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- Do you drink alcoholic beverages? When did you start?
- How often do you have a drink?
- What is your drink of choice?
- Have you ever had a “problem” with your consumption of alcohol?
- Do the people around you drink?
Pretty personal, I know, but I’ve been thinking a lot about my own consumption of alcohol lately. If you know me at all, you know that I overthink EVERYTHING. I analyze, and worry, and go over and over and over things in my head. Constantly. This is even more acute when it comes to what I eat and drink.
So, I thought, why don’t we overthink this together? LOL
- I do drink alcoholic beverages. I started in high school, as a result of peer pressure, but it didn’t really become a regular habit. It was stupid binge drinking of stuff like schnapps. Ewww. I don’t remember enjoying anything at all about the experience. I got in some trouble in college drinking cheap beer (got sick in the men’s bathroom in my boyfriend’s dorm, and had to give a presentation to said dorm about drinking and driving), and then wasn’t really interested in drinking much after that. While I was still away at college I did smoke marijuana, which I preferred, but stopped doing that eventually also. In my 20’s and 30’s I drank a little socially, and had one bad experience with alcohol again, but mostly didn’t drink much.
- This is what I’ve been thinking about lately. I’ve started having a glass of wine every night recently, and I feel bad/guilty about it. I have always been afraid of drinking at home, by myself, and as such have tried to avoid doing it habitually. I have always felt like I have a very addictive personality, and could easily become an “alcoholic” if I let myself, so I’ve been very careful about not getting into the habit. But as I continue to think more about it, I don’t actually think I’m at risk to become an out of control drinker. I could get used to having a glass of wine every night though, as has become sort of what I do lately. And maybe that’s just as bad? Or not? I don’t know. I really enjoy a glass of Zinfandel or Cabernet in the evening with some cheese and olives (that’s been my “dinner” lately), and I usually stop at one pour; a bottle of wine will usually last me four or five days. I love a good glass of wine, for the taste (I have always enjoyed heavy, substantial drinks: black, thick coffee, Guinness beer, and bold cabs), and that it has this way of just taking a little of the “edge” off. You know? I do not like the swimmy feeling of drinking too much, so I avoid that, but I love the after-one-glass feeling of contentment. And THAT’s what I’m worried about….getting addicted to that.
- My drink of choice…hmmm…As I mentioned above, I love Zinfandel lately. I try to keep my bottles around $10 and will sometimes splurge on my favorite wine at Costco that’s about $19 (Seghesio from Sonoma), and enjoyed a bottle of Trader Joe’s “house” zinfandel that was $7 recently. Anything old vine I like, Rodney Strong, and my dad recently suggested Bogle, so I’m trying that next. I also like Cabernet, Josh (my favorite) and the Bonterra organic cab is pretty good. I’ve been known to drink two buck chuck, but I’d rather not LOL. I also love Guinness for beer, or during the summer Dallas Blonde by Deep Ellum breweries is good. If I’m out at happy hour with a friend I’ll sometimes get a mixed drink and those run the gamut for me, I’ll just choose whatever sounds interesting. I like moscow mules, and a good bloody mary with brunch. We always have Grey Goose in the freezer and sometimes I’ll make myself a vodka tonic with kombucha instead of tonic, and a little lime juice. My husband drinks bourbon, which I’d like to start trying more, but I need to dilute mine with water/ice…
- See above haha. Early on, I had a problem with drinking too much and getting sick, but that was just youth and stupidity. Now, I avoid getting “drunk” like the plague. I’m careful about eating enough before I have a drink, and during, and just trying not to drink too much. Like I said though, I do sort of worry about getting in the “habit” of having a drink every night, and I sometimes feel bad when I want to have a glass of wine and I already did the day before. I’m trying to be less hard on myself about that though. I am very much in control of it, but that little voice in the back of my head is there telling me that I shouldn’t “rely” on drinking to help me relax; it’s a slippery slope. That voice!!
- Yes. My parents, and step-mom enjoy wine with dinner and when I’m with my dad we always open a bottle at dinner, which I love. Leo enjoys martinis and bourbon, but he also tries not to drink every night; he doesn’t really drink wine with me. Our friends drink, and I love trying new things with them (botanical gin, cassis!). One of our friends doesn’t drink at all, but that’s never really been an issue – we respect his choice, and appreciate that about him.
