How much do you drink?

I have drank almost everyday since I turned 21 and I will be 39 soon. My daily average over all those years is probably 10+ a night (light beers). Now I drink about 3-4 light beers and 3-4 home brews on week nights and maybe a couple more each on weekends. I dont really count anymore. I would drink more home brews but I dont need all those extra calories =)

For me it's the calories right now. I'm trying to cut the weight I gained over the holidays and I'd rather eat my calories rather than drink them, if I have to count it. Right now, only when friends are over, or while brewing.

Normally, I might have 1 glass a night with dinner, maybe a second.

Given the choice, I'd actually rather drink my calories than eat them. Skip dinner, replace with two beers. Saves calories and beers because, as we all know, it hits you harder on an empty stomach.

I probably average 4 - 6 a day...sometimes skipping a day here or there.

I never drink hard alcohol.

I didn't start drinking much until my children became teenagers...so my liver has some good miles left I think.

0 to 2 per night. i rarely drink 3. i consider myself a light drinker. i've NEVER been one of those people who drink a 12 pack of miller light.

my girlfriend thinks drinking a six pack a week is too much. luckily she lives on the opposite side of the state currently. but i would say i probably only do about a six pack a week. my pipeline is pretty unimpressive being in school at the moment so i go to the liquor store once a week.

I generally do 2 a night during the week. As soon as I get home I grab a brew, because I've been looking forward to it all day, then I generally have another after the kids are in bed and it's relax time. During the weekend, I would say probably 4-5 a day. I know since I started home brewing, that is up quite a bit. I used to be able to get a 12 pack and it would sit in the fridge for over a month before it was gone. Now that I brew what I like, I love drinking it!

I drink until I dont want anymore. Sometimes 2, sometimes 10... I guess it just depends on whats going on. It helps when you dont have to drive anywhere.

Throughout most of my 20s, I would say I averaged a 12-pack's worth a night. Every night. Then I went down to about a sixer. Over the last four years, three beers in one evening has been considered "getting loose" and I rarely get wasted now. I will even go weeks on end with even taking a sip.

In my 20s, I had fewer responsibilities and living the hedonist lifestyle was more applicable. Besides, I despise being hung-over and even though I like the effects of alcohol, I don't like being wasted, either.

I can put down 2-3 beers and its just like drinking water, it's when I get beyond 3 beers in a single sitting I start to feel warm and fuzzy.

I'd often get home a crack open BMC it was cold and it went down easy. by the time I went to bed 5/ 6 hour later I might have had 3-4 beer, never drunk never buzzed I just enjoy beer.

I'd rather drink beer than anything else offered to me so beer is my beverage of choice. I haven't brewed my own batch of home brew yet, but I'd imagine a good 3-4 a night maybe more maybe less.

right now I haven't had been on hand for a couple weeks now because all extra money has been going towards building my most awesome keezer, and brewing gear so I can make 5 gallons.

Doc says: Drink but compensate with a healthy active lifestyle. Workout everyday or at least 3 times a week for 30-60 min (this includes cardio) and you should maintain a healthy weight and life!

I bottled 20 gallons this week. Next week I will tell my doctor I drink about 5 pints a week........Anyone want to buy a left handed screwdriver?

About 3-5 beers in a week, maybe a bit more when the weather gets nice again.

I drink about 3 a night. It totally depends on how strong it is.

More when the weather gets nice??? Man, I drink WAY more when the weather is BAD. Something about dreary cold days make drinking beer so much more rewarding.

I drink often, but not a lot. My girlfriend and I will split a 6 pack on a Friday or Saturday night, but usually I won't have more than 1 or 2 on a given evening.

Sometimes beer just sounds good after a long day at work. Love having a couple watching the football games.

Randar said:

I never realized how much my wife drank until she was preggers and it took me FOREVER to go through a keg, LOL!

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Well - that may explain how ya'll got pregnant! I joke because I envy - I keep feeding the little woman drinks every now and then and no bun in that oven.

DrMaltyVonHopenstein said:

...I keep feeding the little woman drinks every now and then and no bun in that oven.

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Best of luck, don't fret:

1. The journey is worth the reward.

2. Once you get one, it will be the only one you ever wanted.

Everyone in this thread is invited to my birthday party, it's BYOB

I always wondered if other people drink as much as me, this thread is certainly reassuring. Funny how swmbo is so often a limiting factor or a voice of concern. Don't you want me to be happy?!?

