Drinking too much

[Anonymous]

Have you listened to the Huberman Lab podcast episode on the topic of alcohol (August 2022)? It’s a great overview of what alcohol does to your body and it discusses what levels cross the line into alcohol use disorder. I strongly recommend that anyone who drinks listen to this episode regardless of whether you have (or think you have) a drinking problem. If you’re actually trying to stop but need a little help, the Reframe app is a great resource.

[Anonymous]

I have really been exploring my relationship with alcohol this past year. Mainly, I am worried about my physical health but I also had the same realization of the amount of drinks per day really creeping up. I successfully implemented this plan (kind of stole this from the SunnySide App- which I never did but get ads for them all the time)

I started by tracking my drinks for 2 weeks. I was drinking 3-4 glasses of wine PER DAY during the work week and 4-6 on Fridays and Saturdays. (Insane! i was shocked by this). I was really thoughtless about having a beer with lunch on a Saturday or a glass of wine while making dinner during the week. It was so habitual to me...I had very much normalized that idea of having a glass of wine before dinner, one with dinner, and then 1-2 while watching TV after dinner.

After two weeks, I set a goal to have 15 drinks per week. (That still sounds like a lot but is less than the 30+ drinks I was having). This was actually not hard at all. The first week, I had 2 drinks per day, with 3 on the Saturday. The second week, I had three days with no alcohol and then two weekend nights with 5 drinks.

I then reduced my goal to 12 drinks and did a similar distribution- but this time, I really noticed how much better I felt on the days that I had no alcohol at all. This was motivating to me.

Then I reduced to 10 and that started to look like not drinking Sun-Wed. This worked well for me.

Currently, I allow my self 8 drinks per week and I have maintained this for almost 8 months. I don't drink on nights where I have to work the next day, and I don't cheat if there is a long weekend or holiday. If I have a social event during the work week, I either don't drink or I take a weekend night off. I notice a lot of benefits in terms of my sleep, weight, skin, sex drive, etc but what I also notice is that I am so much more comfy enjoying a single glass of wine without feeling the need to midndlessly pour another. I switch to seltzer or tea and it is totally fine.

I am aiming to go down to 6 drinks per week this month, which to me feels very manageable and realistic.

My message is: you can do it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know what is a normal amount of drinking. I am drinking 1-2 glasses of wine with dinner 5-7 times a week. I want to stop, or cut back. I don’t know how to do it. I feel bad.

If you're drinking that much, which seems like a lot TBH, just stop for an extended period of time (like 6 months). Since it is a drug, it is much easier to stop all together then to have a little bit here and there. That's been my experience. After 6 months, you probably won't want to go back.

If you have to ask if it’s a normal amount, chances are you already know it’s too much. I appreciate the advice of just quit … but don’t be surprised if it’s not easy! Make it the goal, but be prepared to slip up and don’t be discouraged if you have to give it a few tries before it sticks. Quitting alcohol is simple, but not necessarily easy. Educate yourself on the health consequences of drinking - that was a big motivator for me. There’s also a lot of quit-lit out there if you’re looking for inspiration from people who’ve been there done that. Also remember, rock bottom is a myth. Just because things could be worse or you haven’t messed up your whole life or whatever, doesn’t mean it’s not time to quit. You’ve got this!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn’t want to open a new thread on this subject, so please tell me here if this is a normal range of drinking.

We have family friends that drink throughout the week 1-2 glasses of wine at dinners, beer at lunch on weekends and on Saturdays they drink a lot, like at minimum 1-2 bottles of wine per person.

Is this social drinking?

I find myself drinking too much when I’m around them. DH also drinks way too much around them, but otherwise doesn’t drink. But he’ll alone drink like 2 bottles of wine when we are with them.

Does this sound problematic?

This is the WORST way to ask for advice. Opening a 4 year old thread in the DIET section about drinking too much? SMDH.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have really been exploring my relationship with alcohol this past year. Mainly, I am worried about my physical health but I also had the same realization of the amount of drinks per day really creeping up. I successfully implemented this plan (kind of stole this from the SunnySide App- which I never did but get ads for them all the time)

I started by tracking my drinks for 2 weeks. I was drinking 3-4 glasses of wine PER DAY during the work week and 4-6 on Fridays and Saturdays. (Insane! i was shocked by this). I was really thoughtless about having a beer with lunch on a Saturday or a glass of wine while making dinner during the week. It was so habitual to me...I had very much normalized that idea of having a glass of wine before dinner, one with dinner, and then 1-2 while watching TV after dinner.

