How much do you drink?

allabouteve

I used to have two or three nights a week when I'd have a few drinks.

I haven't ever been a consistent drinker, I could go weeks/months without even thinking about having a drink, and I've never been a binger. I'd say I've been drunk less then 10 times in my life. I'm 31.

A while ago I decided I'd just stop altogether, since I never felt great afterwards, and its not a big part of my life anyway. I've no problem being teetotal, I don't enjoy a night out any less, and I don't have any issues with anyone else drinking themselves into oblivion if they want to.

Theres alcoholism in my family, and I think on some level thats got a bearing on my decision, but overall I'm happy with it. I'm also increasingly aware of how important drinking is to other people in a social sense, and to be honest, it can confuse me how adamant people can be that they can't have a good time unless they're blotto.

So how important is drinking to you? Do you regularly get drunk? Why is it enjoyable? Have you ever considered stopping permanently?

markopantelic

never drank yet, finished school there and wasnt bothered drinking, probably never will.

silvervixen84

i don't drink during the week as i work office hours and drive to work, on fri nights and sat nights if at home i might have a couple of glasses of wine, and tonight i'm on the cheap bailey's substitute. I rarely go out, too expensive.

Pythia

I had half a large bottle of West Coast Cooler tonight but I generally drink nothing or perhaps one drink and then have cokes. Unfortunately I can't drink much at all or I'll get quite sick so I just avoid drinking whenever possible. I would drink more if I could but the lack of hangovers, not spending much on drink and driving myself home is good!

vanessamee

Im 28 soon i drank so much wen i was younger dat now i cant drink at all the smell kills me, be4 i turned 18 i was drinkin 3 bottles of vodka every weekend and cans during the week, i dont miss it one bit:)

Cupcake_Crisis

Myself and a friend were just talking about this a while back. I really freaked out when i realised i was tipping 30 units in one night out! Maybe its time to stop for a while...

seanybiker

between 8-12 cans about 4 or 5 nights a week . More than that sometimes.

Oops only noticed its the ladies lounge now
lounge

I rarely drink. I get drunk maybe once every 3 months. Never been so interested in drinking to be honest.

I'm not "anti-drink". I work in a bar, and my father runs a (different) bar. Most of my friends drink a lot and that's grand, I don't ever feel left out!

Alcohol effects me badly too. I usually have to drink loads to get any bit drunk. So that just wastes a good bit of money, alcohol is expensive in this country! And then when I have drank a lot my stomach gets upset. And I have sore belly and head for most of the day after, so a waste of a day!

And I can go out and have fun without alcohol. Doesn't really make me anymore confident talking to people and dancing and all that.

But then again I've been known to take a lot of drugs. So, eh. Not so much anymore though.

skywards

I do not drink at all.

Black Swan

Sometimes I like a glass of wine with dinner, or a beer on a hot day. Now when NCAA football season begins this fall, I'll need a designated driver after a Saturday game!

cormie

Nothing. I'm not anti alcohol, but I'm anti "let's go out to get pissed", I'll have wine in a sauce with food or a taste of something that smells nice no problem. I've never drank a beer/lager/stout because I don't like the smell of it, why acquire a taste to something that doesn't taste nice? I've been drunk about 5 times in my life and one slight hangover. It's the one thing I find very easy to say no to, drink and drugs, just have no interest at all. Chocolate on the other hand... :eek:

Wibbs

Removed drunken posts for cleanup. The irony.:)

Crumble Froo

allabouteve wrote: »

I'd say I've been drunk less then 10 times in my life. I'm 31.

i suppose if i say that my face went something like :eek: when i read that, it says a lot more about me than any of this post will...

no judgement or whatever, i guess i just sort of compared to myself and ... yeah...

and I don't have any issues with anyone else drinking themselves into oblivion if they want to.

good to hear

they can't have a good time unless they're blotto.

i dont actually get that either. i often have and have had good nights without drinking at all. granted, i either dont drink, or get quite drunk. happy mediums have never been my forté.

So how important is drinking to you?

