I only have around half a dozen drinks per year, and I frequently think of people as being problem drinkers when they wouldn't identify themselves as such.

I don't see anything alarming about what your husband does.

My dh and I always do this- enjoy a quick drink before we walk out the door to meet friends for dinner. The act of having a drink first is relaxing - forces you to sit and chill and connect before rushing out. And sure i guess it puts you in a more relaxed mood over dinner. I wouldn’t say the one drink provides him a buzz. I’m more of a lightweight so I typically only have half or less of my pre dinner drink. Frankly I’ve been to enough dinners with friends where the friends should have had a drink first…. Because they’re stressed or bickering at dinner. There’s nothing wrong with dh doing this.

Why blow $20 a cocktail or $50 to 100 on a bottle of half decent wine if you’re not going to be buzzing until you hit your couch? No point.

If the total number of drinks he has is reasonable and he doesn’t get sloppy I don’t think you need to be concerned

Anonymous wrote:He is drinking to get buzzed and feel more comfortable. That’s problematic wherever he is doing it.

What do you think alcohol is for?

Anonymous wrote:He is drinking to get buzzed and feel more comfortable. That’s problematic wherever he is doing it.

Isn’t that why everyone drinks? Otherwise why consume the poison? Just drink still or sparkling water.

Anonymous wrote:He is drinking to get buzzed and feel more comfortable. That’s problematic wherever he is doing it.

It’s not problematic if it’s not causing a problem - not everyone drinking for enjoyment has a drinking problem or is on a slope to out of control drinking

Cocktail hour type drinks is not uncommon. I’d definitely prefer this and enjoying a drink over dinner to pounding multiple drinks quickly at dinner

If the total number of drinks is reasonable (based on behavior / mental state etc) I don’t think this in and of itself is a problem

He is drinking to get buzzed and feel more comfortable. That’s problematic wherever he is doing it.

Not normal. And we are drinkers.

Alcoholic

Anonymous wrote:This is alcoholic behavior if you ask me.

- Alcoholic

Half the time he doesn't drink at all at restaurants, which I don't think is something an alcoholic does? He just doesn't see the point is wasting money or drinking so many empty calories if the buzz and social lubricant isn't going to be felt while we're at the restaurant.

My husband does this occasionally. Less so as we get older, because he doesn't want to drink as much anymore. He'd be more likely to do it when meeting friends.

This is alcoholic behavior if you ask me.

- Alcoholic

My husband says he likes to have a cocktail or two an hour or so before going to a restaurant because otherwise any drink(s) he has at the restaurant won't provide much if any buzz or social lubricant until after we leave, if not after we return home. In other words, whether it's just us or meeting others out, he likes to walk into the restaurant with a little buzz and maintain it with restaurant wine or cocktails.

It only takes me a single glass of wine or a pint of beer to quickly feel a buzz, so I can't relate to such a delay.

Is this normal for a man? He's a normal height and weight and not some alcoholic with a high tolerance. He would and often does choose to simply not drink alcohol at all at a restaurant if it's not viable for him to pre-drink. He just doesn't see the point if the boozy buzz doesn't happen while you're out.