After two weeks, I set a goal to have 15 drinks per week. (That still sounds like a lot but is less than the 30+ drinks I was having). This was actually not hard at all. The first week, I had 2 drinks per day, with 3 on the Saturday. The second week, I had three days with no alcohol and then two weekend nights with 5 drinks.

I then reduced my goal to 12 drinks and did a similar distribution- but this time, I really noticed how much better I felt on the days that I had no alcohol at all. This was motivating to me.

Then I reduced to 10 and that started to look like not drinking Sun-Wed. This worked well for me.

Currently, I allow my self 8 drinks per week and I have maintained this for almost 8 months. I don't drink on nights where I have to work the next day, and I don't cheat if there is a long weekend or holiday. If I have a social event during the work week, I either don't drink or I take a weekend night off. I notice a lot of benefits in terms of my sleep, weight, skin, sex drive, etc but what I also notice is that I am so much more comfy enjoying a single glass of wine without feeling the need to midndlessly pour another. I switch to seltzer or tea and it is totally fine.

I am aiming to go down to 6 drinks per week this month, which to me feels very manageable and realistic.

My message is: you can do it!

That is great. Keep cutting back. 6 per week is still high for health reasons

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have really been exploring my relationship with alcohol this past year. Mainly, I am worried about my physical health but I also had the same realization of the amount of drinks per day really creeping up. I successfully implemented this plan (kind of stole this from the SunnySide App- which I never did but get ads for them all the time)

I started by tracking my drinks for 2 weeks. I was drinking 3-4 glasses of wine PER DAY during the work week and 4-6 on Fridays and Saturdays. (Insane! i was shocked by this). I was really thoughtless about having a beer with lunch on a Saturday or a glass of wine while making dinner during the week. It was so habitual to me...I had very much normalized that idea of having a glass of wine before dinner, one with dinner, and then 1-2 while watching TV after dinner.

After two weeks, I set a goal to have 15 drinks per week. (That still sounds like a lot but is less than the 30+ drinks I was having). This was actually not hard at all. The first week, I had 2 drinks per day, with 3 on the Saturday. The second week, I had three days with no alcohol and then two weekend nights with 5 drinks.

I then reduced my goal to 12 drinks and did a similar distribution- but this time, I really noticed how much better I felt on the days that I had no alcohol at all. This was motivating to me.

Then I reduced to 10 and that started to look like not drinking Sun-Wed. This worked well for me.

Currently, I allow my self 8 drinks per week and I have maintained this for almost 8 months. I don't drink on nights where I have to work the next day, and I don't cheat if there is a long weekend or holiday. If I have a social event during the work week, I either don't drink or I take a weekend night off. I notice a lot of benefits in terms of my sleep, weight, skin, sex drive, etc but what I also notice is that I am so much more comfy enjoying a single glass of wine without feeling the need to midndlessly pour another. I switch to seltzer or tea and it is totally fine.

I am aiming to go down to 6 drinks per week this month, which to me feels very manageable and realistic.

My message is: you can do it!

That is great. Keep cutting back. 6 per week is still high for health reasons

No, it's not, assuming it's one drink/day and not one day of six drinks. Is it ideal? No. But it's SO much better than heavy drinking - and huge kudos to you, PP, for cutting back as you've done. Keep it up. The less, the better - and also, we need to be realistic about alcohol consumption in the context of health overall (diet, exercise, sleep, relationships, etc.).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have really been exploring my relationship with alcohol this past year. Mainly, I am worried about my physical health but I also had the same realization of the amount of drinks per day really creeping up. I successfully implemented this plan (kind of stole this from the SunnySide App- which I never did but get ads for them all the time)

I started by tracking my drinks for 2 weeks. I was drinking 3-4 glasses of wine PER DAY during the work week and 4-6 on Fridays and Saturdays. (Insane! i was shocked by this). I was really thoughtless about having a beer with lunch on a Saturday or a glass of wine while making dinner during the week. It was so habitual to me...I had very much normalized that idea of having a glass of wine before dinner, one with dinner, and then 1-2 while watching TV after dinner.

