Anonymous wrote:Yes. We visit for three nights and I'll have 4 or 5 drinks each night. Plus I'll smoke a small bowl of pot when I take the dog for a walk around 8 each night. Amazingly non one notices.

They probably notice and don’t say anything.

Sure I do but only in moderation given I'm driving.

No, my family is AA Irish (ever been to a dry wake? I do not recommend). Less fun, but way fewer 911 calls.

My former in-laws were just way too much. I love a drink or two, but they took it as a personal affront if I didn't match them drink for drink. Worse than drinking with Russian grad students!

No family this year, so I'm enjoying a single snowball and maybe an extra nip of brandy when that is done.

Anonymous wrote:Wait til everyone is asleep and then drink from their cabinet in a coffee cup.

Lol. You’re a kind soul who keeps your tongue around the crazies, we can tell!

Yes. We visit for three nights and I'll have 4 or 5 drinks each night. Plus I'll smoke a small bowl of pot when I take the dog for a walk around 8 each night. Amazingly non one notices.

Not more than one glass with a meal. Less than one each day.

Less than I used to. When I first met them they lived in FL and everyone drank a ton from 4 pm onward. That's toned down a bit but they still drink a couple-three glasses of wine with a festive dinner or mimosas if we are there earlier.

I like my ILs fine but I don't like to get too jolly or loud with them. Also, I usually am the driver. I may have nothing to drink or I may have an early glass of wine and then nothing after that so I am sober and not sleepy when we drive home.

Question 1: YES

Question 2: However much is required to relieve my tension about their homophobic, uneducated, racist bullshit. I've reduced the amount of time I spend around them to about once or twice a year.

Not if I’m driving, which I usually am. If not, maybe one. I’m not a big drinker. But while many have a drink or a glass of wine, we don’t have anyone who drinks to getting drunk.

Some. They are deeply deeply religious people and although I disagree with but no alcohol philosophy I respect them enough to not drink in their house. If we go to a restaurant I will have one or two drinks.

Hell yeah. I drink my face off. Gotta get to the good stuff before my sister guzzles it all down her enormous pie hole.

We have a great time!

ILs have a pretty regular cocktail hour: around 4 or 5 FIL makes himself a Manhattan and pours MIL a glass of box wine. When we visit he'll also fix us one of either, or offer some other things they have in the house--they're usually pretty well stocked on liquor and mixers. When it's a bigger gathering of extended ILs, there's usually a cooler of beers and ciders and I'll have one or two over the course of a few hours.

My family is not as in to drinking, but they like fruity/sweet wines and will sometimes have a bottle with dinner. My dad likes a Bailey's in coffee or cocoa and he'll offer us the same.

Neither family are the kind to pressure people into drinking. So I'll usually drink but feel fine saying no if I'm not feeling it.

I drink more with my in-laws because they live in California wine country so it’s a big part of their daily lives and at 5 every day there is pretty much always a bottle being opened.
With my parents, they may open a bottle of wine every few days and I’ll have a glass with some cheese while we sit around and gab, or I will have a beer with my pizza or champagne on New Years Eve. They drink less when we aren’t visiting; the alcohol is part of the festivities.

What are the risks? Who's there? If certain relatives are there, you need an escape plan. A plan to leave and drive yourself, whenever it is you decide you need to go. More important than enjoying drinks. Have a plan.

Um, yes. We always have a fully stocked fridge as do all of my in-laws.