Your turn!
1. Do you drink alcoholic beverages? When did you start?
Yes. High school weekends in NYC – long island ice teas. Ick. More in college, esp after studying in Belgium and learning about good beer.
2. How often do you have a drink?
Try to keep it contained to the weekends, but that’s Thurs-Sun. And the news these days drives me to drink, though it bothers me that I think that so I’m trying to change the way I think.
3. What is your drink of choice?
Wine (Rhone style reds are my favorite, pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc when it’s hot), craft beer (sours are my favorite, in the winter I like malty belgian ales) and a couple years ago my husband and I started drinking bourbon – I don’t drink that often but we love to shop for it!
4. Have you ever had a “problem” with your consumption of alcohol?
Sometimes. I mean now, not when I was young & stupid & binge drank on a weekend in college. But I don’t want to be a parody of “give me my “Mom Juice” (and I have no kids 😉 I want to be conscious of when and why I drink – I want to drink occasionally because I love the flavor of what I’m drinking. Also, if I open a bottle, I will almost always finish the bottle (I enlist my husband’s help, but still…)
5. Do the people around your drink?
Yes, now. Growing up, my dad didn’t drink (he’ll have wine now) so my mom didn’t really either. Wine on holidays maybe, and if they had a party they’d serve it, but it wasn’t a big part of their life. Now, my husband is a homebrewer and we both love craft beer & bourbon, so…(and he likes wine). We don’t socialize a ton which helps. When we go on vacation, we go to cities and craft beer/pub crawl. When my high school and college friends and I get together, alcohol is involved…
I started thinking more about this a couple years ago when a high school friend shared Kristi Coulter’s writing on this topic https://qz.com/762868/giving-up-alcohol-opened-my-eyes-to-the-infuriating-truth-about-why-women-drink/
Do you drink alcoholic beverages? When did you start? I do drink, though I’ve gone through pretty long phases (a year or more at a time) where I don’t, just because I’m not feeling it. I think my first drink was post-high school but pre-college, while hanging out with older students.
How often do you have a drink? It varies. I’d say about 3x a week? Thurs/Fri/Sat usually. My husband and I will often split a 12-oz bottle of craft beer; we have little 6-oz juice glasses that are shaped like mini pint glasses, and half a bottle is just about right for enjoying the taste without any “buzz”. On the weekends I’ll sometimes drink a 12 oz beer on my own or split a pint with my husband.
What is your drink of choice? I live in a region with lots of good craft beers, great variety. In the summer I love light, tangy stuff: saisons, gose, berliner weiss. When it gets cold I love smoked lagers, black lagers, dry stouts and porters. I’ll drink a good IPA or English Bitter just about anytime. I go on and off with wine. It used to be my drink of choice, but I find it more difficult to pair with food, while craft beers are more forgiving and play better with a range of flavor profiles. In general my favorite wines are Cotes du Rhone and some Spanish reds — dry, medium bodied, not overpowering with dinner.
Have you ever had a “problem” with your consumption of alcohol? I worry about drinking from a health perspective more than anything else. The research all seems to point to “moderate” being much less than any of us think, and even “moderate” has negative impacts. I figure I don’t drink soda or sweeten any of my beverages with sugar, so alcohol in small quantities is sort of my trade-off.
Do the people around your drink? Very moderately. My husband enjoys port more than anything else, but hasn’t been drinking it lately. He’s pickier about beer than I am (but we’re both picky), and doesn’t really enjoy wine at all, except for the occasional champagne or a good rosé in the summer. I grew up with a teetotaling mum and an alcoholic stepfather; having seen both ends of the spectrum I strive for a healthy, non-neurotic balance.
Do you drink alcoholic beverages? When did you start?
Yup! Didn’t start enjoying it until my mid-late 20s probably. I smoked a lot of pot before then, and drank for “fun” in college – but never appreciated it/drank alone until I was a bit older.
How often do you have a drink?
Usually Thurs-Sun. I’d estimate I go through 2 bottles of red wine/week.
What is your drink of choice?
Red wine! Sometimes whites in the summer, and also have the occasional craft beer (I love the taste of craft beer but usually only want a few sips).
