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PaperclipPerfector  6mo ago (text post)   3252 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for April 19, 2026

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Do you drink alcohol? If so, how much and how often, and what's your age?

I'm mid 40s and I used to be a social drinker, but gave it up 2.5 years ago because the hangovers, even after 2 drinks, became atrocious. Even if I ate something, spread out the drinks, hydrated, etc. Of my greater social group, though, I'm the only one to give it up. I keep hearing about people drinking less, but no one I know among my age group has slowed down or given it up.

I drank somewhere between 5 and 25 drinks a week for approximately my entire late teens and twenties. This is pretty normal in Britain, although most people usually moderate as they get older. I'd mostly stopped what I'd consider binge drinking (5+ drinks in a sitting) by 25 (with the exception of perhaps a wedding or Christmas) but would still drink, just with more moderation. I was probably down to 5-10 drinks a week. That works out to be considerably more than recommended.

I did full sobriety for approximately 6 months as I had to get some other issues in my life under control and realised my drinking was a barrier to this. It was much easier than I expected, I was extremely productive, but still felt like I missed out on enjoying some things as much as I might have after the perfect 2 drink mark (mostly nice dinners). I gradually returned to drinking 1 or 2 drinks a week, sometimes not drinking for a couple of weeks, sometimes having a couple of drinks a day on a holiday. I feel extremely happy with this current level of drinking and have maintained it for about 2 years, and although I haven't been properly drunk in a very long time, I intend to break this boring streak at an upcoming bachelor party.

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