How much do you drink?

[Tyrone Biggums]

The addiction thread got me thinking. I'm sitting here trying to think of how many people I know that don't drink on a regular basis and the number seems, well, small. I'm not really grouping parents, grandparents or the elderly in this, though I guess you could, but mainly friends and their spouses, thirty-somethings. It seems like we all drink on a regular basis without reservation.

I was brought up in a household where there was no alcohol kept in the house and I could probably count on one hand how many times I saw my parents drink when I was growing up. So, well in to my teenage years, I regarded alcohol as being "bad" or "off limits", not because it was pounded in to my brain that it was, in fact, it was rarely discussed, it was more due to lack of exposure. My grandparents were not drinkers either. I have friends who grew up the same way, yet we all drink regularly. It wouldn't be illogical for one to think that with our upbringing, we wouldn't be drinkers.

I have no shame saying that I thoroughly enjoy a good beer and even more so, a good bourbon. I have at least one beer or one cocktail 5-6 days a week. I treat it as a simple reward to myself. On any given Friday or Saturday night, make that 2-4. Some days I don't drink at all, but they are few compared to the ones that I do. It seems like a lot of the people I know have a similar drinking schedule and judging by some folks facebook pages, it seems as if their bodies should be rejecting their livers any time now.

Do you think society is drinking more? Less? What has changed, if anything? Was I just sheltered?

So, how much are you drinking?

[yellowstang]

First!

[mstng86]

I can put a six pack in my fridge and it can take 3 or 4 months to drink it.

I may have a beer every few weeks when out to eat.

[BradM]

I don't even want to say. I will say that I am a "darkaholic" I normally don't drink during the day at all. About 8 o'clock or so I usually start drinking pretty heavy.

[Silverback]

I don't drink at home, unless I'm having people over, I really only drink if I go out.

Since being in Austin, I probably go a week or two without a drink at times.

[grove rat]

when i drink it's to get a buzz or to get drunk. not puking all over the place black out drunk but a nice good buzz. even when i drank the most it was only on my days off, 3-4 times a week MAX

in the past 6 months i have slowed down the frequency to maybe once a week or 10 days. i still drink to get drunk, just not nearly as much

[Kenny_Stang]

I don't drink much at all. I've never been shit faced drunk or had a hangover. I'll have a beer or two once a week, but that's about it.

[roliath]

So, how much are you drinking?

None! I don't drink! Take that Society!

[SouthernSVT]

I would say a "normal" week would be:

Heavy drinking = 2 days
No drinking = 2 days
Couple of beers = 2 days
Somewhere between Couple of beers and heavy drinking = 1 day

Of coure sometimes if i'm busy it will be less, and if there is a birthday/party/holiday mixed in on an odd day it is more.

[jluv]

I drink to get drunk Friday and Saturday night (5-6 strong Crown and Cokes), and I'll have 1 or 2, maybe 3 drinks about 3 nights per week. A handle of Crown doesn't quite last me a week.

[slowyellow]

Pretty frequently after work I'll have 1 or 2 beers, and some friday or saturdays I'll have quite a few more than that. Not drunk or anything just more than 1 or 2.

Also, I tend to drink more when I'm away from my wife on travel or something like that.

I was also raised in a family where there was almost no drinking, but through the navy, I've learned to think that it is ok, lol.

[BlackGT]

I'm lucky if I have 1 a month...

[80coupe]

A few on the weekend or a few when i go out. my moms whole side of the family are or where alcoholic's. my grandpa used to pick me up from school when i was 5 or 6 shit faced drunk and drive around for hours pretty much sucked. so i try not to go crazy.

[The King]

Rarely drink at all, since I find it generally to be boring.

[mstng86]

To expand on my first post:

The reason I don't really drink very often is two folded.

One, I believe I have an addictive personality and I try not to create an addiction that could potentially destroy my life.

Second, my father was a heavy drinker, and while it hasn't ruined his life, it might have made my childhood a little bit more enjoyable if he hadn't drank so much. I would prefer my son didn't have to see the same lifestyle.