Have you ever had a “problem” with your consumption of alcohol?
I have guilt sometimes. I feel bad polishing off 2 bottles/week by myself. Both for the cost and the habit of it. But ehhhhhh, I think red wine is a pretty “healthy” choice (my great aunt of 92 has had a glass of red wine every night for her whole adult life). It’s something I really enjoy – like coffee. I know that it is something I’d have a very hard time stopping, which I don’t love. But I can say the same about coffee and bacon. I think it can be easy for me to become over-analytical about the potential for real addiction sometimes. Am I already addicted to 2 bottles of wine per week? Maybe! Is that so bad if I can maintain it and not increase my consumption? (I don’t know!)
Do the people around you drink?
My husband drinks about half as much as me – more beer than wine and an occasional cocktail. Our friends mostly drink more than us. We live in a craft brewery community – we know lots of pretty serious drinkers!
So I don’t drink (I never have and never acquired the taste, I guess), but my husband loves to home brew. If you know anyone who does that, then you know it’s kind of an obsession. He and his friends get together and talk about beer. He also loves to go to breweries, which I personally think is the most boring thing in the world. 😛 I sometimes joke/wish I did like to drink so I could enjoy the brewery aspect more.
yeah, i can imagine it would be super-boring if you didn’t drink!!
like i said, both my parents drink red wine and are incredibly healthy – not that i’m attributing that to their wine consumption, but i mean…
we have to find a balance between enjoying life and being “healthy” and i think a glass or two of win a night is a good balance, generally 🙂
but obviously i’m with you – i feel the guilt too…
yes, “moderate” is what, like 4-6 ounces a few times a week? that’s less than i drink … i don’t consider wine a healthy drink by any means (it also slows down your metabolism) but i’m like you, i think it’s better than other sugary drinks, etc.
and i wish i could into craft beers, but i just can’t…part of it may be that we lived in austin for a while where the craft beer scene is pretty pervasive, and annoying, frankly (hipsters) – pretentious – so we never really gave it a go. i do enjoy trying different things when we go to an austrian restaurant we like though – i had a cherry sour beer that i really liked, and i like the grapefruit beer – i forget what it’s called! not necessarily “craft” but different anyway…
1. Do you drink alcoholic beverages and when did you start:
Yes. I got drunk 3 times before the age of 18, then went completely alcohol free for several years. (never did any drugs) I began drinking wine occasionally at 24. I am now 56.
2.How often do you have a drink:
I have a large glass of red wine every weeknight and I will drink cocktails (1) and 1 glass of wine on a Friday or Saturday. On Sunday, I will rarely have a glass of beer.
3. What is your drink of choice:
Red wine. I prefer gin for my cocktails. For beer, I like English style Ale.
4. Have you ever had a problem with your consumption of alcohol:
Only as a stupid 15 year old. Thank goodness I would become violently ill with over consumption and I hated that feeling and the wasted next day so much, that I have never over imbibed again. Two years ago, I was pouring two glasses of red wine per evening, and have self regulated to just one.
5. Do the people around you drink:
Yes. My Mom and Dad were mostly responsible drinkers. My brother is a raging alcoholic and his daughters are all substance abusers. My two adult children will have an occasional glass of wine, cocktail or beer about once per week. My husband will have wine with dinner and a cocktail on the weekends(usually Bourbon or Rye) or a beer. He loves his IPA beer!
I’m just going to go train of thought on this: I have never been a big drinker, even when young (I had plenty of other vices though! Don’t get me wrong! 😉 ). I did get totally drunk accidentally a couple of times…..it wasn’t the amount I drank, but the speed, which as a non-drinker, I wasn’t really familiar with. Or that’s MY story lol! I am not a social drinker, but I do drink alcohol for celebratory occasions and special meals (could be special and only me ;-), or if there is something new, rare or interesting to try, either while out or while travelling. Having lived in Italy briefly, I have picked up their habit of never drinking on an empty stomach (aperitivi are always served with snacks) and I don’t drink to quench thirst, but to savour the taste. I do cook with liquor a lot. Neither of our families are drinkers, but most of our friends are. When I do drink, I enjoy it very much. Now for the bad news/public health warning: alcohol is a known carcinogen. And you don’t have to be a heavy drinker to be affected. It’s in your genes. If you have a strong family history of cancer of parts of the body related to digestion or the breast (anything from the mouth through to everywhere the alcohol will pass through) then avoiding alcohol entirely could be a helpful strategy to consider. Of course, there are many people who can consume all they want without ever getting an alcohol related cancer. Sadly, we haven’t completely figured out how to identify that yet! To be honest, my drinking pattern is longstanding and not based on health. For me, it’s more about what do I want to spend (waste lol) my money on, how do I want to feel at any given moment, and my daily quest for taste and pleasure. It’s all about the experience! (I’m very, very self-indulgent. I’m working on that.)
