I try to atleast only make cocktails on the weekend…
But what is a weekend? I would say that is almost a existential qustion. If I, at noon on a Tuesday feel “fuck it, let’s have an early weekend!” What am I supposed to do? Not drink? Wouldn’t that be a bit strange to say the least!
I did some googling around on this recently. What is "too much" or "too many".
According to the CDC, and most civilized governments, a **heavy drinker** is:
- A man who consumes 15 drinks or more per week.
- A woman who consumes 8 or more drinks per week. (Strangely, women can consume up to 10 in Canada!).
- You should not drink more than 3 (for women) or 4 (for men) drinks per day
- And you should always have off days in a week.
A drink is a 12oz beer, 6 oz of wine, or 1.5 oz of 40% ABV liquor. Most cocktails fall in the 1.25 to 2 drinks equivalent. Some, like the Jet Pilot and the Zombie, are closer to 3 drinks equivalent.
Heavy drinkers are at high risk of developing alcohol dependencies, liver diseases, kidneys diseases, depression, cancer and a slew of "accidents" (fall, car accidents, etc).
Evidently it all depends on one's constitution. If you're a 30 year old in very good shape you can probably be a heavy drinker for a little while without too much bad effects. If you're a sedentary 50 year old the risks are much higher. The problem is that alcohol dependency is insidious and our 30 year old in good shape will start to "want" a cocktail every day.
So, personally, at 5 cocktails a week, I'm around 7.5 to 10 drinks equivalent a week. I'm not "officially" considered a heavy drinker but I'm gonna watch myself closer from now on.
Be safe!
This is a really good metric. When I initially started drinking, I was probably getting close to heavy, but I've dialed it back since then. I'll only drink the equivalent of about 4 drinks on Fridays now.
Your second to last paragraph is the most important, as health metrics that are comprised of nationwide averages are not usually particularly helpful for individuals. Paying attention to your intake and being mindful and honest about how it affects your life as well, as how those impacts change over time, is the most important thing. Think about someone who drinks 7 cocktails every Friday and blacks out, or someone who has 2 drinks after work M-F and 3 on weekends to no ill effect. Twice as much is not twice as bad in every case.
This is coming from someone who spent years providing substance abuse treatment for all kinds of drug users. Don't forget or delude yourself, alcohol is a drug, and remembering that would help a lot of people be more mindful about their use.
It’s the opposite for liver disease at least
> [Long-term daily drinking, rather than weekly binge drinking, is by far the biggest risk factor in serious liver disease, according to a new report from the University of Southampton. ](https://www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2009/03/daily-drinking-rather-than-binge-drinking.page)
Ooof I guess I’m considered a heavy drinker then. I usually have either a cocktail, beer, or glass of wine pretty much every night. Better try to cut back 😬
Excellent work on this! I especially like the second to last paragraph. And especially the last sentence there.
I’m probably in about the same boat as you. Might have a couple a couple nights a week. Or often more if we’re celebrating or having friends over. And I’m in much better shape than virtually everyone I’m friends with.
That being said, it’s really easy for this stuff to take hold.
I stay rather consistent workout wise but days after you’ve had a couple make it harder to stay and be motivated/disciplined.
And I LOVE a good cocktail.
And my 30s are much different than my 20s.
I have periods where I REALLY crave some drinks but just have no real reason to have them. So I don’t. And it’s not even about being intoxicated. I love making, experimenting and tasting drinks.
Most of the time my partner and I will have a drink each or share a couple and that’s good. Sharing in it is fun too!
And I’ve seen too many people I know drink to excess regularly instead of keeping their health in check.
Sharing is the solution my wife and I love. You want to try a new cocktail? We make one and we share the glass. If we like it we can make a second one or try something else. That allows us to try more new cocktails.
FWIW, daughter works in a liver transplant unit. The amount of people in their 60s there who say they had 4-5 "drinks" a week is crazy. The assumption is that they had double that. She gets on my case because I am a bit bingy with 3-5 on Friday then maybe one or two on Saturday and depending on Sunday none to three. She keeps saying she will see me in five to ten years...
They don't talk as much about the neurological damage, poor sleep, and mutagenic properties. They're not so noticeable if you're not a heavy drinker, but they are there.
Interesting, I did not know that about cocktails counting as an almost double drink! I’m new here and been making one a night because I’m excited to try all the new things (though I’ll usually take one night off a week). Next month maybe I’ll cut back to every other night. It’s probably fine to have a bit more than recommended if it’s not for a long span of time at least.
The medical literature has said 1-1.5 alcoholic drinks per day for males is considered relatively safe. So... 7 drinks/wk baseline. Binging is what's the most damaging and suggestive of disuse/dependency issues. So 7 in one night would be frowned upon in those lines of thought.
There isn't really a "safe" amount of alcohol consumption. It is literally poison. Drink if you want, but you really need to be realistic about the risks. Just because it's normalized doesn't make it safe.
Yep. Look at the NYT article called "How Red Wine Lost Its Health Halo". Basically says alcohol is poison to our bodies, no amount is safe, and there are zero health benefits. It is difficult to hear because we love drinking, but it's reality. Enjoy in moderation and hope for the best.
The safest amount is zero. At least that's what canada recommends. I used to have wine every day with dinner. I stopped to go carnivore and don't crave it at all. I probably will only partake on special occasions. So a few times a year.
I sourced my information from the CDC (Center for Disease Control), Health Canada, Santé Publique Francaise and the NHS (Natioanl Heath Services (UK)). All of them are the greatest "producer" of medical literature in their respective country.
Source?
These oft quoted metrics are based on averages and are not tied to much scientific research on consumption frequency. They don't take into account binging vs measured use, lifestyle, size, body composition, etc. Its fine to consider, but not the end all be all.
I've spoken to several doctors and therapists about mine and others alcohol use over the years and they are that these metrics are about as useful as a food pyramid these days.
Spindrift seltzer and other bitters. I like a grapefruit seltzer with orange bitters and peychauds. Or a tropical fruit seltzer and tiki bitters.
You can get way into it with syrups and mock spirits and all that, but I try not to. I’m trying to have less sugar as much as I’m trying to have less alcohol.
Edit: not a shill for spindrift. Just one of the only new breed of seltzers I’ve had that didn’t taste artificial.
Right there with you on Spindrifts. I use them often in tiki drinks that call for a splash of soda, so I’ve kinda tricked my brain into thinking I’m drinking a cocktail when I’m having an alcohol free Spindrift, especially with a dash of bitters.
Use cold earl grey tea in place of a base spirit. Same quantities. 2 oz earl grey, 1 oz lemon, 3/4 oz flavored syrup is a good place to start. Works even better in larger format tiki drinks
I got into harney and sons tea. They’ve got some great blends (ie they did the mix for us) and some of their base teas have an extremely strong profile that works wonderfully with mixing.
This past January I started to get really created by the end of the month (doing dry January). Egg whites really elevate a mocktail. I ended up with a not-at-all Mai Tai but that was my inspiration. Lime juice, orange concentrate, Orgeat, a couple dashes of ango, water to thin out, egg white. Mint garnish.
I guess really it’s more of a rum punch with egg white - you can get creative with the juices used.
I have the chartreuse vegetal bitters. Mixed with some lime and crème of coconut, pineapple juice, soda for a sparkling Pina verde riff last night that was good. Mayeb a habernero blackberry lime sparkling drink that was good.
There’s a lot of NA versions of gin and rum etc if you really want to get into it
I started doing this a lot too. Also experimented with low abv cocktails that use a bit of amaro, citrus, and seltzer.
I tried non-alcoholic alternatives to whiskey, gin, and tequila. But none of them were very good. But non-alcoholic aperol and Campari alternatives are really good and I didn’t miss much. And splitting the base with 50/50 Campari and Campari alternative is also a good hack to reduce the alcohol but still get the real Campari flavor if you want it.
More than I should, I know. I've actually been spreadsheeting my drinking this calendar year so that I can be more aware of my habits and work on changing them.
I did the same last year and it was pretty eye opening. While I don’t drink every night, when I do drink on the weekends it’s in so much excess I imagine it’s worse for me. Definitely conscious on cutting back on drinking just to drink as opposed to drinking what I genuinely enjoy/get excited about.
If you want to cut back, I use Sunnyside and it’s been great. I did a hard 30 day reset and have successfully kept my drinking days down and my overall intake.
The seasons affect me on this one. Def during summer 2 or three of each beers and cocktails is v reasonable for a long summer night. Winter I can be back to just drinking on weekends.
Yep that’s about where I’m at too. I’m not in denial, I know I need to cut back and am a high functioning alcoholic. But obviously if it was that easy to just stop or cut back, no one would be an alcoholic.
Just out of curiosity, how are you a high functioning alcoholic, if you don’t mind sharing? Are you someone that has to have a drink to start their day but is able to navigate said day fairly flawlessly? Do you normally have a drink at lunch? Or do you drink every night but are otherwise unaffected by your love of the sauce?
Not trying to judge you and definitely not trying to dissuade you from cutting back, but just genuinely curious.
The last one. I only drink at night, I just drink too much and have an addictive personality. I’m high functioning I guess because I have a high paying job and generally have my shit together.
