Big respect for all those embarking on Dry January. I won’t be joining you because … January. But I am attempting a tricky challenge of my own: mindful drinking. No, this doesn’t involve sipping merlot while chanting mantras (although four days in, that doesn’t sound too bad). Instead I intend to pay more attention to how much I drink and whether I’m imbibing because I’m merely thirsty, bored or, most likely, “hangry”.
My Dry(ish) January project is simple but not easy: one small glass a night, with two nights off. As a moderate tippler, why am I bothering? In part because when I read the news that pubs will be able to serve wine in pints, I had initially scoffed. “How ridiculous – who on earth would drink a pint of wine in one night?” But then I noticed a scary detail: one pint equals 568ml.
On one recent big night, I consumed one large glass and two small glasses of red wine. Some quick alco-arithmetic reveals that adds up to 600ml. I had unintentionally knocked back well over a pint.
Why do we Brits find moderation so hard? For wine drinkers like me, the answer may be because measures are getting bigger and wine is getting stronger. “Oh go on then, I’ll have a large one” has a celebratory ring to it, but it’s no joke with measures of 250ml. In France, addiction specialists are lamenting the government’s failure to promote le défi de janvier – its Dry January – but Parisian cafes tend to serve wine in dainty 125ml doses. Is it a coincidence that binge drinking isn’t as much of a thing there?
I once knew an Italian chef who always added just a teaspoon of barolo to a tall glass of San Pellegrino. Her vaguely pink drink looked very chic, but that seems to be taking moderation too far. For now, I’ll be sticking to the hard stuff, even if it is served in the chipped micro wine glass I had to source from a charity shop because no other retailer sells them. Cheers!
• Anita Chaudhuri is a freelance journalist and photographer