After two weeks, I set a goal to have 15 drinks per week. (That still sounds like a lot but is less than the 30+ drinks I was having). This was actually not hard at all. The first week, I had 2 drinks per day, with 3 on the Saturday. The second week, I had three days with no alcohol and then two weekend nights with 5 drinks.

I then reduced my goal to 12 drinks and did a similar distribution- but this time, I really noticed how much better I felt on the days that I had no alcohol at all. This was motivating to me.

Then I reduced to 10 and that started to look like not drinking Sun-Wed. This worked well for me.

Currently, I allow my self 8 drinks per week and I have maintained this for almost 8 months. I don't drink on nights where I have to work the next day, and I don't cheat if there is a long weekend or holiday. If I have a social event during the work week, I either don't drink or I take a weekend night off. I notice a lot of benefits in terms of my sleep, weight, skin, sex drive, etc but what I also notice is that I am so much more comfy enjoying a single glass of wine without feeling the need to midndlessly pour another. I switch to seltzer or tea and it is totally fine.

I am aiming to go down to 6 drinks per week this month, which to me feels very manageable and realistic.

My message is: you can do it!

That is great. Keep cutting back. 6 per week is still high for health reasons

No, it's not, assuming it's one drink/day and not one day of six drinks. Is it ideal? No. But it's SO much better than heavy drinking - and huge kudos to you, PP, for cutting back as you've done. Keep it up. The less, the better - and also, we need to be realistic about alcohol consumption in the context of health overall (diet, exercise, sleep, relationships, etc.).

Even one or 2 drinks per week increases your odds of breast cancer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have really been exploring my relationship with alcohol this past year. Mainly, I am worried about my physical health but I also had the same realization of the amount of drinks per day really creeping up. I successfully implemented this plan (kind of stole this from the SunnySide App- which I never did but get ads for them all the time)

I started by tracking my drinks for 2 weeks. I was drinking 3-4 glasses of wine PER DAY during the work week and 4-6 on Fridays and Saturdays. (Insane! i was shocked by this). I was really thoughtless about having a beer with lunch on a Saturday or a glass of wine while making dinner during the week. It was so habitual to me...I had very much normalized that idea of having a glass of wine before dinner, one with dinner, and then 1-2 while watching TV after dinner.

After two weeks, I set a goal to have 15 drinks per week. (That still sounds like a lot but is less than the 30+ drinks I was having). This was actually not hard at all. The first week, I had 2 drinks per day, with 3 on the Saturday. The second week, I had three days with no alcohol and then two weekend nights with 5 drinks.

I then reduced my goal to 12 drinks and did a similar distribution- but this time, I really noticed how much better I felt on the days that I had no alcohol at all. This was motivating to me.

Then I reduced to 10 and that started to look like not drinking Sun-Wed. This worked well for me.

Currently, I allow my self 8 drinks per week and I have maintained this for almost 8 months. I don't drink on nights where I have to work the next day, and I don't cheat if there is a long weekend or holiday. If I have a social event during the work week, I either don't drink or I take a weekend night off. I notice a lot of benefits in terms of my sleep, weight, skin, sex drive, etc but what I also notice is that I am so much more comfy enjoying a single glass of wine without feeling the need to midndlessly pour another. I switch to seltzer or tea and it is totally fine.

I am aiming to go down to 6 drinks per week this month, which to me feels very manageable and realistic.

My message is: you can do it!

That is great. Keep cutting back. 6 per week is still high for health reasons

No, it's not, assuming it's one drink/day and not one day of six drinks. Is it ideal? No. But it's SO much better than heavy drinking - and huge kudos to you, PP, for cutting back as you've done. Keep it up. The less, the better - and also, we need to be realistic about alcohol consumption in the context of health overall (diet, exercise, sleep, relationships, etc.).

6 drinks a week is a lot, stop it. Add to this OP is basically a single mother 60% of the time. OP needs to not drink, period. She's recognized she has an issue, the only answer is to go cold turkey and talk to her DH about it so that he can support her as needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have really been exploring my relationship with alcohol this past year. Mainly, I am worried about my physical health but I also had the same realization of the amount of drinks per day really creeping up. I successfully implemented this plan (kind of stole this from the SunnySide App- which I never did but get ads for them all the time)

I started by tracking my drinks for 2 weeks. I was drinking 3-4 glasses of wine PER DAY during the work week and 4-6 on Fridays and Saturdays. (Insane! i was shocked by this). I was really thoughtless about having a beer with lunch on a Saturday or a glass of wine while making dinner during the week. It was so habitual to me...I had very much normalized that idea of having a glass of wine before dinner, one with dinner, and then 1-2 while watching TV after dinner.

