Everything looks clearer in the cold light of day, and nothing more so than the amount we drink as a nation.
As if a hangover isn’t bad enough, you can realise that many of your social activities – and jubilations and commiserations – all revolve around alcohol.
That’s where Spill It comes in, to show you what we all drink in a non-judgmental fashion. Essentially we’re holding the mirror up to the country’s habits, but not pointing out the pimples on its chin.
The idea behind it is to help us all be a bit more mindful about our consumption, and stop ourselves falling into the trap of mindless drinking just to kill time.
This week, we spoke to a 24-year-old social media producer.
Monday
Today is my day off so I go to help a friend of mine put up some Ikea furniture because he is useless with DIY. After a stressful two hours of building, we finish up and decide we have earned a trip to the pub. It’s happy hour between 4-7 so we have three large glasses of wine each and then call it a night.
Units: 9
Tuesday
A friend of mine from uni is in London, from Sweden, on his way to permanently move to the US. I haven’t seen him in over a year. Christ, maybe even two. This calls for a celebration, so we head out for dinner and drinks in Brixton.
I am the first to arrive, which is a rarity, so I have a large glass of rose and lemonade while I wait. Once people start to arrive, me and two other friends decide to split a bottle of cava. I almost definitely have more than my equal share. We order another bottle of cava afterwards, but this time between two.
As we finish dinner, a few of our party leave because they have early mornings and are arguably more sensible and better at adulting than myself. I am not in work until 11am the next day so I decide a few more drinks can’t hurt.
The other stragglers and myself end up in Wetherspoons and I have two more large glasses of rose.
Units: 15.5
Wednesday
Christ, I am hungover. Not surprising really.
I have a PR event to attend after work and I have never been so reluctant to drag my tired bones to a place with free alcohol. I managed to get two of my friends on the guest list and they meet me from the pub. The idea of early afternoon drinks turns my head.
This particular event is a Christmas cocktail showcase. We are greeted with a selection of classic drinks with festive spins. My first cocktail is some kind of festive alpine drink containing Grey Goose, green chartreuse, pine liqueur and soda. It tastes like pine needles.
We are then shown how to make a Christmassy Aperol Spritz, but instead of Aperol it contains Martini Fiero, sparkling wine and apple juice. I have two of these followed by a Grey Goose Martini (purely because it came from a fancy fountain and I am easily amused).
I grab another festive martini spritz and am then taken in by a champagne, vodka and white chocolate cocktails. It’s delicious but by the time I have one my hangover rears its ugly head and I decide to call it a night, despite an invite for further drinking.
Units: 10
Thursday
It is my friend’s last day in the country before he permanently moves to the states so we are out and about again.
My friend won a £100 voucher for Roadhouse in Covent Garden so we head there. I am running later than everyone else but text my friends my order so I have a vodka and coke waiting for me upon arrival. It’s happy hour which means two for one cocktails, but we can’t use the voucher for happy hour drinks. We persevere and wait for happy hour to drink and in that time I have two mojitos and a margarita.
We spend half the voucher on deep fried foods and the other half on drinks. Sadly, the voucher never goes as far as you want it to, which means we all will have only one or two free drinks, depending on prices. We decide to throw everything on the tab and then equally split everything. I manage two long island iced teas and in the end only pay £2.50. Dreamy.
Units: 15
Friday
It has been a LONG week of drinking and I can feel my organs creaking from the weight of greasy food and cocktails.
After finishing work at 8pm, I speed home and spend the night curled up in bed with Netflix and tea. Heaven.
Units: 0
Saturday
I am working today because journalism. But as soon as my shift ends, I change clothes and head out to a birthday party. My friend’s have been drinking since about 12pm so I pick up a tin of mojito from Marks and Spencers to help me get on their level and because I bloody love Diane Abbott .
I arrive in Hackney and buy a bottle of rose to start. I split the next rose with a friend of a friend and this is where the night gets fuzzy.
I know for sure that I have at least three more double vodkas and cokes. We then go back to someones flat where I have another vodka and coke and I crash out on the sofa at around 6am apparently.
Units: 21.5
Sunday
I have the long hungover slog back to my flat in Brixton from my friends flat in Regent’s Park.
I fall onto the sofa where I spend the next few hours fetal wondering if I should ever really drink again and I am genuinely excited for the week of early nights that is ahead of me.
Units: 0
Total units this week: 71
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 [email protected].
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