1. I started shortly after turning 21. I have always been a people-pleasing rule-follower, so I didn’t touch anything until I was legal. However I was never really part of the “party crowds” in school so I didn’t really even get the chance to drink before then, even if I had wanted to. I wasn’t particularly excited about alcohol, it’s just kind of a “meh” thing to me.
2. About once every 1-2 months I’ll have a beer. In my 20s, a group of friends and I would do weekly outings to a pub and get some beers, and that was really fun. But I’ve never really drank that regularly.
3. Beer all the way. Everything else makes me sick. I’ve gotten plastered about 3 or 4 times in my life, and while it was fun while I was drinking, I can vividly recall the hangovers so I’m not keen to do them again anytime soon, especially as I get older! Every now and then I’ll have some mead, but hard liquor makes me nauseated, and wine gives me really bad headaches. Also I just prefer the taste of beer over everything else. I typically go for ambers, and anything wheaty and dark.
4. I think for a while in my 20s when I was having beers regularly, I was getting a little too attached to the relaxed, happy feeling, but then I gave it up because 1) money 2) the pub outings died out (because of money! ha ha). I don’t think I’ve ever really had a problem though. I’ve gone years without any kind of alcohol, and even now, I very rarely drink more than one beer. This is because beer is filling! I consider it like eating a chunk of bread, so I can’t stomach more than one or two beers.
5. My husband enjoys a good whiskey or Guinness because he’s Scotch-Irish through and through. 🙂 But he rarely drinks. My parents have always been totally anti-alcohol, especially my dad. We grew up conservative Christian, and alcohol was definitely looked on as a vice. My mom has relaxed her views on alcohol, and even wanted to try wine, but she will only take the teensiest sip and then declare that it’s “too strong” and “I have a headache now”, which is ridiculous (I’m talking like a tablespoon size sip). But my dad will glare at us if we order a beer with our meals or mention having a drink. My sister went waaaay overboard with the alcohol in our youth (see above: parents) and still drinks pretty regularly now.
I have often been the only woman drinking at parties with certain friend groups, and sometimes that has made me uncomfortable, as in, I felt like I was being judged by everyone. The guys would have several beers, and the women would maybe take a few sips, whereas I’d have at least a few beers. I started feeling bad about that, like I was the sloppy drunk wife, and that I was embarrassing my husband. He assured me that wasn’t the case, and that no one was judging me, and though I was fun, but it’s just always been in the back of mind. So now I’m extra guarded when I drink in public, because I”m worried that I’m turning into an embarrassment. (Unless I’m with this one group of friends who throws an epic Halloween party and we all get smashed, and it’s loads of fun!)
Here it’s more ski bums; we’re not urban enough to have “real” hipsters. 🙂 DH and I are “outdoorsy” in kind of a typical way, which makes us an easy fit for the brewpub scene. No one will look at you funny if you order craft beers wearing hiking boots and gore-tex, but wine? That feels a bit odd to me. It occurs to that there aren’t any restaurants here with great wine lists and I hate paying the mark-up to have a glass of something ho-hum. There’s also much of a tasting scene for wine. When I was into wines, I lived near a close friend who’s actually a wine-seller so I went to a lot of tastings at his shop; that kept it interesting and I felt more confident buying bottles that cost more than $15. I hate having to buy a whole bottle of a new wine not knowing if I’ll like it or not!
edit: *not much of a tasting scene. oops
Me too, Kathryn! (The self-indulgent part) 🙂
Drinking my nightly glass of white wine as I type this LOL. Dry please, nothing sweet for me.
