Probably around 60 pints of beer a week

Surely it depends on how much booze is in the beer? I mean it must get to a point if it’s a weak session-beer where the negative effects of the alcohol are cancelled out by time and the sheer amount of water being consumed? There must be a mathematical theory for this.

Isn’t 60 pints of anything per week excessive! 🙂

10-15 pints a week spread over 4-5 nights. Not very good at getting in the booze free days. At the same time I don’t have more than 4 in a night most of the time.

Not great drinking habits though.

I’m not sure for everyone that’s it’s correct to say that all have difficulties with alcohol. I love it. But stay away on a school night as it’s something to look forward to at the weekend.

An average of 8.5 pints per day. Even if it was a weak beer, to allow it to be cancelled out by time would mean constant drinking through most of the day, so no working, no driving, etc. If drunk through an evening, then means that the drinker shouldn’t be driving the next morning, and probably not doing anything that requires concentratio

Without getting into driving 8 pints is 3 hours after work in the pub for some not an all day session. People who drink like that build up a tolerance to alcohol, 8 pints and to look at them you might not even think they’d been drinking. 20 pints is a good session for some . I agree long term it’s very probably going to have a negative effect on their health but not everyone is prepared to give up what they enjoy for what in their mind “might” hapen. Effects on your weight will be down to your metabolism, activity levels and how much else you eat. But with a few exceptions most heavy drinkers I know have impressive beer bellies 😱

https://inews.co.uk/news/health/official-britain-worst-diet-europe-121585

The British diet in general is a public health disaster zone. We have a terrible problem with diet-related ill health,” said Tim Lang, Professor of food policy at City University

There is no way on earth that 8 pints a day is remotely good for you! At that level you are looking at heart muscle disease and cirrhosis of the liver.

I think the jury is probably still out on ‘moderate’ alcohol intake, but that’s pure nuts

Try to stick within guidelines, 14 units or so… how that plays out against ABV etc mixes up the amount of cans / bottles etc.

Without getting into driving 8 pints is 3 hours after work in the pub for some not an all day session.

I know. I was replying to : it must get to a point if it’s a weak session-beer where the negative effects of the alcohol are cancelled out by time and the sheer amount of water being consumed? but I used driving as a particular point. If you can’t legally drive to work in the morning, are you really effective in work? I know we’ve all turned up properly hungover at some point, but 8 pints of an evening, every evening, and then pretending to be a normal human being?

And ‘building up a tolerance’ doesn’t mean that the alcohol isn’t affecting you, just that you’re vaguely managing to cope with life at that consumption level. A bottle of wine barely seems to affect me when I’m watching rugby and playing guitar of a Friday night. But I know it would be very unwise of me to ride my MTB around the woods.

Of course, I’m assuming that the drinker is working; looking at it from own POV. Because if I was drinking 60 pints a week I wouldn’t be doing anything other than working, drinking, trying to recover, working, drinking, trying to recover. 60 pints a week doesn’t leave a lot of time for other activities, even if you swallow them at the bar one after the other.

Very little. I’ll occasionally have a pint of muddy ale or rough cider but if someone told me I couldn’t ever drink alcohol again I would not be disappointed.

My little sister and her BF came to stay recently (she’s 50) and she is something of an… ‘enthusiast’, shall we say. I could not keep up, and didn’t particularly want to.

Without getting into driving 8 pints is 3 hours after work in the pub for some not an all day session. People who drink like that build up a tolerance to alcohol, 8 pints and to look at them you might not even think they’d been drinking. 20 pints is a good session for some

Or they could be retired or self-employed and drink gradually through the day. A regular intake of a lower ABV might even keep one under the limit? Think about workers who go out for lunchtime drinks, they’re ok to drive come five, so assuming having a few ales say, nine AM to lunchtime, then a few more in the afternoon, a couple in the evening… easily done.

Regarding the tolerance and driving thing, that’s where I think the set-in-stone limits are a bit unfair. Some people could be over but fine to drive after many pints whereas someone else could be drunk after one. Roadside ‘walk the line’ tests would be fairer.

Drinking used to be my hobby (easily 60+ pints a week) but when I turned 23 and met my wife, she, I mean I realised that I needed take better care of myself and be a bit more mature…

Only drink a couple a week now but can also go weeks without a drop. Unless I’m on holiday and can have several a day, often spread out and often with food. Mmm red wine and steak… Mmm pizza and a cold beer…

Of course, I’m assuming that the drinker is working; looking at it from own POV. Because if I was drinking 60 pints a week I wouldn’t be doing anything other than working, drinking, trying to recover, working, drinking, trying to recover. 60 pints a week doesn’t leave a lot of time for other activities, even if you swallow them at the bar one after the other.

I’m not so sure. In the 90’s I used to work in bars and restaurants. We all used to consume heroic amounts of booze. Both during and after the shift. Still got stuff done. Even now you see tradesman drinking. A few cold tinnies on a hot day. Lovely. Going back in time you have the late great Fred Dibnah, liked a few beers, got a lot done. George Orwell sinking litres of wine whilst working in Paris kitchens, he wrote some good books… Even further back and people drank beer in place of water because it was cleaner.