0-4 12oz of homebrew / good beer on work nights, 0-10 on weekends
I probably average 20 12 oz a week?

4-6 a night, depending on how the day went and how the night is progressing. During the winter, after work, I reno the house and enjoy beer while painting or putting flooring down. During the summer, after work, I tend to the garden and greenhouse and enjoy beer while weeding, pruning, plucking, and seeding.

A big liver is a happy liver, right?

You guys make me feel better about my drinking.
I have 1-2 12oz beers per day, probably about 6 days a week. Sometimes one of those might be a breakfast porter or similar on a weekend.

This summer I was on a hard alch kick, and went through 1l ketel one, 1.75L tanqueray, and 1L Bacardi 151. That was around 3.5 months. Probably was also two or three sixers involved.

I figure thats not bad overall, though ive also been known to kill half a 30 rack of BMC stuff at a party.

Between me and my girl we drink about 2 cases a week and maybe a few more on the weekends. Most of what we drink is home brew and craft beers with in the 6.5 - 9% range. That does not include the wine with dinner. I only drink beer and wine I had to lay off the hard stuff when i got out of school. Saying that we never go out anywhere. I told her one day joking around we have a pool, a man cave, and a 65 inch tv. If I stay inside this fence the cops cant take me away ;-) Anyway, as long as you don't get behind the wheel and you can take care of your responsibilities then your okay...

Damn it's starting to sound like I'm trying to justify myself ;-)

I feel like I drink too much. As it is right now I probably average 3-4 drinks a night.

I have about 4-5 a week. That is heavier than it used to be before brewing, used to be about 2 a week. I am having to pace my brewing now as I have a rather strong reserve.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), "for men, is no more than four drinks in one day, and no more than 14 drinks in a week. For women, it's no more than three drinks in any day and no more than seven drinks in any week."

So be careful my buds! We do this as a hobby, and need to make sure that our craft does not turn into a habit. If you find yourself exceeding the values quoted above, perhaps you should try to cut back for your future health.

I drink a fair mix of everything, but I usually have a beer after work. A couple of times a month I get useless, but I am cutting back a lot. Like many of us mentioned the calorie intake is a problem, as well as waking up in a pool of your own vomit. I would have to agree with Tall... I am never one to pass judgement but it seems that many of you drink quite a bit more than recommended by anyone. Alcoholism is a real problem...

Just when I was just thinking my consumption was getting up there. You guys make me feel like a teetotaler.

2-3 beers a week on average. Sometimes that is 2 in one night and none the rest of the week, sometimes it is 1 every other day, sometimes I go without drinking for weeks at a time.

Before I brewed? Maybe 2 BMC's a month, and a case a month during football season. Now I do 1 or 2 real beers during the game and feel like a champ.

From reading the posts in this thread, a lot are sticking to the 1-2 beers a night wich I feel isn't all that much. You don't get wasted, so it's pretty much like drinking soda. Is it good for the waistline/health ? Probably not, but we all have our vices.

I'm much more worried about the crowd that drinks to get wasted (ie. not homebrewers). Binge drinking is where the true evil lies in my mind, because you stop seeing home brew as an enjoyable and tasty beverage you made yourself (like a bitching chili) and more like a way to get pissed drunk and forget about stuff. Sure, it's fun to get crossed-eye and play trivia once in a while, but I have friends who will spend 100$ a week in bars that feel liked they ruined their weekend if they haven't either hurled from alcohol or forgotten about their night entirely. My girlfriend's friends are particularly guilty of this: they don't want to pace themselves or taste what they are ingesting

Also, daily beer consumption gets a bad name and easily gets associated with alcoholism, while daily wine drinking is touted as an healthy and raffined lifestyle. Classism at its best.

jfr1111 said:

I'm much more worried about the crowd that drinks to get wasted (ie. not homebrewers).

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Are you sure you read the whole thread?

jfr1111 said:

Also, daily beer consumption gets a bad name and easily gets associated with alcoholism, while daily wine drinking is touted as an healthy and raffined lifestyle. Classism at its best.

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really good point

Airborneguy said:

Are you sure you read the whole thread?

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Yeah, some in this thread do like to get wasted, but I see this a LOT more in my friends who are either clubbing scene or like to spend 4 hours after every workday shooting pool at their local watering hole.

