Couple dubbed “functioning alcoholics” after shocking booze confession

A couple have been dubbed “functioning alcoholics” after making a candid and shocking confession about how much they drink in a week.

An Australian couple’s candid question about their drinking habits has stunned the internet and sparked an outpouring of concern for their weekly habit.

A father of two took to Reddit to ask whether he and his wife drink too much, writing that they “get through” multiple bottles of vodka and wine each week.

A couple have sparked concern after a candid post about how much they drink in a week.

The man said that between working a full-time 45-hour week and raising teenagers, he would “get through 5 bottles of vodka” a week.

Meanwhile, his wife – a “nurse who works 32 hours per week” – consumes about “1 bottle of vodka with 3 bottles of wine per week”.

“I’ll add that we don’t get falling-down drunk every night,” he added.

“(I) Mentioned it to a work colleague and they were quite shocked, is it normal to drink like us?”

The question prompted thousands of responses, with some giving frank advice to the couple.

Some users labelled the couple “functioning alcoholics”.

“Yes, you are basically functioning alcoholics,” one user replied, adding a link to “stopdrinking” forum on Reddit.

“Categorically yes, that’s too much. That’s not normal. You both need to get sober,” another wrote.

The couple consume multiple bottles of vodka and wine every week.

One user, who wrote they were a “functioning alcoholic” had some blunt feedback.

“I’m sorry to break it to you, but this is what alcoholism looks like. Alcoholics aren’t always messy, slurring drunks,” they said.

“[Five] bottles of Vodka in a week would be the biggest binge of my life and I would be falling down drunk. [This man] has built up a pretty high physical tolerance to alcohol,” someone else replied.

“I think this might be the level of drinking where stopping would be physically painful if not lethal.”

Some said that while the couple may be used to it, their teenage kids “probably make offhand comments to their friends about your drinking”.

“So that’s 5 bottles of vodka a week for you? That is a problem. It’s also not a great example to set for your kids. Their relationship with alcohol will be messy,” one wrote.

Though the man said they don’t get “falling-down drunk every night”, users were stunned by their drinking.

Users also pointed out the risks the pair were putting themselves and those around them at.

“Your wife is at risk of being hungover at work and smelling of alcohol. Both of you are at risk of having a breathalyser 0.05 or above in the morning.”

“So you’re permanently pickled basically? Hope you’re not driving while p*ssed.”

Others were stunned by the cost of the drinking habit – noting they must be spending hundreds of dollars on grog each week – and others who had or knew of people with drinking problems begged the couple to seek help.

In Australia, one standard drink contains 10 grams of alcohol. This is the amount the adult body can process in one hour.

A standard 70ml bottle of spirits – that is 40 per cent alcohol – contains 22 standard drinks, according to the Cancer Council.

While a 750ml bottle of wine – 9.5 per cent to 13 per cent alcohol – contains 7 to 8 standard drinks.

The NHMRC has outlined what a standard drink of common alcoholic beverages looks like. Picture: NHMRC

By those numbers, it means the man is consuming more than 100 standard drinks of alcohol per week, and his wife is consuming more than 43 standard drinks per week.

But both parents are consuming way more than the maximum weekly alcohol intake recommended by Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to prevent long-germ alcohol-related harm.

The NHMRC recommends adults consume a maximum of 10 standard drinks per week, and four standard drinks “on any one day to reduce the risk of alcohol-related injury”.

The NHMRC recommends adults drink a maximum 4 standard drinks in one sitting, and 10 per week to reduce risk of alcohol-related harm. Picture: NHMRC

The revised guidelines were released in December 2020 in a bid to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol and to “provide advice about the health risks so that Australians can make informed decisions on alcohol consumption”.

“Following the Guidelines keeps the risk of harm from alcohol low, but it does not remove all risk,” the council site reads.

“Healthy adults drinking within the guideline recommendations have less than a 1 in 100 chance of dying from an alcohol-related condition.”

If you or someone you know needs support or help with their drinking, there are a number of support services available.

Contact your doctor of a local community health service. Visit the DrinkWise Australia website, or Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Australia website – or call 1300 222 222.

And for free and confidential advice about alcohol and other drugs, call the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015.