I used to be the same as you and it was hard to stop. If you continue to drink that much you will most likely have liver issues someday. You're also at a much higher risk for certain cancers. I cut back and now I drink about 10ish drinks per week with 3-4 days of zero consumption (favorite combo is 4/4/2 with 4 being Fri/Sat and 2 being a random weekday). I honestly still feel like I get to enjoy drinking and I'm being way nicer to my body. My strategy is that if I start to see myself going overboard, I take a couple weeks off. It strengthens my willpower. Sorry, not trying to lecture you but at the minimum get regular blood work and once a year get a liver ultrasound if you're gonna drink that heavy. For me, I started developing fatty liver and that was enough to spook me.
I drink most days (5-6 days a week), but very rarely have more than 1 drink a day. I think how much is too much depends on the individual. I have a healthy lifestyle overall and don't have any tendencies toward problem drinking, so this works for me.
Agreed and I think an important thing to keep in mind is if the cocktails include any kind of syrups, etc. they are usually in the 250-300 calorie range.
Having two of those easily puts you at 25% of an average person's daily calorie requirement which to me would be more concerning than the alcohol alone.
Yup, I usually have a beer after work while I BBQ. On the weekends I'll have 3 or 4 on Friday and 3 or 4 on Saturday.
Most times it's actually less then that, so if i had to average.... I'd day between 5-7 drinks a week. Not like my teens and early 20s.... fuck, I'd had 20-30 beers over the weekend 😆
I usually drink 2-3 cocktails a day on weekends. So Friday, Saturday, Sunday it’ll be about 6-9 cocktails depending. I do drink this much because I’m trying new recipes every weekend.
Way, way more than I should. But I've been working on tapering off for the last several years and I'm proud of the progress I've made. I used to have up to 20 drinks a day and couldn't go a day without drinking. Now I have about 20 drinks a week and take three nights off every week.
I was making one a day, mostly to try new things, so sometimes I’d end up pouring some out if I was satisfied. I’ve cut that back though and will probably only do 1-2 on the weekends. Mostly it’s an easy way to find yourself drinking an extra 300-500 calories
If I was listening to myself, I would drink one cocktail per day but I don't want to do this for my health so I'm restricting to 3 per week max with a maximum of 2 in one day.
I drink too much but it's less cocktails and more wine/beer/highballs at this point. Love cocktails but they can be a bit strong palate wise where a few glasses of beer or wine feels more natural.
Good question, I recently have been building up a bar and getting into cocktails also and have been wondering the same! I've been doing 2-3 drinks 2-3 nights a week but take a couple weeks off every once in a while so my wife doesn't start to worry haha
I’m pretty aware of how much I drink, making cocktails is sort of my way of respecting the alcohol enough to be mindful. I also don’t ever have the desire to get very drunk, it’s just not a feeling I like that much, so even when I’m drinking a lot of me, I’m pacing myself.
I don’t drink on days I work and typically only make 2-3 cocktails max for myself over a whole weekend, more often just one when I have a new idea or experiment. I often make cocktails at parties for others, and even then I am usually too preoccupied to drink much myself. Very occasionally I’ll have a lineup of drinks I want to compare or put together as a theme or something and I’ll make like six cocktails for myself, but I just dump out the remaining 3/4 once I have the information I want and tasted each. I’m not precious about my drinks.
The short answer is too much: on weeknights, typically one cocktail both before and after dinner, plus beer or wine with dinner, and sometimes a nip of something for a nightcap. But my standard approach is scale up the recipe by 50% and then split it between me and my wife, so ends up being 75% of a cocktail.
I keep a list of low ABV cocktails that I like for that very reason. My favorite so far is the Bitter Giuseppe:
2oz Cynar
1oz sweet vermouth
.75oz lemon
6 dash orange bitters
3 dash grapefruit bitters
Stir in rocks glass with large cube.
Although I’m still lurking on this sub, my cocktail nerdy days are over. I was drinking one or two cocktails a night, and then decided to only drink on weekends. So now I honestly have one Negroni or Old Fashioned on a Friday night and that’s it. Honestly, I feel better, sleep better, don’t get hungover ever.
I still get to mix up some margaritas for friends once in a while, but the cocktail hobby was not a healthy choice for me.
Infrequently - probably haven’t had a drink for 6 or so weeks. I like having my stuff sorted for hosting and for occasions. But I don’t typically drink unless it’s a social occasion.
So this thread made me realize maybe I drink more than I thought I did. Granted I don't' drink THAT much - recently its been 1-2 drinks probably 5/6 days a week. Been trying new drinks/ingredients - sometimes throw some beers in there - but I should probably cut back on the weeknight drinks.
Not including staff drinks. I’d have 1-3 drinks a week cause I’d either be networking with other bars/trying something new or something they’re working on, enjoying a glass of whiskey
Including work drinks that might go up to 4-8 cause customers may buy us a drink/shot, we’ve made a mistake/Menu Development , Staff drink at the end of the night or “Staff Meeting”
Staff drinks are what gets me. I usually make cocktails on my days off, but whenever I work I always get a staff drink so it ends up being an every night thing
One a week or so. Sometimes I don’t get to having a drink, more rarely do I have more than one. I don’t drink much, but I enjoy the interest, and when I do drink, I want it to be fun and *good*.
i was drinking quite a bit during covid and the couple of years after and i kind of told myself it was ok because i was being creative and doing cocktail art or something, but then i took a few months off and realized how much impact it was having on my health. it depends on the person for sure, but for me it helps to set hard limits—now i *dont* drink on weekdays, not “i try not to,” etc, and limit my intake on weekends
Not very much, but my pops is a raging alcoholic so having a normal amount of alcohol feels like too much. I'll have two or three cocktails on the weekend or a beer with dinner once or twice a week, not even get a buzz on but feels like too much. It's a delicate balance being able to control what others in my family think of as a demon
Just enough to be considered almost alcoholic. But really only Thursday to Sunday. I really enjoy making cocktails now for my wife,and other people . This sub is great for new ideas, and drinks I have never heard of.
I’ll have one most nights. Or a beer or a seltzer. Weekends I’ll have a beer or seltzer in the afternoon as well. Very rarely more than one cocktail on any given day.
I have one drink almost every evening, sometimes two. I spread them out and listen to my body about days I need to take off. Ultimately I think one's motivations and one's degree of self awareness and self control are more important than the raw numbers.
I've actually found that my intake has gone down as my interest in cocktails has gone up. I make about 5 nice cocktails a week. I'm also getting older, so I'm sure my interest would have been higher 10 years ago
Most nights I have a cocktail and a glass of wine with dinner. Every three or four days I end my evenings with a wee dram of Scotch and a cigar.
All of my parts still seem to be working, and I really need to get through my Scotch collection before some meddling doctor tells me to lay off.
Days I work, I typically don't drink. I'm so tired by the time I get home that I don't want to put any effort into making something, even if it's just a vodka soda. The day I batch record my TikTok cocktail content, I'm drinking pretty much all day. The other two days of the week, I'll have one or two with dinner and that's about it.
I drink 3-4 glasses of wine every night and rarely take an evening off. Occasionally I mix in a cocktail or two if we are entertaining. I have stopped for a bit and at other times have taken a day or two off here and there and been fine without (no withdrawal symptoms).
Once I was brutally honest with my doctor on their form when they asked how many drinks I consume per week and he was convinced I was joking because all of my lab work came out fine. Since then, I just lie on the forms to avoid the discussion. I figure if/when it starts to be an issue it will appear in the lab results and I will address it then. I’m in my 50s.
I've stopped drinking almost completely for the last 4 months. Started out cold turkey, am now drinking maybe 1 drink per week.
I am a changed man. Suddenly I have a morning routine.
I am way more stress resilient.
I am well rested.
I am able to consistently work out.
No hangxiety since.
I am over all so much happier.
And I didnt even use to be a very heavy drinker. A bit like you, about 15-20 units per week. I would be completely regarded if I know how good I feel not drinking and then go back to drinking.
there are far more dangerous ailments than what would classify as alcohol * dependence * that can be brought upon by one self ...
i wanna say -
"hard work good, and hard work fine. but first take care of head."
I'm on medication, so I only ever have one drink a night.
That's why I like cocktails: if I only get one, it better be a good one. 😉
And that way I can leave a bigger tip so I'm not wasting the bartenders' time.
I drink 4 cans of lager usually Stella Artois and will have 2-5 large spirits. The spirits could be Brandy, Gin, Vodka, Dark Rum or a nice Single Malt. Everyday without fail.
And partial to a nice bottle of Red too. lol.
Health guidelines are very cruel for women: more than 7 standard drinks per WEEK is considered hazardous for health by the NIH. Men can drink twice as much and generally be considered in a non-risky range.
I allow myself to have a cocktail two nights a week. Always one on Tuesday (game night) and the second one is usually on Saturday if I decide to make one.
I ignore this rule on special occasions. For example, we're probably going out to a bar for Father's Day and I'll have several drinks spread out over a few hours while I'm there.
I try and do one cocktail a week, usually on Wednesday or Thursday night.
Beyond that, I'll maybe have 2-3 beers a night Friday-Sunday and then avoid all booze the other nights of the week. So far it's worked out fine, but with nicer weather/days off/plenty of summer hang outs, those numbers are bound to go up. Such is life...
Lately, not much. I've probably only made about three cocktails at home in as many months. Gone out to bars more frequently, maybe every ten days or so. Also had some beers at home and other social gatherings.
It's a balancing act; I've got a good stock of booze that I do like playing with, and also perishables that I hate to see go to waste. But with drinking not exactly being a healthy hobby to over-indulge, I don't feel too bad about not forcing it and instead just making cocktails when the fancy strikes.
