as I get older (now 44) I find that tolerance for even a few pints/wines gets less and less, such that I have a sore head/feel off in the morning after not very much at all. Used to regulary open and finish a bottle of wine of an evening but no way could I do that now and be fully functional next day. Too greedy to not finish it and wife doesn't drink at all. Maybe I should just give it up entirely ??

Wine stopper? Works for me.

yeah. Jam the cork back in.

AA?

Too greedy to not finish it

😆

always seems possible before I open it, then becomes less so !

In my experience, it goes like this…the less you drink, the less you want it…the more you ride, the less you drink. Or something like that. I've set myself a fitness target which is getting me out on the bike a lot more. I've found that I'm simply not into alcohol as much as I used to be. Still have the odd beer & glass of wine, but these days one is enough because it goes straight to my head. Oh, and I feel a whole lot better for it too.

i maybe have 10 whiskys a year and about the same number of pints of ale …

gave up drinking to get drunk/have a good time age 20 when i realised i wasnt really having a good time

now just drink to enjoy the taste. dont need lots for that !

vacuvin and some self control. If that doesn't work then maybe an AA meeting? 😉

I know vacuvin is recommended by most people I know who are enthusiastic about wine.

After drinking enough for a lifetime at uni I decided that my time was too important to spend hungover and the joys of drinking weren't as good as days out on bikes with mates. I very rarely drink now but when I do I go for quality rather than quantity and enjoy it rather than down it.

pedalhead – pretty much with you on that, and don't open a bottle that often, usually a fri night, but not if I am riding the next day !!!

There's no law that says you have to drink. Drink alcohol when you want to, don't drink it when you don't.
I pretty much stopped drinking altogether just over a year ago, and I now find it difficult to justify drinking alcohol on any occasion, but still have the odd wine or beer.

ds – agreed, my dilemna is more around the after effects than the amount/regularity, which is pretty low in the first place

I sometimes fancy "a glass" of wine rather than "a bottle". I flirted with getting box wines, so I could have a glass without any need to have another. It worked well, but the problem there is when I do decide to have 'a few', after I've had a few it suddenly seems like a really good idea to try and empty the box.

You pay a bit more for it, but you can get wine miniatures (200ml? I think). I've started getting a couple of those instead, they're usually on offer at like three for a fiver or something in the local supermarket. Works quite well for me cos it breaks the mental cycle of "I'll just have a glass… well, I'll just have two… well, the bottle's nearly empty now so…"

No intention of giving up booze completely but certainly drink less these days than I used to. Went for my first ever in twenty years Saturday evening ride a few weeks ago and really liked it rather than going to the pub, so I've been doing more of that recently. Keeps me out of trouble !

Kev

It's hard to find the right balance for boozing – I wouldn't look to give it up, just find what works for you. I have a pretty high tolerance (developed over years of dedicated training), so can drink a fair bit without it being too much of a problem the next morning. As a result I try to be careful with it – 3 or 4 days a week with no ale works for me, but can be hard to stick to. I also never buy large amounts of ale / wine at the supermarket, as if it's there it'll get drunk, rapidly.

Interesting thing about the bevvy is that you can think you're drinking too much until you hear what others are getting through (definition of an alcoholic – someone who drinks more than you do). I probably drink more than most on here, but it's nothing compared to what the real ale tanks are supping.

I rarely drink, mainly because of other lifestyle choices: I can't cope with hangovers, I ride my bike nearly every day, getting drunk became an activity associated with work (and I hated the work and the people), visitng family involves flying weekend visits in the car, friends have young children and we've got a baby on the way. Mrs North drinks very little these days.

Also, a close friend of ours from university drank himself to an early death (27).

I do enjoy a drink, and am able to enjoy in moderation, but most of the time it just feels like too much effort.

good point Garry – I reckon maybe 10 units a week tops, the problem can be if that's all in 1 go with a bottle of wine on a Fri or Sat and feel like cr@p the next day when 10 yrs ago I'd not feel it at all ! Isn't getting older wondeerful 😥

i found myself in a similar situation. I come from a rugby background where drinking to excess is a regular part of the culture. As I was one of the older guys on the team(mostly in their 20's), I found I was getting more and more tired of this scene. I retired from playing a couple of years ago and just drank with my mates on Fridays. But the problem was that after a few pints I would feel like a train wreck the next morning. So I made a decision to quit completely. Best thing I have done. I haven't had a drink since dec09 and find that I am riding my bike more and my fitness is returning(even beating people that used to thrash me!). I sometimes do find it difficult if we are out with people that don't know me that well, they assume that I was an alcoholic. Also used to find it difficult after our club rides as the pub does great local ales. I did get some stick(4 pints of bitter and a soda lime for the lady etc) but people actually look up to me for having willpower. Drinking used to help with my personality(I thought) as I am very shy and feel awkward when not having a few. Maybe its just me growing up or just feeling comfortable with myself and my (small) group of friends, but I actually enjoy my nights out. And I don't spew a load $ollocks all night. We did the London/Brighton and stayed the night down there. I was dreading it as I thought it would be like a rugby tour. It turned out to be great fun and quite a laugh as I was the only sober one and never felt uncomfortable or awkward.

Giving up alcohol is incredibly easy. You feel better, spend less money and its easier to stop getting fat. It also reveals which of your friends rely a bit too much on drink. Seven years and counting.

For me, a post-ride ale is a simple pleaure – & far more so for not getting battered.

Marks and Spencer used to sell a fairly big range of '2 glass' mini bottles. Not been in that area of the shop lately so no idea if they still do.

I have an occasional glass of wine or bottle of beer. It's not hard.