If you’re a drinker, do you make bargains with yourself?
Do you tell yourself that you’re allowed to have one more because you’re at a birthday, engagement, wedding, or leaving party? Do you justify every extra sip on the fact that you’ve been for the gym, or that you’ve had a hard day?
It’s not uncommon for those of us who like a tipple to give ourselves reasons and excuses for borrowing happiness from tomorrow.
Depending on how good you are, this ‘one more drink’ rule can be done successfully in moderation. For others, though, we can get ahead of ourselves and end up asleep on the night bus to god knows where.
Our weekly series Spill It helps give our diarists some accountability over their drinking, with every drop recorded for our readers (and themselves).
This week, we spoke a PR Manager who balances her gym-going with her gin-drinking, and loves a wee prosecco.
Monday
After a heavy Saturday night, it’s a rough start to the week. My two-day hangover (hangovers post 30 are not the one, kids!) is in full force and I decide to swerve alcohol for today.
Units: 0
Tuesday
One booze-free day down, and I think I’m on course for another, but life steps in and my friend pushes our gym sesh back a few hours and my boyfriend decided he wants a pint. So I head to the pub intent on just the one… I have a double G&T and a single chaser. Great gym prep!
Units: 2.4
Wednesday
Today I have work meetings so expect a drink or two. I join in with everyone else and pair two beers with lunch, before heading to meet a media partner and sharing a jug of Pimms.
Once we’re no longer in work-mode, me and my workmate decide to head to a cocktail bar in the evening so I down a couple of rather strong gin-based cocktails before heading to a pub and drinking two more bottles of beer. I dread the morning already…
Units: 13.3
Thursday
I get up with a bit of a fuzzy feeling, but have a busy morning at my desk before heading out to meet some clients for lunch. We get a bottle of wine for the table, but after 20 minutes and realising I’m the only one whose glass has been topped up, I decide to down the table water and decline a cocktail – snaps to me. (I’d predict I had two medium glasses of white).
Next up another meeting, where I share a bottle of wine between three of us, before getting on a late train and stopping by M&S for two G&T cans which I neck on the way home.
Before heading home, I swing by the pub and polish off one large glass of red, before downing the rest of a bottle of red in the cupboard. (approx 250ml).
Units: 15.2
Friday
Back to a normal day, I rock up late (thanks flexitime) and think about my alcohol consumption this week, knowing 4pm is beer o’clock in the office. I drink three litres of water before 4pm hits, but can’t turn down two cans of Rekorderlig before heading home and having an early night.
Units: 4
Saturday
My first weekend at home for weeks and I’m looking forward to a productive weekend. But the sun decides to make an appearance, and being September in the UK, we never know then the next sunny weekend will be.
So Spoons beer garden wins out and I end up drinking 2/3rds of a bottle of Prosecco and a pint of lager with a meal deal. Fuelled by bubbles, I pop at the shop on the way home for more Prosecco, and continue to drink a large bottle of beer from the fridge while the Prosecco chills. By the time I head to bed, the Prosecco bottle is empty.
Units: 20.9
Sunday
A day of rest, thank goodness. I take two coffees to get going, and successfully make it to 7:30pm without touching a drop. However a double g&t before bed goes down rather well.
I’d like to say this week was an anomaly, but I’d be lying. Work meetings did change my routine, but without those, there would definitely be a post-work pub trip somewhere.
I know I need to cut down, and have done for a while, but drinking is a large part of my social and work life. Besides, I’ve almost convinced myself that my exercise and healthy eating habits counteract my alcohol consumption.
Units: 1.4
Total units this week: 57.2
Total units in a week recommended by the NHS: 14 units (for anybody regardless of gender).
Spill It is a weekly series out every Friday. To get involved email jessica.lindsay@metro.co.uk.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2019/10/11/spill-it-how-much-a-32-year-old-pr-manager-drinks-in-a-week-10899969/
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