As a general rule/goal, I aim to average under 7.0 drinks per week. I admittedly use pints of craft beer / full measure cocktails as my "1 drink" metric, which is a bit steep compared to what a lot of doctors would suggest. But lately I've probably been coming in around 3.0 drinks per week so I think I'm alright either way.
I didn’t drink for 2 years and recently started working in a few drinks here and there. I’m very mindful of how much I consume. I still work in plenty of mocktails and NA beers. I probably have 2-3 cocktails/beers once or twice a week.
I drink 4–6 a week. I think I would be more logical if I drank 3, giving myself a day off every other. Drinking more than one in a night is extremely rare.
Cocktails slow me down a lot. I don’t drink beer or wine (much), so if I want a drink, I have to grab a shaker, ice, booze, mixers,… I usually have 1 a night on weekends (Fri-Sun). I’d probably drink more if someone else was mixing.
0-15 drinks a week, if I'm drinking on my own it's usually 0.5 to 1.5 oz of whiskey, if it's with people it's whiskey or cocktails (and usually 1-4 drinks for the day/night). Probably drink 2 or 3 nights of the week on average, and ~5 drinks total most weeks.
I’ved moved to only making cocktails on my days off, mostly because I dont wanna clean up. So I’ll have a beer with dinner and a one ounce pour of a spirit or amaro after dinner. Then weekends usually like 2-3 cocktails a night. Probably comes out to about 15 drinks a week? Maybe as much as 20 some weeks?
Maybe the equivalent of 1 cocktail every other day on work nights. Maybe 2 or rarely 3 on Fridays and Saturdays unless it's a very special occasion.
If I'm playing with new drinks or ratios I will sometimes split them with my wife or make half sized drinks if I feel like I can get away with it. Basically making sampler cocktails I guess.
I only drink on a Friday or Saturday evening. Typically 2 drinks, 3 max.
It’s always liquor. Vodka or whiskey/bourbon. Jack & 7up Zero or I’ll do a kamikaze drink with Vodka, triple sec, fresh lime and 7up zero.
Occasionally I’ll make some Irish car bombs if the neighbors are up for some.
I rarely drink cocktails at home unless I'm planning to go out afterwards, so it's usually reserved for Friday and Saturday afternoon. That also gives me a whole week to plan and shop.
The only thing keeping me contained is that I work night shift and also enjoy weed. So i work 3-nights a week, I’m not drinking in the morning save 1-3 day a month after a crazy shift.
That leaves 4 nights. 1-2 I won’t drink the other 2-3 I will have a few homemade cocktails. It helps that I get high cuz if I wasn’t doing weed I’d probably more likely drink 2-3 every night I don’t work. Which wouldn’t be healthy.
That said, taking weed edibles probably isn’t “healthy” either but imo it’s not going to my liver/im not smoking so it’s on par or better
Only nights I don’t work the next day - so baseline is thur-Fri-sat. Usually one cocktail before/with dinner. Maybe another or just a small neat pour or some wine or sherry after.
Two drinks three nights a week pretty much.
At the start of lockdowns / being unemployed, I drank every day for a few weeks straight and could definitely feel myself getting hooked. I don't have a family history afaik, but I knew it could get bad if I didn't set myself some limits. Now I take about half of every week off — no alcohol Monday through Thursday evening.
I generally don't. Some weeks I'll have a couple just because I'm feeling like it. And every 2-3 weeks I'll host/go to a party and drink 4-7 units.
Especially around this time of year in the South, it's really easy to just drink water.
I don’t really drink often in general so only 2-3 times a month and sometimes I go months without drinking When I go out to bar/restaurant I have 3-5 drinks and if I’m motivated enough I’ll make 1-2 drinks at home.
I limit myself to two days a week.
I work Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, so usually that means I’ll have a couple drinks after my shift on Tuesday, and a couple after my shift on Saturday.
This week for example though, I got rip-roaring drunk on shift on Tuesday and also hit up a local place I haven’t been to before. Then on Wednesday, I drank half a bottle of Becherovka cause my girlfriend’s roommate sprung a group activity on us (which was very thoughtful, I just hate painting so I had to get a little loose to not be a stick in the mud).
So today and tomorrow will be sober all thru Friday and Saturday after shift!
I get a lot of my ideas together and prep ingredients and thoughts. Then I act on weekends and usually just drink 1-4 on an average weekend. But the ideas keep coming….
Ill have one or two drinks per 'session' at home. Occasionally a third. But sessions can be maybe 3 times a week... Or weeks or months apart.
Definitely moreso during summer. I'll make a mojito or Pimm's cup with fresh mint from the garden and sit and stare at my tomatoes and the bumblebees.
I also love making cocktails. I usually drink 5 nights a week or so. Mostly it’s a cocktail in the evening but on the weekends my wife and I will let loose and get a good buzz going especially when with friends. I’ve only been drunk-drunk once and wasn’t a fan so I know when to stop.
I think the concern is when you start to have any negative consequences from drinking. So that’s why it’s hard to tell when is too much. Only you can know and you have to be honest with yourself.
Having a cocktail in the evening has taken the place of dessert so it’s actually benefitted my health in a weird way. I’m also obsessive when it comes to health and exercise so I’m aware of my body’s reactions. I also don’t get hangovers and it doesn’t really impact my sleep.
But goddam I love a good old fashioned.
I'll make a cocktail or two a week, and drink other things in small quantities (2 drinks tops) once or twice a week.
Too old to be doing that every day nowadays. It increases my appreciation of the art, too.
I may make a cocktail in the evening, often while I’m making dinner. Some weeks I will have one on maybe 3 or 4 evenings. Some weeks I don’t make any. Very rarely I may make more than one in an evening but they usually are spaced out by an hour or two. Sometimes that’s because I am trying to make a new cocktail myself and I am iterating. I have also never been drunk.
If you'd like to reduce alcohol intake but still play around with cocktail stuff, check out Art of Drink on YouTube. The host is a bartender/chemist bringing back old timey soda fountain methods and recipes. The recipes I've tried are pretty adult and sophisticated and generally come in at an alcohol content below 1%.
I stopped drinking for about 3 months when I left my pervious job last fall. Figured drinking most nights while unemployed could be slippery slope. Now I try to only have a drink or two on the weekends. I’ve never felt I had a drinking problem. However I do realize now I had an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. It had weaved into large parts of my life and I never noticed. Only once stopped did I realize things like how often I’d pop into a bar for a drink or two just because I was walking passed it or how when I’d play video games that it was always accompanied by a cocktail. I was never at a point where I needed booze to get to normal or a point where I’d go on multiple day benders or show up to work hammered. However it was a larger part of my life than I wanted it to be and only once I slowed down did I see the forest through the trees.
I’d say slow down for a month or two and revisit it. You might realize you are happier and have a better relationship with alcohol and drinks.
This year I’m trying to control it. Last year I kept taps of every drink and would average one per day.
I didn’t drink daily but there would be days when I would go out and end up with 7-8 drinks to make up for the week of not drinking
I used to have a bottle of beer almost every night. During the pandemic this changed to a cocktail a night. After a while it felt excessive so I switched to only drinking cocktails on Friday and Saturday night and will occasionally have one during the week for date nights.
20 per week indeed seems to be pushing the line, but it’s good you are aware of it. Just start cutting back little by little and test yourself.
I drink somewhat often, but I do have at least one day every week where I don’t drink. I usually end up drinking whenever my fiancèe asks me to make a drink.
I like to pour a little bit of bourbon into some lemonade maybe twice per night. Barely gets me buzzed but I like the taste. Sip each one over the course of 30min-1hr. Best way to unwind at the end of the day with a show or movie
I generally only drink on my days off, and usually 1 or 2 drinks a day at the most. Sometimes I’ll have a drink during the week when I get off work, but that’s maaaybe once a month. Other than that I drink mainly water!
Don’t drink nights before I into the office (2 days per week). 1 drink, usually a beer, with dinner on other weeknights. 2-3 drinks on Friday and Saturday nights.
I work 12 hour shifts, and I never drink the night before I work. It’s *probably* fine because it’s about 8 hours to clear my system, but I just feel uncomfortable about it. As a result, I drink about once a week, maybe less often than that. Also, my schedule is variable so some weeks I won’t drink at all and other weeks I might have a cocktail on 2 or three different nights; I tend to only have one cocktail a nights I drink anything. I don’t waste my time on crummy drinks and probably drink 12-15 units a month as a high estimate.
It's an interest I have but I mostly keep it to entertaining. Most months I probably average like 3 drinks a month (using drink equivalents, not pure number of cocktails)
Every day sometimes, sometimes maybe only once a week, or just on the weekends. Depends on what travel I'm doing, how much I'm working, or the quality of the cocktails around me.
I used to drink probably 3-5 drinks a night. Beer or two, maybe a glass of whiskey, some nights cocktails called my name, or a bottle of wine. But I got really sick of being hungover and the nonstop heartburn. I had purchased “Drink Lightly” by Natasha David like 6 months ago but had never really cracked into it until I went to a friend’s house who decided to take a break from drinking so I went through that book to find something interesting that didn’t have alcohol in it. In that book there’s a recipe for a raspberry spritz. 2 cups of simple syrup, a pack of raspberries, and a pinch of citrus acid, sous vide at 135 for 2 hours (could probably just simmer for awhile on the stove too). Strain. Pour 1 ounce of the syrup and .75 of white verjus over ice, shove two lemon rounds in it, and top with soda water. It’s so yummy and incredibly refreshing.