8-15 pints a week, a couple a day at the local. Been like that for a lot of this year but have made a concerted effort recently to cut down a bit as it has been affecting my sleep and my waistline! Last 4 weeks I have had 4 or 5 pints total and I feel much better for it.
Guy at my local is known as “Johnny 5” because as well as his name actually being John, he comes in at around 5 after work every day and has 5 pj ts of Guinness. Says he doesn’t drink at home and he doesn’t drink at weekends when he’s got his daughter. He’s a roofer and I do t know how he manages it day after day with that much beer inside him!

Effects on your weight will be down to your metabolism, activity levels and how much else you eat. But with a few exceptions most heavy drinkers I know have impressive beer bellies 😱

This is true. But here’s one for you: how come you rarely see fat street-drinkers? ‘Jakeys’ for our Scottish readers. You know, always staggering around with a tin of something strong. Generally, they’re admirably thin. I think ‘good food’ and living a comfortable lifestyle make one fat. Likewise, you see happy content couples, then they break up and all of a sudden they’re shedding the weight whilst hitting the booze every night…

Thin alkies: They probably don’t eat much and just pass out, wake and repeat. They get their calories from the booze. Medium term nutrition deficit.
I remember heavy smokers used to be wretchedly thin also.

Average consumption is roundabout 10 units per day. More if there’s stuff going on at the weekend (gigs etc). Been like that for at least 10 years. Very rarely get very pissed, only get hungover after big (as in >10 pints) days at the weekend, have a normal job/family, ride my bike every day and fitter than most.

Is it a problem? Not yet (yes I know it will be eventually) in health terms, but it outweighs the other negatives which is massive social anxiety, a lifetime of insomnia and various other things.

More than anything else I just enjoy it. That’s reason enough for me.

outweighs the other negatives which is massive social anxiety, a lifetime of insomnia and various other things.

Insomnia? You will have a better quality and less interrupted sleep without the use of alcohol. Sure your physical dependency on alcohol might not let you sleep if you stop but it simply tells you that you have an alcohol dependency problem – alcohol isn’t the solution it’s the problem.

And if it helps with “massive social anxiety” then imo that proves, despite your claims to suggest otherwise, that you are getting pissed. Alcohol will either significantly affect your brain or it won’t affect your brain in a measurable manner. If it is helping you deal with social anxiety then it is affecting your brain in a significant and measurable way. IMO

Regarding the tolerance and driving thing, that’s where I think the set-in-stone limits are a bit unfair.

tell that to one who has lost a loved one or had life changing injuries because somebody thought the limit was “a bit unfair” and didn’t apply to them.
the limit is there for a reason, it applies to everyone (except MP’s, Lords, Chief’s of police etc)

despite your claims to suggest otherwise, that you are getting pissed.

I never claimed otherwise (and stop trying to turn this into an argument BTW). If it didn’t have an effect I wouldn’t drink the stuff. What I mean by ‘very pissed’ is leglessly, slurring words head spinningly pissed, and that almost never happens these days, largely because I have a very high tolerance. As for the insomnia, I’ve never been able to sleep from a young age. The minute I go to bed I lie awake thinking about all sorts of crap and can’t switch my brain off. Alcohol helps with that. Also see my last comment.

Guy at my local is known as “Johnny 5” because as well as his name actually being John, he comes in at around 5 after work every day and has 5 pj ts of Guinness.

£500 – £600 a month on Guinness!

Far too much.

Probably 3 -4 bottles of wine a week, supplemented by a few beers on a Friday and Saturday night.

Try and aim for 3-4 nights off during a week, but realistically at the moment its only 2-3

I never claimed otherwise (and stop trying to turn this into an argument BTW).

Okay fair enough, you were referring to ‘legless pissed’ and you accept that even if you are functioning it affects your brain. TBH I had missed the word “very” in “very pissed”.

And I’m not trying to turn it into an argument btw, but it is a fact that many people deny the affect that alcohol has on them, as MrSmith’s comment above highlights. It’s also a fact that many people get rather defensive about their use of alcohol 😉

but it is a fact that many people deny the affect that alcohol has on them

Totally agree. I can’t speak for anyone else but I’m extremely aware of the effects on me. I know exactly how much I consume, the potential health impacts, not to mention the financial cost, and also the perceived benefits. At some point the negatives will outweigh the positives and i’ll do something about it. Not yet though. 😀

Normally a bottle of wine a week, maybe a few beers.

Many of my friends don’t drink, so socialising is normally nice food / cinema rather than pub these days. Sometimes I’ll have a half / weak beer if eating out but I don’t like driving after drinking, even small amounts.

I used to drink far too much, for reasons. These days I try and direct my addictive personality towards positive things. Working so far…

At some point the negatives will outweigh the positives and i’ll do something about it. Not yet though. 😀

It’s a similar attitude to that of many smokers – when you are young and believe that you will live forever giving up smoking isn’t a priority, however there eventually comes a point when you realise that your body simply isn’t young enough any longer to fight off the effects of smoking.