After two weeks, I set a goal to have 15 drinks per week. (That still sounds like a lot but is less than the 30+ drinks I was having). This was actually not hard at all. The first week, I had 2 drinks per day, with 3 on the Saturday. The second week, I had three days with no alcohol and then two weekend nights with 5 drinks.

I then reduced my goal to 12 drinks and did a similar distribution- but this time, I really noticed how much better I felt on the days that I had no alcohol at all. This was motivating to me.

Then I reduced to 10 and that started to look like not drinking Sun-Wed. This worked well for me.

Currently, I allow my self 8 drinks per week and I have maintained this for almost 8 months. I don't drink on nights where I have to work the next day, and I don't cheat if there is a long weekend or holiday. If I have a social event during the work week, I either don't drink or I take a weekend night off. I notice a lot of benefits in terms of my sleep, weight, skin, sex drive, etc but what I also notice is that I am so much more comfy enjoying a single glass of wine without feeling the need to midndlessly pour another. I switch to seltzer or tea and it is totally fine.

I am aiming to go down to 6 drinks per week this month, which to me feels very manageable and realistic.

My message is: you can do it!

Thanks for sharing this. I'll echo the comments about switching to something non-alcoholic versus mindlessly having more alcohol. Alcohol consumption, like many things, suffers from diminishing returns: the first one tastes great and is refreshing or relaxing, but subsequent drinks do not provide the same effect and instead make you feel full or lethargic or (insert whatever effect on you). Savor the one or two - whatever works for you - and then have water or something else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have really been exploring my relationship with alcohol this past year. Mainly, I am worried about my physical health but I also had the same realization of the amount of drinks per day really creeping up. I successfully implemented this plan (kind of stole this from the SunnySide App- which I never did but get ads for them all the time)

I started by tracking my drinks for 2 weeks. I was drinking 3-4 glasses of wine PER DAY during the work week and 4-6 on Fridays and Saturdays. (Insane! i was shocked by this). I was really thoughtless about having a beer with lunch on a Saturday or a glass of wine while making dinner during the week. It was so habitual to me...I had very much normalized that idea of having a glass of wine before dinner, one with dinner, and then 1-2 while watching TV after dinner.

After two weeks, I set a goal to have 15 drinks per week. (That still sounds like a lot but is less than the 30+ drinks I was having). This was actually not hard at all. The first week, I had 2 drinks per day, with 3 on the Saturday. The second week, I had three days with no alcohol and then two weekend nights with 5 drinks.

I then reduced my goal to 12 drinks and did a similar distribution- but this time, I really noticed how much better I felt on the days that I had no alcohol at all. This was motivating to me.

Then I reduced to 10 and that started to look like not drinking Sun-Wed. This worked well for me.

Currently, I allow my self 8 drinks per week and I have maintained this for almost 8 months. I don't drink on nights where I have to work the next day, and I don't cheat if there is a long weekend or holiday. If I have a social event during the work week, I either don't drink or I take a weekend night off. I notice a lot of benefits in terms of my sleep, weight, skin, sex drive, etc but what I also notice is that I am so much more comfy enjoying a single glass of wine without feeling the need to midndlessly pour another. I switch to seltzer or tea and it is totally fine.

I am aiming to go down to 6 drinks per week this month, which to me feels very manageable and realistic.

My message is: you can do it!

That is great. Keep cutting back. 6 per week is still high for health reasons

No, it's not, assuming it's one drink/day and not one day of six drinks. Is it ideal? No. But it's SO much better than heavy drinking - and huge kudos to you, PP, for cutting back as you've done. Keep it up. The less, the better - and also, we need to be realistic about alcohol consumption in the context of health overall (diet, exercise, sleep, relationships, etc.).

6 drinks a week is a lot, stop it. Add to this OP is basically a single mother 60% of the time. OP needs to not drink, period. She's recognized she has an issue, the only answer is to go cold turkey and talk to her DH about it so that he can support her as needed.