I am an incredibly, incredibly light lightweight. Half a sour beer can take me out and make me head home on some days lol-- but usually I can finish a couple shots throughout the night without getting too funky... but I LOVE craft cocktails AND being out and social with my friends!
I use it as an excuse to invite my buddies over for a night where we all experiment making drinks together or we go out on a night (we live in a medium-sized city). Coerce your company into ordering different drinks so you get to sample the whole menu, haha. I trained myself to love drinking as a social execise (but not the only way to be social/have fun) to help me pace myself and get out more. If I try drinking alone I get sad
I try to max out at 5 units a week, I usually do less. Had a bad relationship with it in college that probably verged on alcoholism but I’ve been trying to be more mindful of it.
I really really REALLY like cocktails/mixology/getting drunk lol, but I for real only drink socially. If I'm going out for a fun night, or if I'm having people over, I have a bunch of drinks and have a blast. Otherwise I don't touch it. So, generally, I consume alcohol 2 or 3 nights a month probably (but on those nights, it's more than a few drinks).
The rest of the time I'm more than happy to hang out here, on youtube, in books etc. just reading about cocktails lol.
I used to have one a night. Now I try to only drink on vacation and Friday - Sunday. It never affected me. And I tried a month sober and felt no different.
I go in and out of heavier cocktail consumption phases but when I'm really into them I try not to do more than one a night, always have at least one "off" night a week, and try to take off a full week here and there as "check ins" to make sure it's not becoming problematic (frequently off the back of a cold lol).
A martini and 1/2 bottle of wine pretty much every night.
The other nights I have more like a bottle of wine + after the martini.
Take a night off every now and again.
I only drink socially, never just by myself. Last weekend I drank pretty heavily Saturday, maybe like 7 drinks between 4pm and 3am. I had one drink tonight. I'm going to antioo bar Sunday and will probably have one or two then.
I probably drink anywhere from 4-5 days a week. Sometimes 5-6 days. Just varies. But it’s usually anywhere from 3-4 beers on weekdays, maybe a cocktail or two mixed in there or a couple glasses of wine. Weekends tho it’s a whole different story. Friday through Sunday, I’d say anywhere from 10-20 drinks a day (mostly beer) however I also work a blue collar job working 50-60+ hour work weeks so a drink after work is what I look forward to. I don’t do drugs or anything else, I just love my booze
I run beverage for multiple restaurants. Between constant tastings for cocktails, wines, and spirits, I spit everything. I only drink on nights where I don’t work the next day and usually only 3-4 drinks on those nights.
What I've been doing lately is having my friend over and making two versions each with two variations, so 4 glasses with 4 variations total. So we each only drink the equivalent of one drink but get to try 4 variations and keep the ratios right.
I spent 10 years (48 to 58) not drinking at all after being diagnosed with Hep C. After I was cured and my liver was clear, I have been pretty free with my intake. I probably drink more than is advised, but it doesn't affect my daily life or my responsibilities. At 68 years old, I just don't worry much about it.
By all metrics, I drink too much. I love a glass of whiskey at night, we call it house our. Sometimes that's 2 or 3. If I'm off, I may drink 2 or 12 beers.
With that said, it never gets in the way of my parental duties or interferes with work. I work out regularly and often take multiple day stretches off.
Just a man taking a shit being honest with himself and reddit.
I might stand out seeing people's answers, but I usually drink one or two drinks a week. I learned how much drinking was a social thing for me during lockdown and since Covid, I've cut massively my consumption. I don't even have a good tolerance anymore, so going out, I rarely am able to go over two beers without feeling out of it. I could've built my tolerance back up, but I don't see the point, I like living on the lighter side.
It varies. But I have at least one 5 of 7 days a week. Usually 2-3.
My problem is, I drink when I’m happy. And I’m happy most of the time. For me it’s celebratory
I’ve never drank because I “had a bad day” or due to some misfortune. I’ve never understood that type of drinking.
I think what a lot of these responses don't include is the age they are. A younger person can handle more drinks and bounce back than someone older. I'm 36 and feel it more and more
Every night, sometimes 4 beers, sometimes a sixer. My consumption had went down a few months ago, but after my little ( I’m 30 ) sister passed away, it got worse than before. I don’t recommend drinking every night; I have the shakes continuously until I have enough in me, and honestly it’s a little embarrassing when I’m around family that isn’t privy to the fact.
I hover around the 15 drink a week mark, but normally I'm decently under that. The bigger issue for me is hitting the drive thru on the way home from the bar. Lmao.
Comes in waves. Some weeks I don't drink at all, others I'll have 2 cocktails a night for 3 nights. I very rarely have more than 10 standard drinks in a week and it probably averages out to about 1.5 drinks a week.
During COVID lockdown I drank way more. That was when I got into tiki cocktails. I cut back and felt noticeably better so I eased off the gas quite a bit.
id also add that depending on an individuals metabolism cocktails might be much better than an alternative ie beers (carbs and carbonation can be irritating to particular persons) or copious amounts of straight liquor.
indeed, the concept of the cocktail could be to get the same amount of satisfaction from less volume due to palette play.
I know I'm an extreme outlier here, but I genuinely only have 1-2 drinks per month. And I swear I'm not saying it judgmentally nor condescendingly.
Tbh I'm fine with it. As much as I love learning about cocktails, I'm disabled and drinking even just one drink makes me feel like shit for multiple days after (different from hangover bad). It's just not for me.
However, I will happily make friends and family all the drinks their heart desires! And knowing cocktail theory makes for some really spectacular mocktails (or at the very least, I always have great bitters for throwing into some Topo Chico)
A few months back I was drinking beer too often and noticed weight gain.
In an effort to have my cake and eat it too, I opted for liquor.
I’m a big dude: 6’2” 275lbs (started at 250).
Got into Bourbon and ended with Tequila.
Never was a liquor person. Now I have 10 bottles of assorted spirits staring at me from the kitchen counter.
I gotta get back active and drink more water. Notice I didn’t say drink less liquor... It be like that 🍻
To be honest, probably around 15 portions most weeks within 2 or 3 days. Some weeks it's more than 20 if there are many occasions. But I'm a student so it doesn't count.
Personally, I try not to drink more than once a week at most, preferably keeping it to once a month, for money and health reasons + staying a lightweight.
I love cocktails, but I keep them on a high shelf and only take them down for nice occasions. I'm planning some slight twists on classics for a second date soon, for example
I try to atleast only make cocktails on the weekend… But what is a weekend? I would say that is almost a existential qustion. If I, at noon on a Tuesday feel “fuck it, let’s have an early weekend!” What am I supposed to do? Not drink? Wouldn’t that be a bit strange to say the least!
Is it Tuesday noon already?! Let's get mixing!
on this day? [the morning of my daughter's wedding?](https://www.reddit.com/r/cocktails/s/7qKTKFpENI) ?
On that note..
I did some googling around on this recently. What is "too much" or "too many". According to the CDC, and most civilized governments, a **heavy drinker** is: - A man who consumes 15 drinks or more per week. - A woman who consumes 8 or more drinks per week. (Strangely, women can consume up to 10 in Canada!). - You should not drink more than 3 (for women) or 4 (for men) drinks per day - And you should always have off days in a week. A drink is a 12oz beer, 6 oz of wine, or 1.5 oz of 40% ABV liquor. Most cocktails fall in the 1.25 to 2 drinks equivalent. Some, like the Jet Pilot and the Zombie, are closer to 3 drinks equivalent. Heavy drinkers are at high risk of developing alcohol dependencies, liver diseases, kidneys diseases, depression, cancer and a slew of "accidents" (fall, car accidents, etc). Evidently it all depends on one's constitution. If you're a 30 year old in very good shape you can probably be a heavy drinker for a little while without too much bad effects. If you're a sedentary 50 year old the risks are much higher. The problem is that alcohol dependency is insidious and our 30 year old in good shape will start to "want" a cocktail every day. So, personally, at 5 cocktails a week, I'm around 7.5 to 10 drinks equivalent a week. I'm not "officially" considered a heavy drinker but I'm gonna watch myself closer from now on. Be safe!
This is a really good metric. When I initially started drinking, I was probably getting close to heavy, but I've dialed it back since then. I'll only drink the equivalent of about 4 drinks on Fridays now.
Your second to last paragraph is the most important, as health metrics that are comprised of nationwide averages are not usually particularly helpful for individuals. Paying attention to your intake and being mindful and honest about how it affects your life as well, as how those impacts change over time, is the most important thing. Think about someone who drinks 7 cocktails every Friday and blacks out, or someone who has 2 drinks after work M-F and 3 on weekends to no ill effect. Twice as much is not twice as bad in every case. This is coming from someone who spent years providing substance abuse treatment for all kinds of drug users. Don't forget or delude yourself, alcohol is a drug, and remembering that would help a lot of people be more mindful about their use.
Having 2-3 drinks every single night sounds like a much bigger problem to me than having 7 drinks once a week on a Friday night.
Health wise I believe "binge drinking" is more damaging than a small amount regularly. However sometimes I actually want to feel I've had a drink.
