Poll: How many cocktails do you have per week?

[ABQ2015]

I have a few drinks over the Christmas holidays when visiting family or occasionaly when having dinner at neighbor's homes. My neighbors enjoy wine and one makes fruit infused cocktails. Otherwise I have a beer or glass of wine once or twice a month. I became a heavy drinker in my 30's and was worried about becoming an alcoholic so around age 40 I stopped drinking completely for several years. Eventually I went back to drinking a daily beer before bedtime but that started to interfere with my sleep (and weight management) so I gave it up.

 

[cbo111]

I've been a moderate drinker for 40+ years, but in Feb 2020 when the pandemic hit, I just stopped drinking. It didn't start as a conscious plan until the first 6 months passed. At that point I felt no motivation to buy alcohol. And I don't miss it. I no longer get heartburn and my sleep has improved.

 

[rk911]

zip, none, zero. i've had two sips of alcohol twice in my life...once by accident.

 

[disneysteve]

This thread made me thirsty.


After dinner, I had a pour of a single barrel store pick wheater bourbon that I like. It was my first drink in a few weeks.

 

[sheldon cornped]

We do more than our "fair share" of supporting the wineries and breweries in the Willamette Valley of Oregon among a few other states. So, no cocktails but more IPA's and wine than your average bear.....

 

[2017ish]

We do more than our "fair share" of supporting the wineries and breweries in the Willamette Valley of Oregon ....

Ah yes. DW also is big into Willamette. Her favorite Pinots originate there--unfortunately, her favorites are not priced for our everyday drinking.

 

[Winemaker]

I would say I average one alcoholic drink per month. The yeast in beer does not agree with my digestive system, but I still have one or two light beers per month.

The yeast in 99.9% of beers and wine sold commercially are sterile filtered which removes any yeast, however every beer/wine yeast strain has certain byproducts that make the beer/wine unique to that strain of yeast. I for one, cannot drink Budweiser products as their yeast creates byproducts that will give me a splitting headache, whether I drink 1 or 10 servings. Four Roses Bourbon uses 4 strains of yeast out of 16 to make their slew of products. When I make a wine, I use no less than 3 different yeasts on 3 different lots of the same grape. When they have completed primary fermentation, I wait for all dead yeast cells to fall out, siphon, then blend all 3+ lots together to create a much more complex beverage.

 

[disneysteve]

Four Roses Bourbon uses 4 strains of yeast out of 16 to make their slew of products.

5 strains actually along with 2 mashbills to make a total of 10 different recipes.

 

[Rocket Man]

The yeast in 99.9% of beers and wine sold commercially are sterile filtered which removes any yeast, however every beer/wine yeast strain has certain byproducts that make the beer/wine unique to that strain of yeast. I for one, cannot drink Budweiser products as their yeast creates byproducts that will give me a splitting headache, whether I drink 1 or 10 servings. Four Roses Bourbon uses 4 strains of yeast out of 16 to make their slew of products. When I make a wine, I use no less than 3 different yeasts on 3 different lots of the same grape. When they have completed primary fermentation, I wait for all dead yeast cells to fall out, siphon, then blend all 3+ lots together to create a much more complex beverage.

Thanks for the reply. Very interesting! Maybe it is the bubbles from the yeast and the yeast byproducts that bother me. Wine and whiskey do not bother my digestive system like beer. Books I have read also have indicated it is best for people with stomach/digestive issues to stay away from beer and try wine or whiskey, vodka or gin in moderation as an alternative.

 

[6miths]

Don't drink at all. Never acquired the taste. DW will have wine now and then and maybe even a beer once or twice a month.

Latest study suggests that light drinking does not offer health benefits compared to never drinkers. The suggestion is that studies that suggest protection from light alcohol intake compared to non-drinkers have been confounded by subjects who currently identify as non-drinkers but who had high risk behaviors such as heavy drinking in the past.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/ar...-should-not-be-recommended-for-health-reasons

 

[The_Outsider]

Its mostly 1 per weekend for us. Off late however it is more like 2 per weekend. Nothing during the week. We will need to keep a check on it once we FIRE. On holidays, we don't keep a count

 

[Winemaker]

Thanks for the reply. Very interesting! Maybe it is the bubbles from the yeast and the yeast byproducts that bother me. Wine and whiskey do not bother my digestive system like beer. Books I have read also have indicated it is best for people with stomach/digestive issues to stay away from beer and try wine or whiskey, vodka or gin in moderation as an alternative.

Perhaps you are gluten intolerant/celiac; my DW was diagnosed over40 years ago, that is how I got into beer brewing and winemaking. While I not a heavy drinker by any stretch, I have studied numerous products, their fermentations, and strains. I should have studied microbiology instead of mining, but I would probably still be w*rking, studying this stuff.