It’s all relative. Not even one drink is entirely safe. Alcohol is a toxin and is harmful. That said, having one drink a night is much different than having 3 or 4, both from a health standpoint, but also as a general lifestyle issue. One drink causes limited impairment and will mostly leave the system in a couple of hours. 3 or 4 drinks, then you’re probably intoxicated, which interferes with all sorts of things. Can’t legally drive. Shouldn’t be caring for kids. Etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have really been exploring my relationship with alcohol this past year. Mainly, I am worried about my physical health but I also had the same realization of the amount of drinks per day really creeping up. I successfully implemented this plan (kind of stole this from the SunnySide App- which I never did but get ads for them all the time)

I started by tracking my drinks for 2 weeks. I was drinking 3-4 glasses of wine PER DAY during the work week and 4-6 on Fridays and Saturdays. (Insane! i was shocked by this). I was really thoughtless about having a beer with lunch on a Saturday or a glass of wine while making dinner during the week. It was so habitual to me...I had very much normalized that idea of having a glass of wine before dinner, one with dinner, and then 1-2 while watching TV after dinner.

After two weeks, I set a goal to have 15 drinks per week. (That still sounds like a lot but is less than the 30+ drinks I was having). This was actually not hard at all. The first week, I had 2 drinks per day, with 3 on the Saturday. The second week, I had three days with no alcohol and then two weekend nights with 5 drinks.

I then reduced my goal to 12 drinks and did a similar distribution- but this time, I really noticed how much better I felt on the days that I had no alcohol at all. This was motivating to me.

Then I reduced to 10 and that started to look like not drinking Sun-Wed. This worked well for me.

Currently, I allow my self 8 drinks per week and I have maintained this for almost 8 months. I don't drink on nights where I have to work the next day, and I don't cheat if there is a long weekend or holiday. If I have a social event during the work week, I either don't drink or I take a weekend night off. I notice a lot of benefits in terms of my sleep, weight, skin, sex drive, etc but what I also notice is that I am so much more comfy enjoying a single glass of wine without feeling the need to midndlessly pour another. I switch to seltzer or tea and it is totally fine.

I am aiming to go down to 6 drinks per week this month, which to me feels very manageable and realistic.

My message is: you can do it!

That is great. Keep cutting back. 6 per week is still high for health reasons

No, it's not, assuming it's one drink/day and not one day of six drinks. Is it ideal? No. But it's SO much better than heavy drinking - and huge kudos to you, PP, for cutting back as you've done. Keep it up. The less, the better - and also, we need to be realistic about alcohol consumption in the context of health overall (diet, exercise, sleep, relationships, etc.).

6 drinks a week is a lot, stop it. Add to this OP is basically a single mother 60% of the time. OP needs to not drink, period. She's recognized she has an issue, the only answer is to go cold turkey and talk to her DH about it so that he can support her as needed.

Show me the expert health organization that would consider six drinks a week (again, not all on one day) heavy drinking. NIAAA? Nope. WHO? Nope.

You know what else the alcohol experts don't recommend? Being so all or nothing about the issue as to insist on abstinence as the sole acceptable outcome. The stepped approach PP took (yay, PP!) is what many actual healthcare professionals recommend to help their patients. Take your shaming elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have really been exploring my relationship with alcohol this past year. Mainly, I am worried about my physical health but I also had the same realization of the amount of drinks per day really creeping up. I successfully implemented this plan (kind of stole this from the SunnySide App- which I never did but get ads for them all the time)

I started by tracking my drinks for 2 weeks. I was drinking 3-4 glasses of wine PER DAY during the work week and 4-6 on Fridays and Saturdays. (Insane! i was shocked by this). I was really thoughtless about having a beer with lunch on a Saturday or a glass of wine while making dinner during the week. It was so habitual to me...I had very much normalized that idea of having a glass of wine before dinner, one with dinner, and then 1-2 while watching TV after dinner.

After two weeks, I set a goal to have 15 drinks per week. (That still sounds like a lot but is less than the 30+ drinks I was having). This was actually not hard at all. The first week, I had 2 drinks per day, with 3 on the Saturday. The second week, I had three days with no alcohol and then two weekend nights with 5 drinks.