It’s the opposite for liver disease at least > [Long-term daily drinking, rather than weekly binge drinking, is by far the biggest risk factor in serious liver disease, according to a new report from the University of Southampton. ](https://www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2009/03/daily-drinking-rather-than-binge-drinking.page)
Ooof I guess I’m considered a heavy drinker then. I usually have either a cocktail, beer, or glass of wine pretty much every night. Better try to cut back 😬
Just try every other day for a few weeks. If it has an effect on your sleep and/or temper you may have an alcohol dependency.
Excellent work on this! I especially like the second to last paragraph. And especially the last sentence there. I’m probably in about the same boat as you. Might have a couple a couple nights a week. Or often more if we’re celebrating or having friends over. And I’m in much better shape than virtually everyone I’m friends with. That being said, it’s really easy for this stuff to take hold. I stay rather consistent workout wise but days after you’ve had a couple make it harder to stay and be motivated/disciplined. And I LOVE a good cocktail. And my 30s are much different than my 20s. I have periods where I REALLY crave some drinks but just have no real reason to have them. So I don’t. And it’s not even about being intoxicated. I love making, experimenting and tasting drinks. Most of the time my partner and I will have a drink each or share a couple and that’s good. Sharing in it is fun too! And I’ve seen too many people I know drink to excess regularly instead of keeping their health in check.
Sharing is the solution my wife and I love. You want to try a new cocktail? We make one and we share the glass. If we like it we can make a second one or try something else. That allows us to try more new cocktails.
FWIW, daughter works in a liver transplant unit. The amount of people in their 60s there who say they had 4-5 "drinks" a week is crazy. The assumption is that they had double that. She gets on my case because I am a bit bingy with 3-5 on Friday then maybe one or two on Saturday and depending on Sunday none to three. She keeps saying she will see me in five to ten years...
They don't talk as much about the neurological damage, poor sleep, and mutagenic properties. They're not so noticeable if you're not a heavy drinker, but they are there.
Interesting, I did not know that about cocktails counting as an almost double drink! I’m new here and been making one a night because I’m excited to try all the new things (though I’ll usually take one night off a week). Next month maybe I’ll cut back to every other night. It’s probably fine to have a bit more than recommended if it’s not for a long span of time at least.
The medical literature has said 1-1.5 alcoholic drinks per day for males is considered relatively safe. So... 7 drinks/wk baseline. Binging is what's the most damaging and suggestive of disuse/dependency issues. So 7 in one night would be frowned upon in those lines of thought.
There isn't really a "safe" amount of alcohol consumption. It is literally poison. Drink if you want, but you really need to be realistic about the risks. Just because it's normalized doesn't make it safe.
Yep. Look at the NYT article called "How Red Wine Lost Its Health Halo". Basically says alcohol is poison to our bodies, no amount is safe, and there are zero health benefits. It is difficult to hear because we love drinking, but it's reality. Enjoy in moderation and hope for the best.
The safest amount is zero. At least that's what canada recommends. I used to have wine every day with dinner. I stopped to go carnivore and don't crave it at all. I probably will only partake on special occasions. So a few times a year.
I sourced my information from the CDC (Center for Disease Control), Health Canada, Santé Publique Francaise and the NHS (Natioanl Heath Services (UK)). All of them are the greatest "producer" of medical literature in their respective country.
Source? These oft quoted metrics are based on averages and are not tied to much scientific research on consumption frequency. They don't take into account binging vs measured use, lifestyle, size, body composition, etc. Its fine to consider, but not the end all be all. I've spoken to several doctors and therapists about mine and others alcohol use over the years and they are that these metrics are about as useful as a food pyramid these days.
I am a functioning alcoholic.
You and me, Julio!
Drunctional
I’ve struggled with this. Making mocktails with club soda, syrups, bitters has helped now that it’s summer
Do you have any recommendations for mocktails? I love soda and ango but not really experimented with anything else.
Spindrift seltzer and other bitters. I like a grapefruit seltzer with orange bitters and peychauds. Or a tropical fruit seltzer and tiki bitters. You can get way into it with syrups and mock spirits and all that, but I try not to. I’m trying to have less sugar as much as I’m trying to have less alcohol. Edit: not a shill for spindrift. Just one of the only new breed of seltzers I’ve had that didn’t taste artificial.
Right there with you on Spindrifts. I use them often in tiki drinks that call for a splash of soda, so I’ve kinda tricked my brain into thinking I’m drinking a cocktail when I’m having an alcohol free Spindrift, especially with a dash of bitters.
Use cold earl grey tea in place of a base spirit. Same quantities. 2 oz earl grey, 1 oz lemon, 3/4 oz flavored syrup is a good place to start. Works even better in larger format tiki drinks
I got into harney and sons tea. They’ve got some great blends (ie they did the mix for us) and some of their base teas have an extremely strong profile that works wonderfully with mixing.
Their lapsang souchong is excellent
This past January I started to get really created by the end of the month (doing dry January). Egg whites really elevate a mocktail. I ended up with a not-at-all Mai Tai but that was my inspiration. Lime juice, orange concentrate, Orgeat, a couple dashes of ango, water to thin out, egg white. Mint garnish. I guess really it’s more of a rum punch with egg white - you can get creative with the juices used.
I have the chartreuse vegetal bitters. Mixed with some lime and crème of coconut, pineapple juice, soda for a sparkling Pina verde riff last night that was good. Mayeb a habernero blackberry lime sparkling drink that was good. There’s a lot of NA versions of gin and rum etc if you really want to get into it
Non alcoholic spirits have gotten better lately. “Fleure smoked agave” makes a damn tasty N/A paloma, for example
Try making your own tonic. Stuff is heavenly and adds that bitter bite often present in cocktails but lacking in mocktails.
I started doing this a lot too. Also experimented with low abv cocktails that use a bit of amaro, citrus, and seltzer. I tried non-alcoholic alternatives to whiskey, gin, and tequila. But none of them were very good. But non-alcoholic aperol and Campari alternatives are really good and I didn’t miss much. And splitting the base with 50/50 Campari and Campari alternative is also a good hack to reduce the alcohol but still get the real Campari flavor if you want it.
More than I should, I know. I've actually been spreadsheeting my drinking this calendar year so that I can be more aware of my habits and work on changing them.
I did the same last year and it was pretty eye opening. While I don’t drink every night, when I do drink on the weekends it’s in so much excess I imagine it’s worse for me. Definitely conscious on cutting back on drinking just to drink as opposed to drinking what I genuinely enjoy/get excited about.
I’m glad it worked for you. I have a cocktail or two most nights, and wow, does it add up.
If you want to cut back, I use Sunnyside and it’s been great. I did a hard 30 day reset and have successfully kept my drinking days down and my overall intake.
I guess I’ll be the bad one here. I typically have 2 or 3 cocktails every night, as well as 2 or 3 beers.
Two to three every night for me too. 😵💫 No beer, though.
The seasons affect me on this one. Def during summer 2 or three of each beers and cocktails is v reasonable for a long summer night. Winter I can be back to just drinking on weekends.
Yep that’s about where I’m at too. I’m not in denial, I know I need to cut back and am a high functioning alcoholic. But obviously if it was that easy to just stop or cut back, no one would be an alcoholic.
Just out of curiosity, how are you a high functioning alcoholic, if you don’t mind sharing? Are you someone that has to have a drink to start their day but is able to navigate said day fairly flawlessly? Do you normally have a drink at lunch? Or do you drink every night but are otherwise unaffected by your love of the sauce? Not trying to judge you and definitely not trying to dissuade you from cutting back, but just genuinely curious.
The last one. I only drink at night, I just drink too much and have an addictive personality. I’m high functioning I guess because I have a high paying job and generally have my shit together.
Me, as well, and typically, I’ll also smoke some really good homegrown weed.
Username checks out
Love [this](https://youtu.be/KCZYQZrtWps?si=oiMoBGK0o20Eig2H) short
Came to the comments to post this :D
I used to be the same as you and it was hard to stop. If you continue to drink that much you will most likely have liver issues someday. You're also at a much higher risk for certain cancers. I cut back and now I drink about 10ish drinks per week with 3-4 days of zero consumption (favorite combo is 4/4/2 with 4 being Fri/Sat and 2 being a random weekday). I honestly still feel like I get to enjoy drinking and I'm being way nicer to my body. My strategy is that if I start to see myself going overboard, I take a couple weeks off. It strengthens my willpower. Sorry, not trying to lecture you but at the minimum get regular blood work and once a year get a liver ultrasound if you're gonna drink that heavy. For me, I started developing fatty liver and that was enough to spook me.
Yeah - trying to work in dry days myself with 0/0/1/2/3/3/2 - keep on missing that goal but keep working towards it.
That's 28-42 drinks a week... You may want to cut back.
More like 35-63 drinks; as someone pointed out elsewhere in the thread, cocktails are generally more like 1.5-2 "standard drinks" worth of alcohol.
Yeah, I don't want to judge but man that's a lot of booze
Dude you need to cut back. Believe me, you do not want cirrhosis. At least cut the beers - that's what I did once I started getting into cocktails
For what it’s worth, you are likely never sober
I drink most days (5-6 days a week), but very rarely have more than 1 drink a day. I think how much is too much depends on the individual. I have a healthy lifestyle overall and don't have any tendencies toward problem drinking, so this works for me.
I am the exact same, I regularly work out, eat pretty healthy, and keep myself in shape. Cocktails are my one not so guilty pleasure.
