drinks a day (probably about 30 units across a week) which I don't think is that many but apparently the recommended maximum is 14 units a week. There's no risk to my health from drinking the extent I do is there?
I'm 20, female, and a uni student so surely I'm only drinking the same amount as an average person my age, it's just that I drink alone across the week instead of going out and getting drunk/having all my weekly alcohol in one go on a Saturday night. I will usually have about half a bottle of wine or a few gin/vodka and tonics in the evening before I go to bed but I never really go out clubbing or get properly drunk.
I'm 20, female, and a uni student so surely I'm only drinking the same amount as an average person my age, it's just that I drink alone across the week instead of going out and getting drunk/having all my weekly alcohol in one go on a Saturday night. I will usually have about half a bottle of wine or a few gin/vodka and tonics in the evening before I go to bed but I never really go out clubbing or get properly drunk.
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Nope not healthy to drink every day and literally make a habit of it, esp when having to justify it. Drinking just because you're a bit bored is a slippery slope.
I'm not going to sit and scream OMG that's so irresponsible! or whatever, It's a few drinks in an evening, but watch out for how often and much. Plus If you have it every day it stops being a treat.
I'm not going to sit and scream OMG that's so irresponsible! or whatever, It's a few drinks in an evening, but watch out for how often and much. Plus If you have it every day it stops being a treat.
Original post by black tea
You are drinking more than twice the recommended amount - what makes you think this doesn't put your health at risk? There will always be people who drink as much or more than, that's true even for alcoholics...
I accept there could be health problems if I drank that much for my entire life but everyone drinks "too much" when they're young so surely I've got at least another 10 years before it would start damaging my health
Original post by Anonymous
I accept there could be health problems if I drank that much for my entire life but everyone drinks "too much" when they're young so surely I've got at least another 10 years before it would start damaging my health
They don't and I can absolutely speak from experience, loads of youths drink in moderation or not at all compared to when I was at school/college. Not denying for a second people might over indulge on a night out with friends in a party atmosphere, even quite spectacularly... but this is different to the solitary every day drinking for the sake of drinking that you describe.
I dunno where you've pulled the number of 10 years from, but it just doesn't work like that, all it can take is for something else to change, lose a job, someone passes away, hell, even win the lottery and your habit of drinking every day can crash out of control. I'm at an age where the alcoholics aren't just these gross old street people, they're people I used to l know before addiction changed them into a walking cycle of consumption, pleading & recrimination.
Original post by Anonymous
I accept there could be health problems if I drank that much for my entire life but everyone drinks "too much" when they're young so surely I've got at least another 10 years before it would start damaging my health
That's just not the way that health works. All of the things that you do, whether individually 'healthy' or 'unhealthy', just increase or decrease the risk of health problems at any stage, whether next week or later in life. Other factors that you can't change, such as your age and genetic makeup, have an impact on these things too. So nothing that you do individually is definitively going to cause you health problems. Equally, if you live unhealthily until you're 30 and then live a much healthier life after that, you'll see the benefits from that change and may well fend off any health issues that you otherwise might have had. But the point is that you don't know what's going to happen. All you're doing is making things more or less likely. Which means the best way to live is as healthily as you can within reason, and within the parameters that still allow you to enjoy life. That means that certain 'unhealthy' things, like drinking alcohol, eating food that you know is bad for you and so on, are perfectly fine in moderation for most people, as the increased risk is either negligible or worth it for the pleasure the activity brings.
In your case, the question really is why you're drinking half a bottle of wine (or equivalent) every night. From a health perspective you absolutely should not be drinking that much. It's far in excess of the recommended amount and it is something that, even now, is increasing your risk of health issues more than it should. But you're young, and can easily justify drinking that amount if you want to, and equally no one is going to stop you. So as I say, the real question is why you drink this much? Do you enjoy it? Do you do it out of habit? Do you feel bad if you don't? Do you need it to relax every single night? While I don't want to pass any judgment at all, I'd be very surprised if there was, objectively, a good reason for you drinking that much. Of course even if there isn't, it doesn't mean you need to change anything. You're an adult and you make your own decisions. But it's always worth taking time now and again to reflect on our own behaviours and habits, and to see if there are ways we can do things better for ourselves. Sounds to me like if this has bothered you enough to make a thread on it, this might be a good time for you to reflect on your drinking to see if you there's something worth changing there.
Original post by StriderHort
They don't and I can absolutely speak from experience, loads of youths drink in moderation or not at all compared to when I was at school/college. Not denying for a second people might over indulge on a night out with friends in a party atmosphere, even quite spectacularly... but this is different to the solitary every day drinking for the sake of drinking that you describe.
I dunno where you've pulled the number of 10 years from, but it just doesn't work like that, all it can take is for something else to change, lose a job, someone passes away, hell, even win the lottery and your habit of drinking every day can crash out of control. I'm at an age where the alcoholics aren't just these gross old street people, they're people I used to l know before addiction changed them into a walking cycle of consumption, pleading & recrimination.
