Alochol???????

[j0nb0y]

I have decided my alcohol intake has been excessive recently and have decided to cut right back, in fact, I thought I would do "stoptober" and not drink alcohol for a full month, longer if I feel any benefit from it.
My problem is, I still want to socialise with friends and can only drink so much diet coke, so thought I would drink lager shandies. NOW I know I am still drinking alcohol, but in my mind, in very diluted quantities.
I got into a discussion with someone earlier who said, I am still having the alcohol equivalent of half a pint, for every pint of shandy. My argument is 1) they normally do less than half a pint and fill the rest with lemonade. 2) even if it was 50% lager and 50% lemonade, that would dilute the alcohol content to half the original quantity and thus, I am actually only having a quarter of an actual pint. So 4 pints of shandy would be equal to the alcohol of 1 pint?????
Your thoughts please.

[-SharonA-]

Pomegranate juice, looks like red wine!!

[ubasses]

I am told there are some good non alcohol beers now, made by craft brewers.

[ummmm]

Others are right though. No point giving up drinking if you aren't actually going to give up drinking.

[Islay]

Becks Blue is a non alcohol lager and is very good.

[j0nb0y]

Considering I have drank regularly for a number of years, maybe 8 pints some nights, (which is probably moderate to some drinkers), even if I have 2 pints of shandy, that is still only one pint of alcohol if the alcohol isn't diluted as suggested. It was an honest question, I thought the content of alcohol would be relative to the amount it was diluted with.

[Mamyalynne]

With a relatively high intake, cutting down would be a good start.

Smaller glasses and fewer of them and alternate alcoholic drinks with a non alcoholic one.

You'll get there eventually.

[Islay]

8 pints moderate to some drinkers? Really?
I would give up longer than a month if i was you!

[ducksie]

I don't think you're going to go this alone, cold turkey and socialising in your way of thinking are not a good idea, are the only friends you have the ones that drink 'moderately', not very good combination, I think you should speak to your gp, truthfully tell him how much you drink and how often and then maybe when you're off the drink, try going to AA meetings, it's your relationship with alcohol you should consider and not the maths of ½pints to pints etc. try go bowling or some other out of your comfort zone activity, you might find you have a new lease on life and make friends who are less alcohol dependant

[ducksie]

The gp could be a her - I apologise there, I was thinking of mine (gp, not drinking habits)

[Bazile]

Obviously i don't know you ; but it seems that you may be heading towards a bit of a problem , alcohol wise , downing 8 pints a night ?

[ummmm]

8 pints some nights...what about the other nights?

If you have a couple of cans in the evening and 8 pints on a lads night out that isn't so bad. If you're having 8 pints daily you may need help to stop drinking.

[j0nb0y]

8 pints would be a very heavy lads night out. A couple of cans at home a few nights a week. I am quite certain I don't have a problem drink wise. I have not had any alcohol this month, apart from last night's shandy. I am currently working in an industry where drinking heavily is the norm and yes, 8 pints is moderate to some of these lads, who will drink over 10 pints and then have more at home. But thankyou for your concern. I will stick to diet coke this month, then go the shandy route after that.

[Mamyalynne]

You've done well this month then and you're obviously aware of the need to reduce greatly - so good luck.

[jno]

eight pints would be moderate to William Hague, whos used to drink 14 and yet ascended to leadership of the Conservatives. To me, on the other hand, it would be like drowning. To each his or he own.

If you continue drinking you're not stopping, but no harm in cutting down. Half a pint in a shandy is still half a pint, but because the lemonade is in there too, you will probably be ingesting the alcohol more slowly, and no harm in that either.

[ducksie]

I'm sure you could walk the walk and talk the talk, but you should have a look at this link and maybe download the app https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/

[ummmm]

It doesn't sound like you have a problem. A coupe of cans here and there and a night out is what a large amount of the population do.

I was brought up in a pub and seen how much people down on a daily basis.

Drinking the same soft drink becomes boring. Just don't get into rounds so you're drinking at you own pace.

[j0nb0y]

https://www.quora.com/If-a-beer-can-has-5-alcohol-and-I-dilute-it-with-equal-amount-of-water-will-it-now-have-only-2-5-alcohol-If-I-used-5-cans-of-the-same-beer-will-I-have-2

[j0nb0y]

The above link, if it opens, seems to confirm my belief that eg. adding 1 pint of lemonade to 1 pint of 4% abv beer, results in a drink of 2% abv. Which was my initial assumption. Again, I am sure people will correct me if I am wrong.

[EcclesCake]

The link isn't working for me.

Put seven pebbles in a pint glass and top it up with water. There will still be seven pebbles there.

[j0nb0y]

https://www.quora.com/If-a-beer-can-has-5-alcohol-and-I-dilute-it-with-equal-amount-of-water-will-it-now-have-only-2-5-alcohol-If-I-used-5-cans-of-the-same-beer-will-I-have-25-alcohol-in-my-blood