In my 20s I drank more cocktails in the club scene. Can’t think of the last time I had something besides wine. Don’t really care for beer. Never had a problem with alcohol.
My husband drinks a beer a few times a year, but our friends are mostly into wine or beer.
I love good wine stores and knowledgeable friends! When I lived in DC, there was a great wine store near my apartment – they did tastings all the time and I’d stop on my way home. They taught me what adjectives to use to describe what I like! I’m an oenophile but not a wine snob. There are plenty of box wines I like just fine!
1. I drink but not much, more for taste than how it affects me. I love the foodie scene and dining out so it has more to do with that. I drank in high school with my friends. My first drink was Strawberry Hill while at the beach (in Hawaii). We also drank Peppermint Schnapps and Southern Comfort.
2. About once or twice a week, when out to dinner with my BF. I don’t go out “drinking” although if I am joining friends who are doing that I’ll usually follow up my one drink with a sparkling or tonic water. But I honestly don’t enjoy those outings. I much prefer a meal with friends to a bar night. It is rare that I will join.
3. My drink of choice. Completely dependent on the restaurant or the food. I love Shochu cocktails at Japanese izakaya or ramen places. Fruity martinis (cranberry or lilikoi/passion fruit), red wine (zin, pinot or shiraz) or moscow mules depending on the food and atmosphere. I like prosecco at a fancy brunch.
4. I partied a lot in my teens and twenties. By my mid-twenties I decided I would never get drunk again and I have not been drunk since. I just felt like it was a time waster. I was working long hours and weekends were too short to be hungover. As I also advanced in my career I became more and more privy to confidential information and I was also in a serious relationship. Not being in control of myself and my behavior felt like a problem waiting to happen. My BF (who later became my husband and now ex-husband) was still drinking for fun. I don’t drive drunk and didn’t want him to either so I became the driver.
5. My BF’s drinking habits are the same as mine. It was important to me when I started dating again to be in a relationship with someone who also doesn’t get drunk. That wasn’t the only thing of course, but it was a non-negotiable for me. My parents are also the same, a glass of wine or beer occasionally with dinner.Sister & BIL don’t drink at all. I don’t hang out with girlfriends as much I used to. My friends from growing up still go out drinking but the friends I’ve made later in life don’t drink or drink very little.
It was interesting when you spoke about the fear of having one drink at home was the exact fear my ex had. It was very deja vu for me.
I make wine…so, yeah. I drink.
1. I really didn’t drink until I turned 21. I had one bad night, drinking along with everyone else who was used to it and have never gone there again. Noooo.
2. I have 1-2 glasses (or equivalent, sometimes it’s five different 1 oz. pours, sometimes it’s 2 five oz. pours of the same wine) per day, usually don’t drink one week a month just to clear my palate and make sure I’m level. I take January off entirely from drinking anything. That said, I drink a great deal of very cheap, very cold canned light beer in August and September (harvest.) You can pry it from my cold dead hands.
3. I am fascinated by the flavor, history, variety and flexibility of alcoholic beverages, so I enjoy wine, beer, cocktails, everything. That said, wine is my great love. White, pink, orange, red, sweet, dry, aromatized, fortified, all styles and varieties excite me. A great $15 bottle can often be more exciting than a “serious” $50 bottle. I treat wine with the same “ethical” kid gloves I try to choose clothing by, so my price range is usually in the $18-$24 range, and I’m SUPER, SUPER picky about what I drink and how the wine is made, which is not to be confused with being a snob which I am the absolute opposite of. I swear. Once you know how the sausage is made, you have to know how YOUR sausage is made…if you know what I mean.
4. If I wasn’t pretty diligent about how I drink, I could see me flowing down that slippery slope, sure. This industry is filled with folks who were careless and I do not want to lose my career or life, so…I stick to my guns pretty carefully. It also runs in my family, so I was reticent to get into this business to begin with, and I’ve not always been so careful. As I get older, it becomes more and more important to follow my own particular rules.
5. Yes. All day, every day, I am surrounded by people talking about, thinking about and drinking and making every form of alcohol imaginable. It is an art as old as the wheel, and I have great admiration for it. As mentioned above, some folks we worry about and try to avoid their path.
