Ask HN: How Much Alcohol/Coffee Do You Drink? I have recently started drinking up to 6 coffees per day. I don't feel any less healthy but I feel it doesn't seem healthy. Alcohol Every Friday after work. How much do you drink and does it affect your Work/Family and social life? |
Alcohol wise; I try not to drink during the week unless it's at dinner for business or a special event (birthday, anniversary, etc...) - on the weekend, either a glass of wine or a couple whiskeys on the rocks casually with the wife while watching a series or movie.
The only thing it's ever effected was money. Buying coffee at Starbucks or Tim Hortons on a regular basis is a waste IMO. Same with alcohol - cheaper to buy a bottle at home and drink it slowly then at a restaurant. Conversely, as you get older, it becomes (or has become for us) more important what you drink then the quantity - good stuff is expensive so you don't really want to blow through it quickly.
Alcohol: up to two beers at a date, happy hour, or other event. Three if it lasts more than 4 hours. A glass of wine if eating dinner with someone else. Probably averages 2-3 nights per week with any alcohol consumption. No negative effect on social life (though I do enjoy social events more when self-medicating for social anxiety with those beers). More than one drink does affect my sleep that night and energy levels for a couple days, but I haven't been hung over in a decade except for after that one wedding...
In terms of drinking, we usually have a bottle of wine or prosecco 1 - 2 times a week. I get one or two drinks whenever we go out for dinner so that is once a week. I don't think I see an impact, but I don't ever get drunk. I just get sleepy and I usually give in to the call.
I was drinking around 2-6 lattes on any given day for maybe the past 2 years. Never had a problem. About 1 month ago I started having horrible acid reflux and general stomach pains, would wake up vomiting, etc. I went to the ER, discussed my habits, did some scans - and they told me to stop drinking coffee.
First week was hard. Second week I had no cravings and was feeling great. By week 3 (last week) I had lost weight (this was my only dietary change), I was feeling sharper mentally and I was no longer still half-asleep in the morning before that first cup. In short - felt a worlds difference.
I'm not against coffee now, but cutting it out of my life, even if it's temporary, definitely was the right decision for me.
(As for alcohol, I don't drink.)
Almost no alcohol - 1 every few weeks or months depending on circumstances. Party/reception or business dinner at high-end restaurant. And, then it is just one drink.
I am not against alcohol but very cautious around it. I have lost a friend to a drunk driver and had family members lose custody of their kids because abuse of alcohol ruined their ability to drive, work and function as responsible adults.
On the other hand I know plenty of people who drink alcohol much more regularly than I without any notable effect.
How does this effect others? Heck with them, this is the minimum functioning me.
The easiest way to answer your question is like this: If drinking alcohol was an Olympic sport I'd have a few gold medals, and I drink enough caffeine to keep the entire Chinese Red Army awake for a week.
1 glass of watered red wine with dinner (my only meal each day). When going out, I will have 2-3 glasses of wine, but only once every two weeks or so. The rest of the time I'll drink Perrier or soda water.
3-4 glasses of water a day. More on workout days, but I find on a ketogenic diet my water requirements are less. I don't add salt to my food, and I cook all my meals. I don't use condiments either.
I don't drink tea, energy drinks, juice, smoothies, or pop. What I enumerated above is what I drink.
I always have a coffee first thing in the morning, another in my travel mug on my drive to work, and usually make another when I get to the office.
Some mornings/extremely busy days I'll sub in a caffeine pill for that extra boost.
I usually cycle down my caffeine use a few times a year, going from my usual 3-8 down to about 2 coffees a day. I find this helps me from building too much of a tolerance and needing to constantly increase the dosage.
I really only drink alcohol on the weekends and even then not very much.
Alcohol...once a month but in large quantity. Usually go on a bender while barhopping/at a party with friends. Definitely need to shake that habit.
Very little alcohol, 1-2 drinks once every other week or so, often with stretches of a month or more with none at all. I just don't seem to enjoy it as much as many people do, although it is nice sometimes.
Once or twice per year I tend to take 1 - 4 weeks off from alcohol and taper down on caffeine significantly. .. sometimes down to no caffeine. It's rough going for a few days but afterwards I feel that I can't tell the difference between not consuming and consuming
As for alcohol, it's always present at work and it's hard to not drink. I can't say no to free beers ;)
I drink a fair bit of alcohol; probably 3-10 servings during the week and 10-20 servings most weekends. Not drinking would affect my social life.
This is considered low for myself and times in my life I have had about 2x this amount of alcohol/coffee. I am not saying my current consumption is healthy, that is just what it is.
Edited to change the wording of the third sentence.
I wish there were more comments here, would be a cool survey for HN
I drink, on average, 6 standard drinks per week (all beer). Usually after work and, in the last 3 three years, no more than 2 at once.
I'll have a beer or wine or something once every 6 months or so.
Another 2-3 cups of black tea. No alcohol.