And of course like many drinkers many smokers believe that they can give up whenever it becomes necessary, just now isn’t the right time.

I doubt that anyone who has been drinking heavily for many years isn’t left with some permanent damage to their cardiovascular system, however unaffected they might feel.

It’s a similar attitude to that of many smokers

Yes it’s exactly that. Without alcohol consumption I’d be a social recluse (yes sad I know but it is what it is). Yes it will have affected my health, and could affect it a lot more in future now I’m getting older. But I weigh that against a lifetime of generally positive experiences and impacts. As for whether I can give up. Who knows? I’ll cross that bridge if/when I come to it.

Churchill was rumoured to have drank over 40000 bottles of Pol Roger champagne in his lifetime, and quite possibly over 100k bottles of alcohol of various kinds. He was 90 when he died. That’s 26 bottles a week!

Insomnia? You will have a better quality and less interrupted sleep without the use of alcohol.

I take issue with this. For some people there may be better quality sleep – however that is measured – but my sleep is much less interrupted after a few drinks. I can guarantee that I’ll sleep though the night after drinking, whereas I’m very restless and prone to insomnia when I haven’t had any alcohol. Either way, I’m rarely any more rested the next day when I don’t drink alcohol compared to when I do. I don’t think I’m alone in this.

Churchill also had a driver, didn’t have to operate machinery etc. Some of the daily volumes being discussed in this thread would result in folks being a real risk to others, not just themselves.

As regards the sleeping thing, I’ve managed on 5 hrs for most of my life. It makes no difference if I’ve had alcohol or not. What’s true “generally” isn’t always the case for every individual.

It’s my understanding that alcohol-induced sleep isn’t “good” sleep. Though I suppose poor sleep is still better than no sleep.

There might also be a difference between alcohol induced and alcohol enabled. 😉

Looking at the sleep data off my Garmin, I can’t see any correlation between my (admittedly quite low) alcohol consumption and poor sleep. I’m maybe not having enough beer to spot any difference. Do you think I should experiment a bit more? 🍺🍺🍺🍺🤪

There might also be a difference between alcohol induced and alcohol enabled. 😉

Good point well made.

I’m with Daz on this one – often literally – we have sunk many (usually post-ride) pints together over the years.

I know that my drinking laughs in the face of government guidelines*, but so what?

I’m not sat in a park, drinking cider and shouting at buses.

We went out riding on Sunday, finished at the pub where we sank 6 pints each, sat in the sun, talking bollocks. It was very enjoyable. That’s fairly usual. I’m have a pretty active social life, including being out on school nights, which tends to involve sinking a few.

* As far as those guidelines are concerned; I’ve a mate who’s a GP who says they were pretty much arbitrary numbers, plucked out of the air, so I wouldn’t worry too much about those anyway

As far as those guidelines are concerned; I’ve a mate who’s a GP who says they were pretty much arbitrary numbers, plucked out of the air, so I wouldn’t worry too much about those anyway

Sounds like sensible advice. Did you meet him in a pub btw?

In other shocking news some GPs have been known to take illegal narcotics. Makes you think.

Btw you don’t appear to be with Daz on this binners. He fully accepts that at some point it will affect his health and he will need to consider doing something about it.

Like I said: I’m with Daz on this.

I smoked for decades then knocked that on the head about 8 years ago when I felt I’d reached the point where I was probably pushing my luck

Thin alkies: They probably don’t eat much and just pass out, wake and repeat. They get their calories from the booze. Medium term nutrition deficit.

First post mortem I ever attended was that of an alcoholic male street drinker in his fifties. The pathologist pointed out that he was emaciated/malnourished, with all sorts of other issues. Experience showed over the next thirty years, that alcohol is far more important to many of these tragic individuals than food.

Maybe I’m not trying hard enough, but I’m pretty inconsistent, saw lots of friends this weekend just gone, but they all live in places we need to drive to, so 1 drink out with them then probably 1 when I got home. Nothing since a small red on Monday night and will probably have another glass from that bottle tomorrow night, maybe even 2.

I have the advantage/disadvantage that I can no longer stomach beer (fodmap IBS problems) and I like wine, but not enough to get really into drinking much of it. Cider I can take or leave, I find after a second pint it’s too sugary even for me with my sweet tooth. Can’t really do spirits either so 2 G&T’s is enough.

Will occasionally have an event and drink more, but not that regular these days. So overall answer is it varies, probably more than I should, likely less than a lot of others (especially the 60 pints a week overachiever!).

they were pretty much arbitrary numbers, plucked out of the air, so I wouldn’t worry too much

I felt I’d reached the point where I was probably pushing my luck

So your reassuring words “I wouldn’t worry too much” are qualified by the acceptance that at some point you are likely to feel that you are probably pushing your luck.

How will you know when you have reached that point before the damage has already been done?

A word with your GP mate? 😉

pretty much arbitrary numbers, plucked out of the air

This is true.

I’m not saying that alcohol consumption is a physically healthy thing but a limit of 6 pints a week is very, very low.

I don’t know anyone who regularly has a drink, who drinks this small amount.

I would consider that almost tea total.