I could go on all day on this topic. I’ll cease now, but cool question! Particularly as we out in the west have been comforting ourselves any way we can, and the extra, rogue Martini has certainly dulled the frayed nerves around here. Not proud, but not ashamed, either.
1. Do you drink alcoholic beverages? When did you start?
No, I do not drink alcohol and I never have. I’m Irish-American and have a family history of alcoholism. My dad’s solution was not to drink at all. I find it to be a wise course of action. Besides, I’d rather have my calories come from chocolate cake. 😉
2. How often do you have a drink?
See above.
3. What is your drink of choice?
“Virgin” daquiris or cranberry juice. I also love Shirley Temples. Really.
4. Have you ever had a “problem” with your consumption of alcohol?
Nope, thanks to the no alcohol rule.
5. Do the people around you drink?
Parents? No. Other friends and family? Yes. I have no problem with that- it’s not like I’m a recovering alcoholic.
I could cry!!! I had typed up responses to your questions and was really open with my answers. Unfortunately, our wifi sucks and I lost it all. I don’t have the heart to type it again.
Do you drink alcoholic beverages? When did you start?
Yes. I started in high school drinking wine coolers in a field with my friends. I was never really that into it and didn’t drink anything stronger than beer in college.
How often do you have a drink?
Daily. During the week I’ll have a glass of wine with dinner or a bourbon after dinner. It’s my “dessert.”
What is your drink of choice?
Currently I really like bourbon and club soda (Grechen – try this if you want to get into bourbon) but I also drink beer and I like dry white wine.
Have you ever had a “problem” with your consumption of alcohol?
I think there was a period in my life a year or two ago where I was pretty unhappy and was drinking a bit more than I should’ve been. Just your average self-medicating. But I’ve also quit drinking for a month here and there and was totally fine and didn’t really miss it.
Do the people around you drink?
Yes, my family all drink casually and my boyfriend does as well. My parents always drank and I never really thought much about it. They didn’t make a big deal about it.
1. Do you drink alcoholic beverages? When did you start?
No, I have been alcohol free for 134 days. I took an early exit from drinking when I realized that drinking alcohol does not serve me in my life in any way. I started drinking in high school and never stopped. I am 50 now and working on some life recovery stuff. I do not call myself an alcoholic but do have issues when alcohol is present in my life. I do not have an off button…I can do cleanses and not drink no problem for a month, but once I allowed it again “only on the weekends” I lived for those weekends. One glass of wine a while cooking easily turns into 2 -3. My sleep patterns were horrible and I suffered from insomnia and general lethargy. I realize now how I have used alcohol in my life to numb out the feelings or have something to do when bored. Moderation was just too difficult for me. I have tried to simplify so many things in my life and moderation just takes up too much energy and brain space. It also leaves me very vulnerable to shame and more pain. Elimination just made sense and still does!
2. How often do you have a drink?
3. What is your drink of choice?
When I drank it was chardonnay and vodka tonics. Now it’s Lacroix and Soda Stream waters I make myself. Kombucha too.
4. Have you ever had a “problem” with your consumption of alcohol?
See above
5. Do the people around you drink?
My husband did when I first quit. Since he is a beer drinker it wasn’t that difficult for me to be around. About 2 months ago he had a health scare and decided to quit drinking, eat healthier and work out! It’s been so awesome to have my husband on the same journey. My in-laws drink and I attend many work events where there is alcohol. I have been fine so far. I have friends who drink and am fine with it – their choice. I find it’s difficult when I travel for my daughter’s water polo games and all the adults are hanging out at the hotel bar socializing. That is when I really want that glass of wine. I take deep breaths and remember that no hangover is worth how that wine will taste! Then I order a club soda and lime and am good.
Sorry for the download, but this is a current journey for me and I had a lot to say. I would say that if you are questioning your relationship with alcohol, listen. Moderating is hard work. Also, we live in a society that glorifies and markets drinking to woman. My FB feed is full of Mommy Wine Clubs, jewelry and handbags to conceal wine etc… Insinuating that the only way to get through parenthood or your work week is to drink! It is easy to buy into that, I did for years.
That being said, I do not judge anyone’s relationship to alcohol. I do what is right for me and am happy to share my tools, journey etc… with anyone who asks.