'important'... interesting word there... im not sure... i know if i was told i could never drink again... i would not be happy. at all. and, just to be contrary, would probably find as many other drugs as i could and go out and get fcuked anyway. but im a bit thick like that. i think, i love being drunk and it is a bit of an escape for me, and there are often nights where i do get drunk, and get up the next morning and say, 'aahhh, i needed that '

i should point out now, that i dont tend to get hangovers. maybe my attitude will change if/when they start making an appearance, but i can easily go to work the next day after a night on the lash, though i do be a bit hazy and sleepy, so i try not to do that too often.

Do you regularly get drunk?

yes. hard to say how much on average though. i can go a month or so not drinking, usually either cos im broke, saving up for something, or just in a really really bad headspace. this week, i didnt get drunk on thursday, which is our usual thing, but i did go out on friday and have several memory gaps before stumbling into my mate's and crashing on her couch about 6am-ish. am currently having a few. not enough to get ****faced, but after having a rather beautiful surf and a catchup with a mate, im just keeping that loosened up feeling going and staying in my happy place

other times i go a month without drinking, others, ill get drunk five or six nights a week.

Why is it enjoyable?

same reason most 'enjoyable' things are enjoyable. because it feels good. it feels good when you first feel that loosened up feeling, when you can survey a room and just feel 'different' in yourself and just smile. it feels good to just say **** it and dance like a lunatic, cos you dont give a **** what anyone else thinks, it feels good when you have those 'deep'* conversations with good mates at 4am. it feels good to sway instead of walk, like you're just floating through this world. it feels good to feel as though you haven't a care in the world, and the most important things in this world right now are the peeps in the room with you and the music. it just feels good to let go.

most of the time when im drunky, that's me. im usually quite good, but i guess, like most people, ive had those bad drunky nights, where you break down in tears, or dwell in the past or are just a complete mess. balance, as always, is the key. but as long as the good nights outnumber the bad ones, ill continue drinking and getting drunk.

Have you ever considered stopping permanently?

yep. nearly two months ago, i went through a bad patch, and drank a lot, and they were mostly 'bad' nights. i remember coming to the conclusion that one day, i would almost definitely have to give up drinking altogether, that it was just a matter of time before that would be necessary.

i dont feel that way now, tbh, but im aware that i have a very addictive personality, and that my history of dealing with problems is pretty... well, bad. self destructive is one of those words (ok, two words) that has followed me for a long time, and im not sure ill be able to shake it off for a while yet.

i enjoy drinking, being drunk and it's something that i would truly miss if i ever 'had' to stop.


* read: bull****

kizzyr

When I was in college I was a typical student and then when I first started working I used to go out a few times per week and would have always had a few drinks. Then after one or two particularly embarrassing incidents, change of job where I was driving to work and hating the total waste of a weekend spent in pubs and hung over I simply stopped drinking. I'd say in the last 7 or 8 years I've had a grand total of 4 / 5 drinks.
I don't miss alcohol at all but do get really annoyed at how uncomfortable other people seem to be around non drinkers.

Used to drink after my LC/when I started college. Finally stopped near the end of first year when I realised I was spending too much etc. It wasn't that bad- I wasn't throwing up, never suffered a hangover, but for me it was still a bit much. Since then, I've pretty much stopped. A few times a year, maybe even more, I might have half or a full pint of cider or something as it tastes nice (turns out bulmer's pear is lovely and very light...). Goes straight to my head though so after that I'm straight back on water or diet coke for the evening!
Ever since I stopped really drinking, my tolerance for the taste of alcohol has gone way down, so I just can't drink most drinks; hate wine, beer, spirits, etc.

I have to admit I don't get a lot of people's dependence on alcohol though. Sure there's getting merry and having a great night, but insisting you have to drink yourself stupid and make an idiot of yourself regularly to have fun, then waste the rest of the weekend suffering for it... and the merest idea of cutting down is met with anger and "I don't have a problem, I just need alcohol to have a good time"... reading PI/AH, there's an awful lot of people with alcohol problems, even if everyone around them does the same...

