How much drinking is acceptable when youre raising children?

[soonerfan]

Haven't read all of the replies. I have a glass (or more typically) half a glass of wine several times a week. Sometimes, I'll swap out the wine in favor of a beer, particularly in the fall months when my favorite seasonal ales and ciders are out.

Sometimes I have the drink with a meal, and sometimes I have it after kids are in bed. Is it needed? No. Is it relaxing? Yes. Enjoyed? Yes. Would I feel symptoms if I stopped having a drink? Nope. I go through spells of a week or a few with no drink.

I'd laugh if someone I knew ever suggested it was of any sort of concern.

I've never felt a nightly drink (or at least some nights) has impeded my parenting in any way, and I like modeling responsible use for my kids.

[holly6737]

Lately DH has been drinking probably 5 out of 7 nights a week- one or two beers. His brother is big into home brew and supplies DH (for free) with lots of home brewed beers in all sorts of different flavors. BIL also makes his own wine and we do drink some of that on occasion, but his wine isn't as good as his beer. Also, DH enjoys whiskey and probably one night out of the week will have hard liquor. Sometimes he sips it straight, but most of the time he puts it in a drink. He's never drunk, though, and he can NOT drink if he wants to not drink. He doesn't "need" to drink, in other words.

I'm fine with him drinking like that around the kids, so long as he's not drunk. I don't want him drunk around the kids, but I can't remember the last time he was drunk so it's not an issue right now.

As for me, I"ll have a drink probably once a week. I like mochatini's. Vodka, Bailey's and Godiva. I hardly finish the one DH makes for me, though, so I'm hardly ever drunk. The last time I was drunk was on accident with some moonshine that had strawberries in it and DH was sober. I got drunk way faster than I expected. That was like a year ago.

[JennTheMomma]

Here is some info on wine content http://www.alcoholcontents.com/wine/

Beer http://www.alcoholcontents.com/beer/

Liquor http://www.alcoholcontents.com/liquor/

[Kirsie]

Originally Posted by mcpforever The only way I've ever known anyone to consume a shot is quickly for the express purpose of "feeling it." Are there people out there who pour themselves a shot and then sip it during a meal?

I've known very few scotch drinkers who shoot it or mix it; it's sipped over a period of time. Black Russians are also considered cocktails and it's straight alcohol- no mix. Shots can also be taken without the purpose of "feeling it." Aperitifs come to mind.

[Kiliki]

Originally Posted by Dory You keep going back to amounts and drinking with food. For one, some people eat or snack in bars I'm sure. But for me, I'm talking frequency - not quantity or accompaniments. And ftr, I drink less than a handful of times a year, at that. I'm not any of the examples I've given, and I'm sorry if you somehow feel that you need to excuse or explain things about your wine with dinner, in all caps, repeatedly.

Ok. That was rude. I drink very rarely as well. I was just trying to point out that while you seem so focused on people drinking everyday, it really does have more to do with quantity and accompaniments than frequency.

Sorry to have irritated you. Maybe I worded it wrong or hit a nerve or something. I was really just trying to enngage in a discussion, not dish out personal attacks.

We will just have to agree to disagree I suppose.

[lisals]

We used to sip tequila a lot too...when you're paying $200/bottle, you don't shoot it!

Before I got pregnant, I would drink a beer or two a few times a week with DH. During the week, it was always after the kids were in bed (and once they're in bed, they're always down for the whole night). On the weekend, it might start in the afternoon or around dinner. Sometimes it was more, sometimes it was less. My kids have probably seen me buzzed once or twice when we were on vacation and had a designated driver and my mom around to watch them. I've let them sip from my beer here and there (DD, 4, now says she can't have any beer because she's not 21). Our liquor is within reach of the kids and they've learned not to touch the bottles. Granted, they're still young, but I don't want alcohol to be some taboo thing for them. Alcoholism doesn't run in the family and I don't want it to be some big mystery when they're in high school.

[mommy24babes]

Have not read all the replies yet.

We keep a dry house. Dh has struggled and TBH I just don't really care to drink.
Both DH and I have addictions issues with our families and Dh has struggled.
He has been sober for 3 years or so now I think.
I don't necessarily see the harm in the odd beer or glass of wine.
It does bother me personally to have kids witness it as part of everyday life.