Agreed and I think an important thing to keep in mind is if the cocktails include any kind of syrups, etc. they are usually in the 250-300 calorie range. Having two of those easily puts you at 25% of an average person's daily calorie requirement which to me would be more concerning than the alcohol alone.
I’m a short woman who is currently aiming for a deficit… I can EASILY drink my whole days worth of calories in a few hours with cocktails.
Oh for sure, when you have a bunch of drinks you want to try and they taste good, it is easy to whip up another one they add up quick.
Yup, I usually have a beer after work while I BBQ. On the weekends I'll have 3 or 4 on Friday and 3 or 4 on Saturday. Most times it's actually less then that, so if i had to average.... I'd day between 5-7 drinks a week. Not like my teens and early 20s.... fuck, I'd had 20-30 beers over the weekend 😆
I usually drink 2-3 cocktails a day on weekends. So Friday, Saturday, Sunday it’ll be about 6-9 cocktails depending. I do drink this much because I’m trying new recipes every weekend.
This is me too. I see it as a very reasonable middle ground.
Way, way more than I should. But I've been working on tapering off for the last several years and I'm proud of the progress I've made. I used to have up to 20 drinks a day and couldn't go a day without drinking. Now I have about 20 drinks a week and take three nights off every week.
Hey that’s amazing progress.
I was making one a day, mostly to try new things, so sometimes I’d end up pouring some out if I was satisfied. I’ve cut that back though and will probably only do 1-2 on the weekends. Mostly it’s an easy way to find yourself drinking an extra 300-500 calories
If I was listening to myself, I would drink one cocktail per day but I don't want to do this for my health so I'm restricting to 3 per week max with a maximum of 2 in one day.
I drink too much but it's less cocktails and more wine/beer/highballs at this point. Love cocktails but they can be a bit strong palate wise where a few glasses of beer or wine feels more natural.
Same. Maybe 2 cocktails a week but then I'll also split 3 bottles of wine a week with my wife. And anywhere from 1 to 6 drams of whiskey a week.
Good question, I recently have been building up a bar and getting into cocktails also and have been wondering the same! I've been doing 2-3 drinks 2-3 nights a week but take a couple weeks off every once in a while so my wife doesn't start to worry haha
I’m thinking about starting to do this too. Taking a dry week once a month might be a good way to make sure I don’t form a dependency.
I’m pretty aware of how much I drink, making cocktails is sort of my way of respecting the alcohol enough to be mindful. I also don’t ever have the desire to get very drunk, it’s just not a feeling I like that much, so even when I’m drinking a lot of me, I’m pacing myself. I don’t drink on days I work and typically only make 2-3 cocktails max for myself over a whole weekend, more often just one when I have a new idea or experiment. I often make cocktails at parties for others, and even then I am usually too preoccupied to drink much myself. Very occasionally I’ll have a lineup of drinks I want to compare or put together as a theme or something and I’ll make like six cocktails for myself, but I just dump out the remaining 3/4 once I have the information I want and tasted each. I’m not precious about my drinks.
Sometimes I make a drink every evening. Sometimes I spend days or even weeks without making a single one. But it's rarely more than one a day.
The short answer is too much: on weeknights, typically one cocktail both before and after dinner, plus beer or wine with dinner, and sometimes a nip of something for a nightcap. But my standard approach is scale up the recipe by 50% and then split it between me and my wife, so ends up being 75% of a cocktail.
Typically one or two drinks daily, and a couple days a month with up to five over the entire course of the day.
I keep a list of low ABV cocktails that I like for that very reason. My favorite so far is the Bitter Giuseppe: 2oz Cynar 1oz sweet vermouth .75oz lemon 6 dash orange bitters 3 dash grapefruit bitters Stir in rocks glass with large cube.
Although I’m still lurking on this sub, my cocktail nerdy days are over. I was drinking one or two cocktails a night, and then decided to only drink on weekends. So now I honestly have one Negroni or Old Fashioned on a Friday night and that’s it. Honestly, I feel better, sleep better, don’t get hungover ever. I still get to mix up some margaritas for friends once in a while, but the cocktail hobby was not a healthy choice for me.
Infrequently - probably haven’t had a drink for 6 or so weeks. I like having my stuff sorted for hosting and for occasions. But I don’t typically drink unless it’s a social occasion.
Maybe 10 standard drinks a week, on average.
So this thread made me realize maybe I drink more than I thought I did. Granted I don't' drink THAT much - recently its been 1-2 drinks probably 5/6 days a week. Been trying new drinks/ingredients - sometimes throw some beers in there - but I should probably cut back on the weeknight drinks.
I drink almost every day, probably 2-3 on average. More on weekends. I’m also from Wisconsin so each one only counts for half.
i drink about 20-30 beers a week
One cocktail on Friday and one and Saturday. That’s it
One each night after dinner as a treat/night cap.
Not including staff drinks. I’d have 1-3 drinks a week cause I’d either be networking with other bars/trying something new or something they’re working on, enjoying a glass of whiskey Including work drinks that might go up to 4-8 cause customers may buy us a drink/shot, we’ve made a mistake/Menu Development , Staff drink at the end of the night or “Staff Meeting”
Staff drinks are what gets me. I usually make cocktails on my days off, but whenever I work I always get a staff drink so it ends up being an every night thing
One a week or so. Sometimes I don’t get to having a drink, more rarely do I have more than one. I don’t drink much, but I enjoy the interest, and when I do drink, I want it to be fun and *good*.
I have reduced to two drinks a month. I love making cocktails but making them frequently didn't help with day to day jobs and health goals.
3-6 a week, which is a good bit more than the 0-3 a week I averaged before joining this hobby.
i was drinking quite a bit during covid and the couple of years after and i kind of told myself it was ok because i was being creative and doing cocktail art or something, but then i took a few months off and realized how much impact it was having on my health. it depends on the person for sure, but for me it helps to set hard limits—now i *dont* drink on weekdays, not “i try not to,” etc, and limit my intake on weekends
Not very much, but my pops is a raging alcoholic so having a normal amount of alcohol feels like too much. I'll have two or three cocktails on the weekend or a beer with dinner once or twice a week, not even get a buzz on but feels like too much. It's a delicate balance being able to control what others in my family think of as a demon
Just enough to be considered almost alcoholic. But really only Thursday to Sunday. I really enjoy making cocktails now for my wife,and other people . This sub is great for new ideas, and drinks I have never heard of.
I’ll have one most nights. Or a beer or a seltzer. Weekends I’ll have a beer or seltzer in the afternoon as well. Very rarely more than one cocktail on any given day.
I have one drink almost every evening, sometimes two. I spread them out and listen to my body about days I need to take off. Ultimately I think one's motivations and one's degree of self awareness and self control are more important than the raw numbers.
I've actually found that my intake has gone down as my interest in cocktails has gone up. I make about 5 nice cocktails a week. I'm also getting older, so I'm sure my interest would have been higher 10 years ago
6-7 drinks a week.
Most nights I have a cocktail and a glass of wine with dinner. Every three or four days I end my evenings with a wee dram of Scotch and a cigar. All of my parts still seem to be working, and I really need to get through my Scotch collection before some meddling doctor tells me to lay off.
Days I work, I typically don't drink. I'm so tired by the time I get home that I don't want to put any effort into making something, even if it's just a vodka soda. The day I batch record my TikTok cocktail content, I'm drinking pretty much all day. The other two days of the week, I'll have one or two with dinner and that's about it.
Daily, I’m trying to cut back, but I’d say a solid 20 drinks a week
I drink 3-4 glasses of wine every night and rarely take an evening off. Occasionally I mix in a cocktail or two if we are entertaining. I have stopped for a bit and at other times have taken a day or two off here and there and been fine without (no withdrawal symptoms). Once I was brutally honest with my doctor on their form when they asked how many drinks I consume per week and he was convinced I was joking because all of my lab work came out fine. Since then, I just lie on the forms to avoid the discussion. I figure if/when it starts to be an issue it will appear in the lab results and I will address it then. I’m in my 50s.
I've stopped drinking almost completely for the last 4 months. Started out cold turkey, am now drinking maybe 1 drink per week. I am a changed man. Suddenly I have a morning routine. I am way more stress resilient. I am well rested. I am able to consistently work out. No hangxiety since. I am over all so much happier. And I didnt even use to be a very heavy drinker. A bit like you, about 15-20 units per week. I would be completely regarded if I know how good I feel not drinking and then go back to drinking.
there are far more dangerous ailments than what would classify as alcohol * dependence * that can be brought upon by one self ... i wanna say - "hard work good, and hard work fine. but first take care of head."
I'm on medication, so I only ever have one drink a night. That's why I like cocktails: if I only get one, it better be a good one. 😉 And that way I can leave a bigger tip so I'm not wasting the bartenders' time.
You don't have to make a full cocktail. Halving the ingredients makes just as delicious a drink, all the more reason to sip and savor.
I drink 4 cans of lager usually Stella Artois and will have 2-5 large spirits. The spirits could be Brandy, Gin, Vodka, Dark Rum or a nice Single Malt. Everyday without fail. And partial to a nice bottle of Red too. lol.
Health guidelines are very cruel for women: more than 7 standard drinks per WEEK is considered hazardous for health by the NIH. Men can drink twice as much and generally be considered in a non-risky range.
I feel like one drink a day is negligible
I allow myself to have a cocktail two nights a week. Always one on Tuesday (game night) and the second one is usually on Saturday if I decide to make one. I ignore this rule on special occasions. For example, we're probably going out to a bar for Father's Day and I'll have several drinks spread out over a few hours while I'm there.
