Cutting down on alcohol

I know I drink too much, Cambia, but as with many on this thread, I am fit and (so far, fingers crossed) healthy. I enjoy a good, balanced diet; I don't smoke or eat sugary foods; I make meals from scratch, with lots of fresh vegetables; I exercise by walking dogs, gardening, volunteering, so maintain a weight of 8 1/2 stone. However, I will try the watermelon chill, OldMeg, as that sounds delicious, and it can only benefit me to have a couple of dry days each week. All in all, I don't think I'm bad for 70!

Spirits can sit in the cupboard for years and I will ignore them, only rarely do I have a g&t or a liqueur (once or twice a year). However, I do like a glass of wine but we would rarely polish off a whole bottle between us in one go and I have resolved to drink only at weekends.

There are approximately 10 units in a bottle of wine.

I am with Jane and Merlot. I only ever drink dry wine, have a couple of nights off most weeks and stick to two smallish glasses. We love food and cooking and wine is part of a good meal for us.
In the thirteen years we have lived in France no doctor has ever asked us how much we drink.

I can keep wine in the house and not drink it [don't like it very much], but I can't keep anything like Tia Maria etc as I can just drink the lot. Tend to be on call to look after the grandchildren at odd hours as well, so I can't drink in case the phone rings, and I'm sure a lot of people are driving the following day after drinking the night before and are over the limit.

Mr merlotgran

When it comes to counting the cost we don't beat ourselves up over a few bottles of wine a week because we live in the middle of nowhere so rarely go out to pubs or restaurants. Like janea above, we save a lot of money on other things.

DH is on warfarin and has been advised that it's OK to have a drink so long as there are no peaks and troughs. In other words, abstaining all week then binge drinking at the weekend would be stupid.

So......He will often say, 'I'd better have another one to keep up my regular intake.'

I enjoy and relax with a glass of red in the evening...Aldi wines are reasonable.. don't really go out lots,think am sensible enough to set my own unit limit!!

Thank you all, I don’t feel quite so guilty now! Will carry on with our wine with meals but will try to fit in two or three days a week wine free. We are both slim, healthy and never have hangovers or feel bad, so it can’t be doing too much harm hopefully! Thanks Mrs Jamjam, we too drink half a litre carafes in .greece but usually polish off a litre of water with it. That must outweigh the alcohol!

Such a nice group!

I think it can just be a habit. Although we weren't big drinkers I stopped in May because I was on antibiotics and just never started again. My husband has just been in hospital and has never started again either. Actually we hardly noticed! We drink more squash now.

wildswan I can afford wine because I don’t smoke, I cook from scratch using less expensive cuts of meat, I don’t buy prepared salads or fruit, I never have shop-bought desserts, and I don’t buy cakes, biscuits, crisps, snacks of any kind, or fizzy drinks. (Except tonic to go with my gin)

I recently discovered Seedlip non alcoholic spirit and at last, with tonic, a not sweet drink which I enjoy. In Greece we always drink the house wine in a carafe and dilute this with water. Keeps up the fluid intake without too much alcohol!

Lunch ready now, will post more later as I am very proud that I have cut my wine consumption from daily to only two days a week. And found a way I can happily stick to!

I'm with jane, ann and merlot! Mine's a well chilled white.

As I don't drink any wine at all I can't really sympathise about trying to cut down! But if I did I would probably be adding up the cost - I really don't understand how people afford to buy four or more bottles a week.

DH has been taking warfarin daily for more than 10 years - so his alcohol has to be limited or it upsets his INR ( clotting ability of the blood) - this makes you aware and we have reduced our intake to the point where we don’t actually have any wine unless we have guests or go out.

I agree with you annsixty. I enjoy a glass of wine with a meal and the odd Baileys to boot. My doctor asked me how much I drink at one of my check ups and said I was fine. Anything in moderation is OK by me. Mind you I'm still not sure what a 'unit' actually means - I tend to go by 'glass'

I agree, annsixty. Unless you have health or weight problems that mean it would be unwise to drink more than whatever amount has been recommended, enjoy a tipple when you feel like it.

Surely at our age we know our own tolerance?

Am I the only one who thinks life is too short to worry about 20 units a week.
It is an arbitrary figure and if you feel happy, well and enjoy it don't fret.

Cambia Take heart from David Spiegelhalter, the Winton Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk in the Statistical Laboratory at Cambridge University, who thinks the Department of Health’s guidelines are misguided.
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.theregister.co.uk/AMP/2016/01/22/stats_gurus_open_fire_on_bogus_booze_guidelines/
I heard him on the radio explaining why a simple cut-off point, above which alcohol is dangerous, and below which it is safe, is ridiculous.
If I remember correctly, he said that it should be more like a sliding scale - less than 5 units s week would be safe, and more than 35 units a week would be dangerous, with a large grey area in between.
If you scroll to the bottom of the link I posted, it says a more accurate interpretation of the statistics would point to the moderate protective effect of alcohol.

So enjoy your with your meal. Your intake is about the same as mine & MrA’s

Brilliant ideas already! OldMeg I like the idea of the Watermelon Fresh drink as I don't want to substitute sugary drinks for alcohol. I actually think alcohol is healthier than cola!!
Charleygirl good idea to match wine to food too. Don't really need a glass of wine with fish and chips and curries! Will try both these tips. Thank you.

Me too I need to be only drinking at weekends so I'm going to start from tomorrow.

I also only drink wine with food but I decided I would only have wine with certain foods such as steak, spag bol (I use wine to cook this) a roast meal to give you an idea. I never have wine with a curry and I have curries frequently. I end up drinking a bottle every 2-3 weeks.

Fresh and fruity ....

The secret is to have a substitute drink that you enjoy instead. This must therefore be planned in advance.

Can I also suggest that you buy in just enough alcohol to last the four (?) days you are allowing yourself a tipple. When it’s gone it’s gone and you won’t buy extra.

My favourite non alcoholic substitute is Watermelon Chill. I once had this instead of wine at a Pizza Express when I was the designated driver. So now I make myself a jug of this and have it with my meal on non drinking days.

I’d think you might find something similar in Greece? So on holiday substitute your first drink with something fresh and fruit (not the waiter!) and see how that works.

When you have the answer would you please share, I need to stop eating..constantly!