The ratio of binge drinkers (6-8+ servings a night) is a lot lower, IMHO, in the homebrewing population for the same age bracket than it is in the general population. A lot of home brewers might be drinking everyday, but they're still drinking the same amount or even drinking less as a whole than the guy whose weekends consists of getting wasted Friday and Saturday night. For a hobby that consists of actually producing alcoholic beverages, that's not too bad.

No offense, but you have ZERO evidence to back up these numbers and assertions. If you look at what's been written here, a homebrewing site, all by homebrewers, you're looking at over half of the posters drinking at a level far above what is considered alcoholism.

Airborneguy said:

No offense, but you have ZERO evidence to back up these numbers and assertions. If you look at what's been written here, a homebrewing site, all by homebrewers, you're looking at over half of the posters drinking at a level far above what is considered alcoholism.

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Then that is a significant issue. Not certain who you are talking to with this, but if it was me quoting the actually association for prevention of alcoholism, then there is a LOT of evidence to back this up.

Seriously, if someone is drinking 3+ drinks a night consistently, it is a real health concern. This comes from knowing folks with these issues, and it is REALLY hard for them to see it. And even easier to make up excuses about it.

Tall_Yotie said:

Not certain who you are talking to with this, but if it was me quoting the actually association for prevention of alcoholism, then there is a LOT of evidence to back this up.

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I was taking to the guy directly above my last post, the one who laid out a whole thesis on homebrewers drinking less than regular beer drinkers, in a thread full of homebrewers saying they drink far too much!

Airborneguy said:

I was taking to the guy directly above my last post, the one who laid out a whole thesis on homebrewers drinking less than regular beer drinkers, in a thread full of homebrewers saying they drink far too much!

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Aaaaaaaaah. Yeah, and to the poster of that; comparing drinking habits to someone who goes binge drinking and/or gets wasted on the weekend is not an acceptable comparison. Like I said before, it is easy to come up with excuses.

It is like defending being obese by saying that there are people far heavier than you and eat far worse in diet; yes, you might be better than them, but it doesn't make you healthy.

SO FeR Ibe hadd anout nune brres ad I'm juts getig statrel

i on average have 2-3 a night. i might have 1-2 more than that when i'm brewing up a batch, which happens about every 4-6 weeks.

This thread make me wish my bottle conditioning was done!! Week one is complete tomorrow!!

jfr1111 said:

My girlfriend's friends are particularly guilty of this: they don't want to pace themselves or taste what they are ingesting

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hmmmm....

pictures?

Airborneguy, Tall Yortie.

The majority of the people posting in this thread consume 1-2 beers a night, wich might note ideal healthwise, but is within pretty much all the recommended limits for every industrialized nations. This is a freaking home brewing site: unless you are giving away all of your brew and make 2 batches a year, it is pretty much guaranteed that you're going to drink.

Recommended maximum per day and per week.

From he CDC FAQ:

What does moderate drinking mean ?There is no one definition of moderate drinking, but generally the term is used to describe a lower-risk pattern of drinking. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans,1 drinking in moderation is defined as having no more than 1 drink per day for women and no more than 2 drinks per day for men. This definition is referring to the amount consumed on any single day and is not intended as an average over several days.

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I wonder why is that ? How, maybe it is because the health risks increase almost exponentially once you cross that line and actually get drunk on a regular basis (4+ units). Want proof, well you have this study that shows an overall decrese in mortality in males over 40 that were within the limits of moderate consumption over non-drinkers. Binge drinkers (those who drank more than 2 a day reularly) were shown to have an increased mortality rate. Also, in the moderate drinking group, only 5% of the deaths were from the typical symptoms of daily alcohol consumption (liver disease, cancer and external causes of death).

This is a home brewing forum. It's pretty much guaranteed people are going to drink and general consensus is that most drink 1-2 a day. Sure, some drink more, but so do the general population: they don't need home brewers to make this study.

What I was underlying is that alcohol education is piss poor pretty much everywhere: daily alcol consumption is pretty much demonized while the risks associated with it, altough very real, are not fully understoodeven by the scientific community. Alcohol consumption is the cause of half the mature deaths of young Russian men the most important cause being violence brought up by excessive alcohol consumption.

I repeat it: daily consumption is most assuredly not good for you in the long run. So is eating cheeseburgers, drinking soda, watching TV, taking yoru car everywhere, etc. Some of the people in this thread may have a drinking problem (or a budding one), but ther's really no contest that staying within the daily/weekly allowances guidelines is better than getting all of your hooch in one or two sittings a week.