1. Yes, I started in the last year of high school and was definitely a social binge drinker in my youth, but the only negative consequences I experienced were hangovers.
2. I have a single drink almost every night. Occasionally I will have more to drink at parties, but I am still careful to space the drinks a couple of hours apart, otherwise I sleep badly and wake up headachy.
3. I enjoy a lot of variety, but drink mostly red wine, interesting beer, and on Wednesday night my husband and I have a ‘cocktail and conversation’ tradition.
4. After I stopped drinking while pregnant, I never really got my tolerance back, and would get sick in the mornings after drinking with friends. I had to readjust as I mentioned above. However, I feel good about my current habits. One drink a day is pretty healthy (it depends exactly what risks you’re most worried about because it increases some and decreases others, but on balance it seems fine). I also see it as a way to add to my list of small daily sensory pleasures, just like a sunset or a cozy sweater. I feel that women are often made to feel that they are virtuous when they restrict themselves from things, and I kind of resent it. It adds variety and richness to my life. However, everyone is also different and I can understand that some people find it difficult to stop at one, or after 40, that it messes with their sleep. I feel just fine about drinking alone. I guess it helps that I honestly think I’m drinking for the sensory pleasure of the taste, not really the buzz, which is pretty minimal for me with a single drink.
5. Yes, definitely, and because I no longer drink that much and hate to stay up late, there is sometimes a tension with certain old friends.
Oh such an interesting one.
Started in high school. Stupid stuff trying to belong. Mostly stopped until after I turned 21, drank for a bit stopped again until 25. I overindulged in social settings so I tend to stop drinking when I felt that happening. I’m also working on my DGAF but that’s a process too.
Now I drink maybe once or twice a month. On vacations a bit more (currently in London wide awake at 1am. Had a glass of champagne during day and a cider w dinner). Love time changes.
What do I drink. Craft beers. I travel for work so I love finding local beers. Never had Deep Ellum while I was in Dallas so I’ll have to try that if I get back. Ciders. Champagne. And bourbon w ginger.
Problem? I have drank for the wrong reasons. I have had too much (not knowing my tolerance is ridiculously low) so I would say yes. I watch it. I gage myself. I make sure if I’m feeling awkward I don’t drink (and wow I’m socially awkward). I make sure I’m hydrated and have had food. My industry and company drinks, and most people expect to see me w sparkling water;). I’m good w that.
Husband drinks and is Irish so he has a great tolerance. Friends do, family does. That’s never been an issue. I visit Vegas and don’t drink at all;). External pressure has never mattered. It’s all internal if there is any. I hate feeling internally awkward:)
Great topic!
1) Do you drink alcoholic beverages? When did you start?
Yes I do. I got my first buzz on when I was 14! Had some bad binge drinking sessions in college – very sick.
2) How often do you have a drink?
On average, I drink daily. I’ll go through periods where I don’t drink. When I drink daily, I keep it to moderate drinking guidelines. I believe that moderate drinking for women is a 4-5 ounce glass of wine or beer or one shot of liquor 7x a week.
3) What is your drink of choice?
I prefer red wine, but will have a mixed drink or a beer sometimes. Right now I’ve been drinking Trader Joe’s “Simpler Wines” – Rose’ and White. It’s like a higher end wine cooler. A yummy treat.
4) Have you ever had a “problem” with your consumption of alcohol? Do the people around you drink?
When I am not conscious around my drinking, I can drink too much, but two drinks an evening can make me drunk – I’m a true light weight. My husband doesn’t drink at all these days – he has a bad stomach, so he gave it up.
If you haven’t seen it, there’s a great book out there on this very subject –
https://www.amazon.com/Almost-Alcoholic-Drinking-Problem-Effect-ebook/dp/B00BOE0JGG/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
First of all, I like this topic.
1) Do you drink alcoholic beverages? When did you start?
Yes, I drink. I’ve started drinking from 2015.
2) How often do you have a drink?
I’m not a regular drinker, I drink occasion based.
3) What is your drink of choice?
I drink mostly Don Q Pina pineapple flavor.
4) Have you ever had a “problem” with your consumption of alcohol?
I’ve not have had a problem with drinking so far because I do drink with a limit.
5) Do the people around you drink?
Yeah, they are also the occasion based drinker.