 

[Lsbcal]

I usually have a glass of wine at dinner which is about 4 hours before bed. DW does not drink nowadays.

I just read an interesting article on drinking and how it affects sleep. Short take: you should try not to drink in the period 4 hours before sleep. Drinking can cause sleep issues some hours after nodding off. You might get to sleep but not stay sleeping the normal amount. Article here:
https://www.cnet.com/health/sleep/alcohol-might-be-ruining-your-sleep-heres-how-to-fix-that/

 

[EastWest Gal]

Cocktails once or twice a year. DH doesn't drink at home, and I've stopped. I tended to drink when I was bored at home. I drank too much for awhile when the PA stores opened up a few months after the pandemic started. They were completely shut down during the early part of the pandemic.

We keep nothing in the house except when I cook with alcohol (usually wine, sometimes sherry or bourbon). Overall I'm no longer tempted, since alcohol interferes with my sleep. We've never had a "liquor cabinet."

We went out for a cocktail on our anniversary in May, enjoying it outside, and we also had a cocktail in September, on vacation, again outside. That was it for 2021.

 

[mystang52]

I was never a big drinker, and I'm finding my tolerance has gotten even lower.
Pre COVID I'd have a drink once a week Saturday night, occasionally Sunday.....and on vacation I would have one every night. Now, my once a week drink is more like every other week, and often I don't finish it. The last 2 times we went away for vacation I likewise only drank a couple of times. I think I'm starting to lose the taste for booze; as i said I was never a big drinker anyway so I don't miss it.

 

[mh]

Zero. My chemo therapy and alcohol do not mix in any quantity. I have however discovered that non alcohol IPA beer is not half bad. Non alcohol wine on the other hand is undrinkable (at least the ones I have tried).

I like the lagunitas “IPNA” non alcoholic ipa the best , of the ones I have tried so far.

 

[RunningBum]

Thanks for the reply. Very interesting! Maybe it is the bubbles from the yeast and the yeast byproducts that bother me. Wine and whiskey do not bother my digestive system like beer. Books I have read also have indicated it is best for people with stomach/digestive issues to stay away from beer and try wine or whiskey, vodka or gin in moderation as an alternative.

I've had issues with beer too, increasing bladder irritation (IC/BPS). I'm more tolerant of wine or spirits, but those bother me some too, so I limit them. I went 2+ years without a single beer. I went a month gluten free, and I went a few months alcohol free to eliminate some possibilities, but I still haven't found a trigger. Now I'm on a low dose of methylprednisolone, and doing a lot better, and can even have a beer or two a month. Working with my doc to try to find the lowest dose that gives me relief.

 

[RetiredHappy]

I don't do alcohol, don't enjoy it and it makes me miserable a couple of hours after drinking.

 

[mountainsoft]

The only mixed drink I care for is a pina colada, and I probably only drink those once or twice a year if that. More of a special summer treat than anything.

We typically have a couple glasses of wine on Friday and Saturday nights while watching movies at home, but rarely during the week. I usually get a glass of wine if we go out for dinner, but it depends on the food.

We also like to try out new stout beers, especially barrel aged stouts. It's not a regular thing, maybe twice a month. There are a few tap houses in our area now with great pizza and taster flights so we can try different stouts.

We also enjoy visiting different wineries in our area for tastings, but that's not real often either, maybe a few times a year.

We do use Rum, Bourbon, and Vodka in various recipes we make, but most of the alcohol burns off and just leaves the flavor. I do make a hot chocolate drink with Rum on a couple cold winter nights each year.

 

[kgtest]

0. I drank enough from my 20s to 30s for the rest of my life. Haven't drank in over a decade now.

 

[Music Lover]

I don't drink cocktails or wine but enjoy beer. I have about 12 a week which averages under 2 a day, ranging from 0 - 6 depending on what's going on. 0 if not doing anything, 1 or 2 after cutting the grass or doing a chore or after a band rehearsal, maybe 6 if sitting on the deck with friends.

I just recently switched to light beer...not to reduce alcohol but to reduce calories.

 

[Foghorn Leghorn]

A drink is a drink, I think

 

[DrRoy]

A large glass of red wine about twice a week. Sometimes something else, but that is what's typical.

 

[harllee]

I was drinking a glass of wine with dinner most nights but I eliminated it for January and have stayed off alcohol. I lost 10 pounds since January 1 -- eliminating the wine was the only change I made. There are a lot of calories in alcohol.

 

[Trooper]

I'll have one a day usually with dinner. Can be a beer, a glass of wine or a G&T depending on my mood. I thought I was practicing moderation until I read this thread. Now I feel like a lush!