DancingDaisy

I don't really drink much at all. If I'm having a night in with friends I might have a glass or two of wine, but I pretty much never drink when I go out for a night. I'm too aware of the fact that I'm responsible for myself. I don't feel I need alcohol to have a good time, and tend to dance crazily and such regardless!

I have been drunk once in my life and it was a horrible feeling at the time, and I hated not fully remembering everything the following day. I have at times gone over 12 months without drinking, and not ever really noticed. My friends are pretty much used to my ways and I'm not the only non-drinker in my group, which is very helpful.

However, I don't have an issue with my friends getting completely wasted, and I'm happy enough to look after them at the end of the night and ensure that they get home safely and such. I also enjoy remembering the interesting conversations that are had in the early hours of the morning.

mental07

It really depends. It totally depends on circumstances. I'd rarely drink during the week, but during the week just gone by I was out for drinks twice, as a friend of mine who I rarely see was around. I don't necessarily go out every weekend either. When I do, my drinking varies from a couple of sociables to waaaaay too many. It just depends on my mood I guess.

vanessamee

vanessamee wrote: »

Im 28 soon i drank so much wen i was younger dat now i cant drink at all the smell kills me, be4 i turned 18 i was drinkin 3 bottles of vodka every weekend and cans during the week, i dont miss it one bit:)

Well at least you didn't end up brain damaged!

Morgase

kizzyr wrote: »

When I was in college I was a typical student and then when I first started working I used to go out a few times per week and would have always had a few drinks.

Same here; I drank a lot of spirits and things in college and basically got smashed on most nights out. I didn't know how to handle the drink at all.

Since I've gotten older and (very slightly) wiser, I prefer to avoid getting drunk. But I do actually like the taste of stout, fancy beers and red wine (I dislike fizzy sugary drinks), so I will have one or two drinks at the weekend, or a glass or two of red wine with a meal. Last night I had two cans of Beamish at home which is quite typical.

but do get really annoyed at how uncomfortable other people seem to be around non drinkers.

Similarly, I have noticed that people don't like it when they discover you are only having one drink and intend to sip away at one pint for the whole night.

I can't tell you how many times I'm with a group and by the end of the night there are two or three untouched pints in front of me. No longer will I drink the extra pints just to be polite or keep up with everyone.

tinkerbell

I don't drink at all. I will have a pina colada if I'm on holidays which is about once a year, that's it though. I hate the whole drinking culture in Ireland. I used to be fine with going out with all my friends who get absolutely trashed annd being the only sober one but that gets old very quickly and I don't go out much anymore now. I just got fed up of listening to the drunken bullsh!t that is spoken on those kinda nights out. My bf doesn't like the drinking scene either so we are very well suited!

Some of my friends will go on about their AMAZING Friday and Saturday nights and when I ask about what they actually did or whatever, they say they can't remember, everything after 11 p.m. or so is unknown, "but it was a great night out!!" And then they say they spent all of Sunday dying in bed nursing the mother of all hangovers, getting sick or whatever. Why bother? I don't understand it at all.

beks101

It's interesting I came across this thread, as I have recently made the decision to go teetotal.

Mainly because I just can't be a*sed anymore. I can go months without alcohol, don't miss it in the slightest, and then I'll have a night out, get hammered, and wake up regretting regretting regretting. Not to mention feeling like hell on a plate. The hangovers are just never worth it!

I didn't drink for a year or two in my late teens, after a bit of a wildchild phase !! and it was probably the easiest thing I've ever done so I'm not expecting any major challenges. (Aside from the raised eyebrows)

Once I started drinking again, I'd have a glass of wine here or there, and more recently it's been vodka and other spirits, and vodka and I have a love/hate relationship!

My main thing is, I have an addictive personality, and while I've never felt in danger of my drinking becoming more sinister, I'm not naive enough to think it couldn't happen down the line.

So back to the pints of water for me!

