Is alcohol going out of fashion?

I don't drink at all really as alcohol sends me to sleep. I used to enjoy a small sherry whilst cooking the evening meal but now I don't even do that. DH has the very occasional half of Guinness and I suspect DD and SiL like a glass of wine or two in the evening because I frequently see posts on FB announcing that it is 'wine time'. My favourite 'tipple' is tea, coffee or water. God, I've got so boring.

I drink, but sadly, I'm like Dorothy Sayers: -

"I like a drink when I'm able,
One or two at most,
Three I'm under the table,
Four, I'm under the host"!

I stick to two drinks, usually!!! and never drink at lunchtime.

Sadly, my father was an alcoholic; my mother used to keep up with him, so I'm very, very wary of alcohol, even though I know I'm not alcoholic.

I used to drink whisky (mostly with gallons of coke, lol). I changed from whisky to wine a few years ago, and stuck to whites for a while until after my heart attack. I had read that red wine was more beneficial to the heart than white, and, while my palate still prefers the crisp taste of the white, I have to discipline myself to drink mostly reds, which I don't find quite so palatable. I still have the odd Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, but mainly I buy Merlot or Shiraz. I'm not a connoisseur of wine, and don't pretend to know much about it, but I know what I like. At the end of the day, a little bit of what you fancy does you good. Now if only I could wean myself off chocolate.......

I drink a glass of something a couple of times during the week at home. If out I may have more than one glass of someting. DD 1 same as me DD2 drinks v.little..enjoys a small glass of Prosecco..she mainly drinks water or hot chocolate..no teaor coffee either. DH is not a drinker..one glass of anything is usually his top limit. Useful as he will always be the driver

Jackie B love the idea about the steak. We dont do alcohol in our house but am sure gonna take the meat idea on board. Good quality meat is just so expensive these day. Enjoy your G and T's and how lucky you are still to have your mother!!!

Tesco does a nice Pino for £3.50 which is 5.5 per cent - quite acceptable?

A yes the recycling box. DH had to use the wheelbarrow to get it to the top of the drive. He seriously debated if he could pile a few into next doors box but theirs was just as full.

My son won't drink as it slows him down when he's war gaming online. It's brilliant as he's really good about giving us lifts to places where his DF and I can drink on the rare occasions we go out.

I don't drink alcohol from Monday to Thursday and then a couple of glasses or so at the weekends, usually bargain Champagne on Saturdays. I have broken this rule tonight (Tuesday) as I am on holiday with th DH. the DD and her lovely BF and we are sharing Tesco's latest £7.50 Champagne to celebrate their young people's last night . You'd pay more than that for Prosecco so it would be a crime not to!

stansgran our council don't collect glass so you have to take it to one of the public recycling points. Try and go when it is quiet

In spite of my philosophy I never drink at lunchtime.

Your statement is incorrect, Alea. Scotland's drink/driving limit is lower than England's but it is not zero. www.dontriskit.info/drink-driving/the-law/

In answer to the OP, alcohol consumption amongst young people aged 18-25 is at its lowest levels since records began. My youngest is 20 and barely drinks at all and nor do her friends. Smoking in that age group is also at the lowest recorded levels.

As a medical student, she's learnt that the middle-aged, middle classes are the ones most likely to have an alcohol problem. Dh and I used to have a night cap of a glass of wine most evenings but now we only get through a bottle of wine a week, between us. Annoyingly, though, I don't feel any different even when I've abstained from alcohol for weeks!

My grandchildren only drink at parties, weddings etc, sadly their mother is an alcoholic, she started about ten years ago when her GP suggested she relaxed with a glass of wine , such a horrific illness, no one chooses or sets out to be an alcoholic when they relax with those first few glasses of wine.

My dear sister always says everything looks better through the bottom of a glass. I'm quite jealous as I have never liked the taste or even the smell of alcohol at all-which is such a pity as I'm a real Francophile and would just love to be able to enjoy a fine wine, champagne. . . .
My DH hardly ever drinks, the odd glass of beer or glass of wine. One of my sons in law recently stopped drinking alcohol altogether-I am delighted as he and our DD were drinking (not heavily) alcohol every night.
I am appalled at the way alcohol is abused the way it is now-ask any police officer or A&E doctor. One of he daftest things ever was the change of alcohol laws. You can never put the genie back in the bottle but I really wish we could revert to licensing hours and not selling alcohol cheaply in supermarkets. I'm not a spoilsport just can't bear to see the damage being done to people's health at such a great cost to us all especially young women.

Wine always reminds me of Lister in Red Dwarf :
It's never beer is it, it's always wine. 'What do you want on your cornflakes darling', 'oh I'll 'ave some wine please'. SMEG!

I hope it doesn't go out of style.
To quote a Wise Chinese Doctor:
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways-Chardonnay in one hand-chocolate in the other-body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "Woo-Hoo, what a ride"!
I hope that's the way I go

I think I agree Phoenix we had a house warming party about 10 days ago and about 25 adults attended. We stocked up on a few specialist beers, red wine, rosé and whites. I also bought four bottles of Schloer.
I still have enough wine and beer to last us for months

OP asked 'Is drinking going out of fashion?'

I wonder if there are generational peaks - teen - early adult years and possibly later adult years. Somewhere in the middle, when children arrive, perhaps people cut back a little. And as the OP says, if people are on regular medication, this may give cause to cut back too.

When my DD was pregnant she didn't drink at all, but alluded to looking forward so much to a glass or two once the baby had arrived. I could tell I gave her pause for thought when I. said 'Well one parent always needs to be sober in years to come, in case of emergencies...' I can see, from the unopened gifted bottles that are lining up, that she and SIL have cut back considerably.

When I was young, (born 1963!) we simply didn't drink like young people do now. In my 20s / 30s, we had alcohol at Christmas and Easter and not in between unless we had a dinner party. Now we have a wine rack stacked with bottles and more chilling in the fridge and this is the norm. We enjoy a bottle or 2 over the weekend as a regular thing - don't drink at all during the working week. I think my retired parents-in-law have a tipple of something everyday. My guilty pleasure at the moment, as I am still on holiday, is having a glass of the left over Easter port every evening - hits a spot, but when it's gone, it's gone and I won't have another bottle until Christmas!

Our children and partners don't seem to drink much at all unless perhaps on a night out. They were all here for Easter Sunday lunch and it was the bottles of Shloer that were passed round the table, only OH and I had wine.
I offered drinks later on but they all took cans of soft drinks from the fridge. I had a nice champagne cognac I needed it.

If alcohol has gone out of fashion I wish someone would let my DH know. He would think I was making it up and he is not interested in fashion in any shape or form. .

In the past 10yrs I have found I drink less and less. When I go out for a meal, I just don't want it. I can go to friends and I am happy with a soft drink or a hot choc. No particular reason, but I have found that I am just not enjoying the taste of it. I do visit a really good friend and we will have a cocktail night, now then we do enjoy it. But my food tastes have also changed in many ways. Perhaps it's because I am getting older I don't know. But for all of you who enjoy, carry on supping;-)))..x

Definitely not out of fashion in our house! I've tried to cut out my evening glass of red or 2 but it makes me thoroughly miserable and according to the newspaper on Monday, 2 small glasses in the evening is actually good for you. I'm sure last week they were saying the opposite

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