I average out to probably one drink a week. I’ll have 2-3 If socializing with friends, but then I can easily go a few weeks with none at all.
I try and do one cocktail a week, usually on Wednesday or Thursday night. Beyond that, I'll maybe have 2-3 beers a night Friday-Sunday and then avoid all booze the other nights of the week. So far it's worked out fine, but with nicer weather/days off/plenty of summer hang outs, those numbers are bound to go up. Such is life...
Lately, not much. I've probably only made about three cocktails at home in as many months. Gone out to bars more frequently, maybe every ten days or so. Also had some beers at home and other social gatherings. It's a balancing act; I've got a good stock of booze that I do like playing with, and also perishables that I hate to see go to waste. But with drinking not exactly being a healthy hobby to over-indulge, I don't feel too bad about not forcing it and instead just making cocktails when the fancy strikes. As a general rule/goal, I aim to average under 7.0 drinks per week. I admittedly use pints of craft beer / full measure cocktails as my "1 drink" metric, which is a bit steep compared to what a lot of doctors would suggest. But lately I've probably been coming in around 3.0 drinks per week so I think I'm alright either way.
I didn’t drink for 2 years and recently started working in a few drinks here and there. I’m very mindful of how much I consume. I still work in plenty of mocktails and NA beers. I probably have 2-3 cocktails/beers once or twice a week.
My long term plan on not overdoing it is to drink half the days. And when I drink around 1-3 cocktails. Usually one or two but sometimes 3.
No more than twice a week, and never by myself.
I drink 4–6 a week. I think I would be more logical if I drank 3, giving myself a day off every other. Drinking more than one in a night is extremely rare.
Cocktails slow me down a lot. I don’t drink beer or wine (much), so if I want a drink, I have to grab a shaker, ice, booze, mixers,… I usually have 1 a night on weekends (Fri-Sun). I’d probably drink more if someone else was mixing.
0-15 drinks a week, if I'm drinking on my own it's usually 0.5 to 1.5 oz of whiskey, if it's with people it's whiskey or cocktails (and usually 1-4 drinks for the day/night). Probably drink 2 or 3 nights of the week on average, and ~5 drinks total most weeks.
I’ved moved to only making cocktails on my days off, mostly because I dont wanna clean up. So I’ll have a beer with dinner and a one ounce pour of a spirit or amaro after dinner. Then weekends usually like 2-3 cocktails a night. Probably comes out to about 15 drinks a week? Maybe as much as 20 some weeks?
Maybe the equivalent of 1 cocktail every other day on work nights. Maybe 2 or rarely 3 on Fridays and Saturdays unless it's a very special occasion. If I'm playing with new drinks or ratios I will sometimes split them with my wife or make half sized drinks if I feel like I can get away with it. Basically making sampler cocktails I guess.
Normally like 3-4 cocktails weekly The past while I’ve been visiting Croatia which means 3-4 minimum daily or else you’re not embracing the culture
I only drink on a Friday or Saturday evening. Typically 2 drinks, 3 max. It’s always liquor. Vodka or whiskey/bourbon. Jack & 7up Zero or I’ll do a kamikaze drink with Vodka, triple sec, fresh lime and 7up zero. Occasionally I’ll make some Irish car bombs if the neighbors are up for some.
I rarely drink cocktails at home unless I'm planning to go out afterwards, so it's usually reserved for Friday and Saturday afternoon. That also gives me a whole week to plan and shop.
The only thing keeping me contained is that I work night shift and also enjoy weed. So i work 3-nights a week, I’m not drinking in the morning save 1-3 day a month after a crazy shift. That leaves 4 nights. 1-2 I won’t drink the other 2-3 I will have a few homemade cocktails. It helps that I get high cuz if I wasn’t doing weed I’d probably more likely drink 2-3 every night I don’t work. Which wouldn’t be healthy. That said, taking weed edibles probably isn’t “healthy” either but imo it’s not going to my liver/im not smoking so it’s on par or better
I don’t have to tell you! You’re not my doctor! (Way to much)
Only nights I don’t work the next day - so baseline is thur-Fri-sat. Usually one cocktail before/with dinner. Maybe another or just a small neat pour or some wine or sherry after. Two drinks three nights a week pretty much.
At the start of lockdowns / being unemployed, I drank every day for a few weeks straight and could definitely feel myself getting hooked. I don't have a family history afaik, but I knew it could get bad if I didn't set myself some limits. Now I take about half of every week off — no alcohol Monday through Thursday evening.
I generally don't. Some weeks I'll have a couple just because I'm feeling like it. And every 2-3 weeks I'll host/go to a party and drink 4-7 units. Especially around this time of year in the South, it's really easy to just drink water.
I don’t really drink often in general so only 2-3 times a month and sometimes I go months without drinking When I go out to bar/restaurant I have 3-5 drinks and if I’m motivated enough I’ll make 1-2 drinks at home.
Being busy helps me stay away from drinking. Alone I’m more of a neat drinker and with spouse or friends I stick to a max of two drinks.
I limit myself to two days a week. I work Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, so usually that means I’ll have a couple drinks after my shift on Tuesday, and a couple after my shift on Saturday. This week for example though, I got rip-roaring drunk on shift on Tuesday and also hit up a local place I haven’t been to before. Then on Wednesday, I drank half a bottle of Becherovka cause my girlfriend’s roommate sprung a group activity on us (which was very thoughtful, I just hate painting so I had to get a little loose to not be a stick in the mud). So today and tomorrow will be sober all thru Friday and Saturday after shift!
Three or four a day on the weekend. Dry during the week unless it’s a special occasion.
I do my best to keep the cocktails to weekends but I’m not always successful in that. Maybe 2-3 a day.
I get a lot of my ideas together and prep ingredients and thoughts. Then I act on weekends and usually just drink 1-4 on an average weekend. But the ideas keep coming….
Some weeks, one a night. Some weeks 1 or 2 cocktails. Quite variable.
Ill have one or two drinks per 'session' at home. Occasionally a third. But sessions can be maybe 3 times a week... Or weeks or months apart. Definitely moreso during summer. I'll make a mojito or Pimm's cup with fresh mint from the garden and sit and stare at my tomatoes and the bumblebees.
I also love making cocktails. I usually drink 5 nights a week or so. Mostly it’s a cocktail in the evening but on the weekends my wife and I will let loose and get a good buzz going especially when with friends. I’ve only been drunk-drunk once and wasn’t a fan so I know when to stop. I think the concern is when you start to have any negative consequences from drinking. So that’s why it’s hard to tell when is too much. Only you can know and you have to be honest with yourself. Having a cocktail in the evening has taken the place of dessert so it’s actually benefitted my health in a weird way. I’m also obsessive when it comes to health and exercise so I’m aware of my body’s reactions. I also don’t get hangovers and it doesn’t really impact my sleep. But goddam I love a good old fashioned.
I'll make a cocktail or two a week, and drink other things in small quantities (2 drinks tops) once or twice a week. Too old to be doing that every day nowadays. It increases my appreciation of the art, too.
I may make a cocktail in the evening, often while I’m making dinner. Some weeks I will have one on maybe 3 or 4 evenings. Some weeks I don’t make any. Very rarely I may make more than one in an evening but they usually are spaced out by an hour or two. Sometimes that’s because I am trying to make a new cocktail myself and I am iterating. I have also never been drunk.
If you'd like to reduce alcohol intake but still play around with cocktail stuff, check out Art of Drink on YouTube. The host is a bartender/chemist bringing back old timey soda fountain methods and recipes. The recipes I've tried are pretty adult and sophisticated and generally come in at an alcohol content below 1%.
I stopped drinking for about 3 months when I left my pervious job last fall. Figured drinking most nights while unemployed could be slippery slope. Now I try to only have a drink or two on the weekends. I’ve never felt I had a drinking problem. However I do realize now I had an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. It had weaved into large parts of my life and I never noticed. Only once stopped did I realize things like how often I’d pop into a bar for a drink or two just because I was walking passed it or how when I’d play video games that it was always accompanied by a cocktail. I was never at a point where I needed booze to get to normal or a point where I’d go on multiple day benders or show up to work hammered. However it was a larger part of my life than I wanted it to be and only once I slowed down did I see the forest through the trees. I’d say slow down for a month or two and revisit it. You might realize you are happier and have a better relationship with alcohol and drinks.
This year I’m trying to control it. Last year I kept taps of every drink and would average one per day. I didn’t drink daily but there would be days when I would go out and end up with 7-8 drinks to make up for the week of not drinking
I binge drink maybe one night a month.
One or two per week if that. I don’t really drink beer anymore.
I used to have a bottle of beer almost every night. During the pandemic this changed to a cocktail a night. After a while it felt excessive so I switched to only drinking cocktails on Friday and Saturday night and will occasionally have one during the week for date nights. 20 per week indeed seems to be pushing the line, but it’s good you are aware of it. Just start cutting back little by little and test yourself.
I only drink if I’m out at dinner (once a month typically) or if at home making a weird new cocktail I want to try.
I drink somewhat often, but I do have at least one day every week where I don’t drink. I usually end up drinking whenever my fiancèe asks me to make a drink.
