How do you control your alcohol intake?

Probably not a very popular topic to be posted on a wine lovers website, but anyway its something very important to me. To keeps things under control I abstain from alcohol consumption during the week. My wife and I will make some exemptions (holidays, birthdays, entertainment,…) but will keep it typically within a glass. You may say we limit ourselves to social drinking during the week and because of our busy working styles there is not much entertainment, ergo not much alcohol.
Weekends are different and I open a bottle for the sake of just tasting it and usually finish it off. Add in a cigar and some single malt, gush it down with some beer, have another wine with the meal,…
Its a bit of a roller coaster ride from nothing during the week and then having the feeling to catch up on the weekend.

When I was employed, my intake was controlled by my paycheck. Now that I’m retired, I can drink everyday. Some day, I’ll be able to serve as a bad example.

Well, the truth is, it was controlled by workdays and shifts. I worked four ten hour shifts on patrol, mostly Graveyard. There was nobody to drink with at 8 AM and I usually went home and slept. Day shifts and investigations assignments allowed me to bowl on Tuesday night, attend the Elks Lodge Wednesday night, play softball Thursday night, play golf Saturday/Sunday and join friends for dinner Friday or Saturday. Alcohol was included in each activity. Drinking in moderation was the control, but it got out of control on occasion.

Now we own a wine shop. Need I say more.

I wish there would be an easy way to ensure that it will be only one glass with the meal. So far I had very little success, hence the no wine during the week. Really miss it though with a good meal and most of the time we also talk on the dinning table which wine would go nicely along with it which is not very helpful.

Weekends are different and I open a bottle for the sake of just tasting it and usually finish it off. Add in a cigar and some single malt, gush it down with some beer, have another wine with the meal,…

GaryC328i, is that you? :wink:

Having Joyce with me…

I control my alcohol intake by swallowing.

I stop just before I get to the point when I have to hold on to something to stay vertical - it is an acquired skill [cheers.gif] [snort.gif]

Zalto

My wife controls my intake, loudly at times :slight_smile:

It’s easy to control - just be a responsible adult. If you’re drinking to get wasted, there are much more efficient liquors than wine.

Nope. When we owned our shop I think my greatest joy was dealing with great customers and that carried on into the years I worked at the shop in the harbor. Now that they’ve closed, and I’m looking for a similar gig, I kinda think I miss the ability to taste great wine almost every day almost as much as I miss the people. Maybe more.

If you get a coravin you can pour just one glass at a time. In theory it makes it easier not to polish off a full bottle “since it’s already open”.

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Agree with what Travis said. Prior to buying a pungo, I’d regularly finish a bottle in a night or two even if I didn’t really feel like drinking that much.

I sleep

Coravin has helped us with this, as sometimes I just don’t want a half bottle of wine, heck sometimes we just want to split a single glass of something decent while we watch a TV show before bed. But really, 2.5 glasses each over the entire course of an evening (one while you cook dinner, one while you eat, one between the two of you curled up on the couch watching Law & Order or Jeopardy or w/e) isn’t really all that much alcohol spaced out over 4 hours or so unless you’re drinking 17% Zinfandel or something.

This may seem counter-intuitive but if you spend more per bottle than you normally do you’ll be less likely to finish the bottle in one night. Also, Coravin (and soon Plum).

Colby at least for me it’s very counter intuitive. If spend a lot on a bottle it’s almost always gone in one night, because even if I’m able to keep my hands off of it the friends I’m sharing it with can’t! Variety is the spice of life though!

Sometimes I control it…

Sometimes it controls me!

I try to take a night or two off per week. Past that, I try to keep things in moderation most nights.

Bad genetics. Chronic kidney disease and hypothyrodism - both idopathic,possibly genetic (mom’s side all suffer from one or both). I am limited to a weekend bottle of wine…but on the up side, I cherish every sip…and choose more carefully. Just happy to be able to drink at all.

So take an extra sip for me the next time you are imbibing a little too much champagne.gif