I dunno where you've pulled the number of 10 years from, but it just doesn't work like that, all it can take is for something else to change, lose a job, someone passes away, hell, even win the lottery and your habit of drinking every day can crash out of control. I'm at an age where the alcoholics aren't just these gross old street people, they're people I used to l know before addiction changed them into a walking cycle of consumption, pleading & recrimination.
My drinking is very much under control and I’m not anything close to an alcoholic though, I just drink because I like it and it helps me manage panic attacks/anxiety/relax. It’s no different from someone eating a chocolate bar they like every day, it’s a treat/reward for getting through the day.
I'd suggest that 3-4 drinks a day to manage anxiety symptoms is very much not 'under control'.
3 alcohols per day
Original post by Anonymous
I have about 3 or 4 drinks a day (probably about 30 units across a week) which I don't think is that many but apparently the recommended maximum is 14 units a week. There's no risk to my health from drinking the extent I do is there?
I'm 20, female, and a uni student so surely I'm only drinking the same amount as an average person my age, it's just that I drink alone across the week instead of going out and getting drunk/having all my weekly alcohol in one go on a Saturday night. I will usually have about half a bottle of wine or a few gin/vodka and tonics in the evening before I go to bed but I never really go out clubbing or get properly drunk.
I'm 20, female, and a uni student so surely I'm only drinking the same amount as an average person my age, it's just that I drink alone across the week instead of going out and getting drunk/having all my weekly alcohol in one go on a Saturday night. I will usually have about half a bottle of wine or a few gin/vodka and tonics in the evening before I go to bed but I never really go out clubbing or get properly drunk.
I don't drink at all. What's fun about me?
Original post by Anonymous
My drinking is very much under control and I’m not anything close to an alcoholic though, I just drink because I like it and it helps me manage panic attacks/anxiety/relax. It’s no different from someone eating a chocolate bar they like every day, it’s a treat/reward for getting through the day.
What if you swapped your drink for a chocolate bar, every day for a couple of weeks? How would that make you feel?
Original post by Hardest Job
I don't drink at all. What's fun about me?
everything. you're fun all on your own, mate. just being you
Original post by Genesiss
wow. it doesn't screw up your sleep? i found if i have 1-2 "units" a night i wake up in the middle of the night hot as a furnace.
why are you having panics/anxiety at night alone before bed tho and then need alcohol? are you insomniac
why are you having panics/anxiety at night alone before bed tho and then need alcohol? are you insomniac
I get more anxious at night because I’m on my own thinking about things as opposed to in the day when I’m usually studying/rushing to places so don’t have as much time to dwell on stuff
Original post by Admit-One
I'd suggest that 3-4 drinks a day to manage anxiety symptoms is very much not 'under control'.
It’s under control because the amount I’m drinking isn’t constantly increasing and I’m not addicted to it
Original post by bl0bf1sh
What if you swapped your drink for a chocolate bar, every day for a couple of weeks? How would that make you feel?
The same probably, I only choose alcohol over food as my daily treat because I like it more
Original post by Anonymous
It’s under control because the amount I’m drinking isn’t constantly increasing
To play devil's advocate, if I said that I took the same amount of heroin every day, (and that this was okay as I was unlikely to experience any health issues for about 10 years), would you say that I had it under control?
Original post by Anonymous
and I’m not addicted to it
If this were true then you'd just swap this particular crux out for something with no health implications, like carrot sticks, or a fidget spinner.
Original post by Anonymous
I get more anxious at night because I’m on my own thinking about things as opposed to in the day when I’m usually studying/rushing to places so don’t have as much time to dwell on stuff
oic. like worrying before bed/more time to think? are you still able to get up for morning lectures?
Original post by Admit-One
To play devil's advocate, if I said that I took the same amount of heroin every day, (and that this was okay as I was unlikely to experience any health issues for about 10 years), would you say that I had it under control?
If this were true then you'd just swap this particular crux out for something with no health implications, like carrot sticks, or a fidget spinner.
If this were true then you'd just swap this particular crux out for something with no health implications, like carrot sticks, or a fidget spinner.
Heroin is hardly comparable to a glass of wine and preferring something doesn’t mean I’m addicted to it, would you say that someone who prefers a cookie over carrot sticks is addicted to cookies?
Original post by Anonymous
Heroin is hardly comparable to a glass of wine
That's why I clearly noted that I was playing devil's advocate. You didn't answer my question though.
Original post by Anonymous
preferring something doesn’t mean I’m addicted to it
No, but the thing being preferred does. Remember, you started a thread because you doubted whether your behaviour was normal or healthy. If you were completely comfortable with it, the thread wouldn't have been necessary.
Original post by Anonymous
would you say that someone who prefers a cookie over carrot sticks is addicted to cookies?
If they ate cookies 4 times a day and were thinking of the health implications of doing it for 10 years, yes, absolutely I would.
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