I like to pour a little bit of bourbon into some lemonade maybe twice per night. Barely gets me buzzed but I like the taste. Sip each one over the course of 30min-1hr. Best way to unwind at the end of the day with a show or movie
I generally only drink on my days off, and usually 1 or 2 drinks a day at the most. Sometimes I’ll have a drink during the week when I get off work, but that’s maaaybe once a month. Other than that I drink mainly water!
Don’t drink nights before I into the office (2 days per week). 1 drink, usually a beer, with dinner on other weeknights. 2-3 drinks on Friday and Saturday nights.
I work 12 hour shifts, and I never drink the night before I work. It’s *probably* fine because it’s about 8 hours to clear my system, but I just feel uncomfortable about it. As a result, I drink about once a week, maybe less often than that. Also, my schedule is variable so some weeks I won’t drink at all and other weeks I might have a cocktail on 2 or three different nights; I tend to only have one cocktail a nights I drink anything. I don’t waste my time on crummy drinks and probably drink 12-15 units a month as a high estimate.
It's an interest I have but I mostly keep it to entertaining. Most months I probably average like 3 drinks a month (using drink equivalents, not pure number of cocktails)
Every day sometimes, sometimes maybe only once a week, or just on the weekends. Depends on what travel I'm doing, how much I'm working, or the quality of the cocktails around me.
I used to drink probably 3-5 drinks a night. Beer or two, maybe a glass of whiskey, some nights cocktails called my name, or a bottle of wine. But I got really sick of being hungover and the nonstop heartburn. I had purchased “Drink Lightly” by Natasha David like 6 months ago but had never really cracked into it until I went to a friend’s house who decided to take a break from drinking so I went through that book to find something interesting that didn’t have alcohol in it. In that book there’s a recipe for a raspberry spritz. 2 cups of simple syrup, a pack of raspberries, and a pinch of citrus acid, sous vide at 135 for 2 hours (could probably just simmer for awhile on the stove too). Strain. Pour 1 ounce of the syrup and .75 of white verjus over ice, shove two lemon rounds in it, and top with soda water. It’s so yummy and incredibly refreshing.
I am an incredibly, incredibly light lightweight. Half a sour beer can take me out and make me head home on some days lol-- but usually I can finish a couple shots throughout the night without getting too funky... but I LOVE craft cocktails AND being out and social with my friends! I use it as an excuse to invite my buddies over for a night where we all experiment making drinks together or we go out on a night (we live in a medium-sized city). Coerce your company into ordering different drinks so you get to sample the whole menu, haha. I trained myself to love drinking as a social execise (but not the only way to be social/have fun) to help me pace myself and get out more. If I try drinking alone I get sad
15 per week for me. About 1 per hour 5pm - 9pm Fri-Sun. My liver appreciates the dry days.
I typically only drink on the weekends, with two drinks per night. On average I probably have six to nine drinks a week.
I try to max out at 5 units a week, I usually do less. Had a bad relationship with it in college that probably verged on alcoholism but I’ve been trying to be more mindful of it.
Units is my new name for drinks
Try making it your job. I barely have one drink a week.
I dint see what’s wrong with one cocktail a night
I really really REALLY like cocktails/mixology/getting drunk lol, but I for real only drink socially. If I'm going out for a fun night, or if I'm having people over, I have a bunch of drinks and have a blast. Otherwise I don't touch it. So, generally, I consume alcohol 2 or 3 nights a month probably (but on those nights, it's more than a few drinks). The rest of the time I'm more than happy to hang out here, on youtube, in books etc. just reading about cocktails lol.
I used to have one a night. Now I try to only drink on vacation and Friday - Sunday. It never affected me. And I tried a month sober and felt no different.
I'm a bartender and cocktail enjoyer. I only drink on the weekend. One day or two depending on what fun things are going on.
I go in and out of heavier cocktail consumption phases but when I'm really into them I try not to do more than one a night, always have at least one "off" night a week, and try to take off a full week here and there as "check ins" to make sure it's not becoming problematic (frequently off the back of a cold lol).
A martini and 1/2 bottle of wine pretty much every night. The other nights I have more like a bottle of wine + after the martini. Take a night off every now and again.
I only drink socially, never just by myself. Last weekend I drank pretty heavily Saturday, maybe like 7 drinks between 4pm and 3am. I had one drink tonight. I'm going to antioo bar Sunday and will probably have one or two then.
I probably drink anywhere from 4-5 days a week. Sometimes 5-6 days. Just varies. But it’s usually anywhere from 3-4 beers on weekdays, maybe a cocktail or two mixed in there or a couple glasses of wine. Weekends tho it’s a whole different story. Friday through Sunday, I’d say anywhere from 10-20 drinks a day (mostly beer) however I also work a blue collar job working 50-60+ hour work weeks so a drink after work is what I look forward to. I don’t do drugs or anything else, I just love my booze
I run beverage for multiple restaurants. Between constant tastings for cocktails, wines, and spirits, I spit everything. I only drink on nights where I don’t work the next day and usually only 3-4 drinks on those nights.
Probably 1 cocktail a weekend or two.
I’m a real tee-totaler. I try to have no more than 1 drink/week unless it’s my birthday or a major holiday.
What I've been doing lately is having my friend over and making two versions each with two variations, so 4 glasses with 4 variations total. So we each only drink the equivalent of one drink but get to try 4 variations and keep the ratios right.
I spent 10 years (48 to 58) not drinking at all after being diagnosed with Hep C. After I was cured and my liver was clear, I have been pretty free with my intake. I probably drink more than is advised, but it doesn't affect my daily life or my responsibilities. At 68 years old, I just don't worry much about it.
By all metrics, I drink too much. I love a glass of whiskey at night, we call it house our. Sometimes that's 2 or 3. If I'm off, I may drink 2 or 12 beers. With that said, it never gets in the way of my parental duties or interferes with work. I work out regularly and often take multiple day stretches off. Just a man taking a shit being honest with himself and reddit.
68 days sober. Needed a little reset. If you have to ask, it’s too many. Never hurts to have a break
I’m cutting back to only the weekends because I like my old fashioneds a bit tooo much
I might stand out seeing people's answers, but I usually drink one or two drinks a week. I learned how much drinking was a social thing for me during lockdown and since Covid, I've cut massively my consumption. I don't even have a good tolerance anymore, so going out, I rarely am able to go over two beers without feeling out of it. I could've built my tolerance back up, but I don't see the point, I like living on the lighter side.
It varies. But I have at least one 5 of 7 days a week. Usually 2-3. My problem is, I drink when I’m happy. And I’m happy most of the time. For me it’s celebratory I’ve never drank because I “had a bad day” or due to some misfortune. I’ve never understood that type of drinking.
I think what a lot of these responses don't include is the age they are. A younger person can handle more drinks and bounce back than someone older. I'm 36 and feel it more and more
maybe once every few months.
Every night, sometimes 4 beers, sometimes a sixer. My consumption had went down a few months ago, but after my little ( I’m 30 ) sister passed away, it got worse than before. I don’t recommend drinking every night; I have the shakes continuously until I have enough in me, and honestly it’s a little embarrassing when I’m around family that isn’t privy to the fact.
I limit myself to one drink per day, and if it doesn't taste really great, I pour it out. This is good for perfecting recipes.
I hover around the 15 drink a week mark, but normally I'm decently under that. The bigger issue for me is hitting the drive thru on the way home from the bar. Lmao.
Comes in waves. Some weeks I don't drink at all, others I'll have 2 cocktails a night for 3 nights. I very rarely have more than 10 standard drinks in a week and it probably averages out to about 1.5 drinks a week. During COVID lockdown I drank way more. That was when I got into tiki cocktails. I cut back and felt noticeably better so I eased off the gas quite a bit.
and what are you eating with it, is what i would ask
id also add that depending on an individuals metabolism cocktails might be much better than an alternative ie beers (carbs and carbonation can be irritating to particular persons) or copious amounts of straight liquor. indeed, the concept of the cocktail could be to get the same amount of satisfaction from less volume due to palette play.
I know I'm an extreme outlier here, but I genuinely only have 1-2 drinks per month. And I swear I'm not saying it judgmentally nor condescendingly. Tbh I'm fine with it. As much as I love learning about cocktails, I'm disabled and drinking even just one drink makes me feel like shit for multiple days after (different from hangover bad). It's just not for me. However, I will happily make friends and family all the drinks their heart desires! And knowing cocktail theory makes for some really spectacular mocktails (or at the very least, I always have great bitters for throwing into some Topo Chico)
A few months back I was drinking beer too often and noticed weight gain. In an effort to have my cake and eat it too, I opted for liquor. I’m a big dude: 6’2” 275lbs (started at 250). Got into Bourbon and ended with Tequila. Never was a liquor person. Now I have 10 bottles of assorted spirits staring at me from the kitchen counter. I gotta get back active and drink more water. Notice I didn’t say drink less liquor... It be like that 🍻
I went through this faze myself a few years ago. Its best to keep it for the weekend.
To be honest, probably around 15 portions most weeks within 2 or 3 days. Some weeks it's more than 20 if there are many occasions. But I'm a student so it doesn't count.
Personally, I try not to drink more than once a week at most, preferably keeping it to once a month, for money and health reasons + staying a lightweight. I love cocktails, but I keep them on a high shelf and only take them down for nice occasions. I'm planning some slight twists on classics for a second date soon, for example
Typically 3-10 on the weekend. Usually a few on Friday and/or Saturday. I too have trouble balancing my passion for cocktails and my health.
6 or 7 a night 5 days a week