I then reduced my goal to 12 drinks and did a similar distribution- but this time, I really noticed how much better I felt on the days that I had no alcohol at all. This was motivating to me.

Then I reduced to 10 and that started to look like not drinking Sun-Wed. This worked well for me.

Currently, I allow my self 8 drinks per week and I have maintained this for almost 8 months. I don't drink on nights where I have to work the next day, and I don't cheat if there is a long weekend or holiday. If I have a social event during the work week, I either don't drink or I take a weekend night off. I notice a lot of benefits in terms of my sleep, weight, skin, sex drive, etc but what I also notice is that I am so much more comfy enjoying a single glass of wine without feeling the need to midndlessly pour another. I switch to seltzer or tea and it is totally fine.

I am aiming to go down to 6 drinks per week this month, which to me feels very manageable and realistic.

My message is: you can do it!

That is great. Keep cutting back. 6 per week is still high for health reasons

No, it's not, assuming it's one drink/day and not one day of six drinks. Is it ideal? No. But it's SO much better than heavy drinking - and huge kudos to you, PP, for cutting back as you've done. Keep it up. The less, the better - and also, we need to be realistic about alcohol consumption in the context of health overall (diet, exercise, sleep, relationships, etc.).

6 drinks a week is a lot, stop it. Add to this OP is basically a single mother 60% of the time. OP needs to not drink, period. She's recognized she has an issue, the only answer is to go cold turkey and talk to her DH about it so that he can support her as needed.

Show me the expert health organization that would consider six drinks a week (again, not all on one day) heavy drinking. NIAAA? Nope. WHO? Nope.

You know what else the alcohol experts don't recommend? Being so all or nothing about the issue as to insist on abstinence as the sole acceptable outcome. The stepped approach PP took (yay, PP!) is what many actual healthcare professionals recommend to help their patients. Take your shaming elsewhere.

agree. The alcohol shaming posters are so lame. I am sure undergrad with them was a blast.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have really been exploring my relationship with alcohol this past year. Mainly, I am worried about my physical health but I also had the same realization of the amount of drinks per day really creeping up. I successfully implemented this plan (kind of stole this from the SunnySide App- which I never did but get ads for them all the time)

I started by tracking my drinks for 2 weeks. I was drinking 3-4 glasses of wine PER DAY during the work week and 4-6 on Fridays and Saturdays. (Insane! i was shocked by this). I was really thoughtless about having a beer with lunch on a Saturday or a glass of wine while making dinner during the week. It was so habitual to me...I had very much normalized that idea of having a glass of wine before dinner, one with dinner, and then 1-2 while watching TV after dinner.

After two weeks, I set a goal to have 15 drinks per week. (That still sounds like a lot but is less than the 30+ drinks I was having). This was actually not hard at all. The first week, I had 2 drinks per day, with 3 on the Saturday. The second week, I had three days with no alcohol and then two weekend nights with 5 drinks.

I then reduced my goal to 12 drinks and did a similar distribution- but this time, I really noticed how much better I felt on the days that I had no alcohol at all. This was motivating to me.

Then I reduced to 10 and that started to look like not drinking Sun-Wed. This worked well for me.

Currently, I allow my self 8 drinks per week and I have maintained this for almost 8 months. I don't drink on nights where I have to work the next day, and I don't cheat if there is a long weekend or holiday. If I have a social event during the work week, I either don't drink or I take a weekend night off. I notice a lot of benefits in terms of my sleep, weight, skin, sex drive, etc but what I also notice is that I am so much more comfy enjoying a single glass of wine without feeling the need to midndlessly pour another. I switch to seltzer or tea and it is totally fine.

I am aiming to go down to 6 drinks per week this month, which to me feels very manageable and realistic.

My message is: you can do it!

That is great. Keep cutting back. 6 per week is still high for health reasons

No, it's not, assuming it's one drink/day and not one day of six drinks. Is it ideal? No. But it's SO much better than heavy drinking - and huge kudos to you, PP, for cutting back as you've done. Keep it up. The less, the better - and also, we need to be realistic about alcohol consumption in the context of health overall (diet, exercise, sleep, relationships, etc.).

6 drinks a week is a lot, stop it. Add to this OP is basically a single mother 60% of the time. OP needs to not drink, period. She's recognized she has an issue, the only answer is to go cold turkey and talk to her DH about it so that he can support her as needed.