Salome

When I was single, my social life revolved around going out every weekend and drinking a fair amount. Holidays were 7 night or 14 night drinking sessions. Since I met my OH, we rarely drink as we currently live about 100 miles apart and drive a lot to see each other - beers are reserved for nights when we don't have to drive. If I go out with my friends now, it's a couple of beers or glasses of wine with dinner. I think your habits change as you get older and your priorities change.

sillyputty

I have recently given up alcohol, mainly because i had a couple of nights out that i couldn't remember after midnight.
I find i enjoy the night out just the same and my mates don't bother me about not drinking as i don't bother them about getting hammered.
I probably will drink again, i enjoy it, but i just need to know how to have a couple and realise when ive had enough.

Michellenman

I drink maybe every second weekend or so... that'll probably get more frequent now that Summer is here and college is over. Generally I'll drink maybe 6/7 drinks over the space of the night. Probably some on the bus on the way in to town too. I think there's maybe been a handful of nights where I can't remember what happened but none particularly recently. I doubt my drinking habits are much different from any other 19 year old college student.

Censorsh!t

I am replying to this with a hangover
I don't drink often, maybe once a month, and not always a lot. Last night, for celebrating my birthday, I went out. I had a cocktail, some goldshlager, and about one and a half vodkas with orange. And I got waaaasted. I haven't been drunk in months though to be fair.
This morning, I thought I could die, my tummy was so sick. I ended up puking outside Fota wildlife park Then went home to bed for a few hours.
The worst thing was, I had to get up early, to go to my pony who is quite sick, so I was also sick woth worry:(

aoibhebree

Most weeks I'd probably have half a bottle of wine over a couple of evenings on weeknights.

On an average night out - maybe every second weekend - I'd have half a naggin of vodka or a couple of glasses of wine before I go out, then maybe three more vodkas over the course of the night - lots of water in between.

Then occasionally, if I take a notion to get completely hammered - like on a student night - I have a naggin of vodka plus maybe five more vodkas and a couple of shots ... thats only a couple of times a year though, and I always remember everything and haven't really ever done anything too stupid. I'm also lucky in that I don't puke or get bad hangovers.

I really don't drink much at all compared to most of my friends, but I seem to drink a lot more than most people on this thread ...

Clare Bear

I'm 27 and I don't drink much at all anymore. Some nights I'll go out now and not drink at all, other nights I'll have one or two. I've never ever been a wine drinker at home either, I'll drink when I go out and that's it. Alcohol doesn't touch my lips otherwise. But my days of getting drunk are few and far between, it just doesn't interest me as much anymore. I've had my fun with it. The hangovers aren't worth it anymore either.
In other words I'M OLD!

And I hate the drinking culture in this country. Hammered people piss me off, especially when the sh.ite talk and senseless arguing starts!

MadgeBadge

I love a drink. I generally drink once or twice in a week. I like getting tipsy, but hate getting drunk, and I would generally feel ashamed for my excesses the following day if I did get drunk.

For example this weekend I've had a bottle on wine (spread over two days), which I think is ok, I'm comfortable with that.

What I'm not comfortable with is how I need to have a glass of wine to relax. I'd like to find another way to un-wind. But when I'm really pent up nothing is easier than holing myself away with a big glass of wine.

Maddison

I dont drink too often but when I do I normally drink quite a bit. For instance right now I have the kind of hangover where I am sitting but it feels as if I am in a moving car. I went to bed last night & it felt as if the bed was twirling & in order to get asleep I had to induce vomiting ugggghhhhhh but so nessesary(sp?)

rainbow kirby

I don't drink much at all. I have a very low tolerance for alcohol, and I turn into a messy drunk extremely quickly. I also turn into an asshole when I'm drinking, so it's best for me to stick to the Club Orange.

vixenbees

I'm not the type to have a glass of wine a few evenings during the week.. I have 1 big night out a week, a friday or saturday and thats it. Usually dont get bad hangovers unless an unusual mix of drink is involved (my last time getting a terrible hangover was after starting on wine at a meal, moving onto cocktails, and then onto blue wicked ughhhh) I would usually get drunk my one night a week and have a good craic with my friends and boyfriend, remember my night and enjoy an oul boogie to a local band or cheesey 80s pop! I never spend the next day dying and make a point of getting out and about to make the most of your day off, although usually the hardest part is getting my pals out of the scratcher to do something...