Show me the expert health organization that would consider six drinks a week (again, not all on one day) heavy drinking. NIAAA? Nope. WHO? Nope.

You know what else the alcohol experts don't recommend? Being so all or nothing about the issue as to insist on abstinence as the sole acceptable outcome. The stepped approach PP took (yay, PP!) is what many actual healthcare professionals recommend to help their patients. Take your shaming elsewhere.

Go ahead and continue to try to justify your own problematic behaviors by trying to normalize it. Also nowhere did I say abstinence was the sole acceptable outcome, you should however understand what alcohol does to your body.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP. I also need to cut back. I successfully cut back to 2-3 drinks on a weekend a while back, but got into a huge fight with DH and was drinking and eating way too much to cope. My liver hurts

I managed to quit for 2 weeks back in June, but then my MIL came to stay too long and would not leave when I asked her. My mom was visiting simultaneously and staying in a hotel. The moment they both left, I made a gin & tonic.

I'm trying again and on Day 2. I'm worried about anything that may cause stress - I just feel like I need a stress free month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have really been exploring my relationship with alcohol this past year. Mainly, I am worried about my physical health but I also had the same realization of the amount of drinks per day really creeping up. I successfully implemented this plan (kind of stole this from the SunnySide App- which I never did but get ads for them all the time)

I started by tracking my drinks for 2 weeks. I was drinking 3-4 glasses of wine PER DAY during the work week and 4-6 on Fridays and Saturdays. (Insane! i was shocked by this). I was really thoughtless about having a beer with lunch on a Saturday or a glass of wine while making dinner during the week. It was so habitual to me...I had very much normalized that idea of having a glass of wine before dinner, one with dinner, and then 1-2 while watching TV after dinner.

After two weeks, I set a goal to have 15 drinks per week. (That still sounds like a lot but is less than the 30+ drinks I was having). This was actually not hard at all. The first week, I had 2 drinks per day, with 3 on the Saturday. The second week, I had three days with no alcohol and then two weekend nights with 5 drinks.

I then reduced my goal to 12 drinks and did a similar distribution- but this time, I really noticed how much better I felt on the days that I had no alcohol at all. This was motivating to me.

Then I reduced to 10 and that started to look like not drinking Sun-Wed. This worked well for me.

Currently, I allow my self 8 drinks per week and I have maintained this for almost 8 months. I don't drink on nights where I have to work the next day, and I don't cheat if there is a long weekend or holiday. If I have a social event during the work week, I either don't drink or I take a weekend night off. I notice a lot of benefits in terms of my sleep, weight, skin, sex drive, etc but what I also notice is that I am so much more comfy enjoying a single glass of wine without feeling the need to midndlessly pour another. I switch to seltzer or tea and it is totally fine.

I am aiming to go down to 6 drinks per week this month, which to me feels very manageable and realistic.

My message is: you can do it!

That is great. Keep cutting back. 6 per week is still high for health reasons

No, it's not, assuming it's one drink/day and not one day of six drinks. Is it ideal? No. But it's SO much better than heavy drinking - and huge kudos to you, PP, for cutting back as you've done. Keep it up. The less, the better - and also, we need to be realistic about alcohol consumption in the context of health overall (diet, exercise, sleep, relationships, etc.).

6 drinks a week is a lot, stop it. Add to this OP is basically a single mother 60% of the time. OP needs to not drink, period. She's recognized she has an issue, the only answer is to go cold turkey and talk to her DH about it so that he can support her as needed.

Show me the expert health organization that would consider six drinks a week (again, not all on one day) heavy drinking. NIAAA? Nope. WHO? Nope.

You know what else the alcohol experts don't recommend? Being so all or nothing about the issue as to insist on abstinence as the sole acceptable outcome. The stepped approach PP took (yay, PP!) is what many actual healthcare professionals recommend to help their patients. Take your shaming elsewhere.

Go ahead and continue to try to justify your own problematic behaviors by trying to normalize it. Also nowhere did I say abstinence was the sole acceptable outcome, you should however understand what alcohol does to your body.

Being alive damages your body. Six drinks per week is not problematic behavior. JFC. You probably say other ridiculous things like “running ruins your knees” and “weight lifting makes women look too bulky”