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-   -   How much money did you spend a week on alcohol? (https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism/184155-how-much-money-did-you-spend-week-alcohol.html)

Bananaman 09-11-2009 05:52 AM

How much money did you spend a week on alcohol?
 
How much money did you spend a week on alcohol?

After only 4 weeks off the booze I've already noticed a pleasing difference in my bank balance: 2 weeks since pay day and I'm still in the black!

When drinking, the amount I was spending on booze was scaring me because on top of all my other monthly bills it meant my outgoings were beginning to significantly exceed my income. Ruinous financial meltdown began to loom large in my nightmares.

Let me work out an average weekly booze bill. (I'm English, so the following figures are all in UK pounds.)

Daily bottle of vodka, either 70cl or 1 litre, average cost about £14 depending on volume and brand. Cheap stuff being £10-£12 and nice stuff £16-£20. 14 x 7 = £98 a week.

After work drink in pub before catching bus home, usually a pint and a half of guinness or cider. Average pint about £3 (the south of England is bloody expensive), so about £4.50 every weekday. 4.5 x 5 = £22.50 a week (not counting bar snacks).

Weekends are very difficult to guage but I'll say an extra £10 each weekend on beers or cider or various emergency supplies. I'd say that was fair.

So we have 98 + 22.5 + 10 = £130.50 per week.

And this is before adding all the snacks and biscuits amd newspapers and magazines and other rubbish I'd buy with them.

So, £130.50 a week. There are four and a bit weeks in the average month, so I'll multiply 130.5 by 4.3

= £561.15 per month.

It's a shocking total. And I couldn't have a day off or withdrawal would kick in.

So, yes, I had a pleasant surprise today when I checked my bank balance. I think I might indulge in some retail therapy this weekend.

How much did you spend per month?


Bananaman.

Jesse26 09-11-2009 06:28 AM

Around 50 US dollars it was for me.

Wartrace 09-11-2009 07:00 AM

I would usually polish off a bout one and a quarter 1.75 liters of 100 proof vodka a week. I bought the cheap stuff at 18.59 after taxes. I would guesstimate I am saving 92.95 a month by not drinking.

I didn't quit to save money though. I quit because I was sick & tired of being sick & tired all the time. I didn't want to be a drunkard anymore.

JohnnyZ 09-11-2009 07:33 AM

1 liter of vodka every 2 days @$18/bottle = $63.
12-pack + 6-pack of beer = $23.
Mai Tai's or beers and shots at restaurant or bar, once a week = $25.
2 packs cigarettes (only smoked when drinking) = $16.

Weekly total = $127. Holy crap! No wonder I have so much more "extra" money now... :-)

And, that was just a typical week. Then there were weeks when I would "treat" myself to a better grade of vodka or premium bourbons or scotches, and premium beer, and the tally would easily top $150. Whoa. Oh yeah, and since I stopped drinking, the wonderful People's Republic of Massachusetts has instituted a 6.25% sales tax on alcohol, so tack on another $8-10 per week.

WARNING: Multiplying the weekly figure by 52 may cause severe depression...

Looks like I picked the right year to quit dinking! :-)

CarolD 09-11-2009 07:40 AM

Impossible for me to say...it would depend on what week
of whitch year that I drank.

The final 5 years I was a blackout drinker
I also prefered bars. That means I would
have to count in tips...cab fares..juke box bills
and the money I simply lost.

:no: I have no idea and really glad I no longer
live in that world. Glad you don't either...:hug:

william1872 09-11-2009 07:45 AM

My last 5 day binge before I stopped cost me £300, scary when I think about it.

Texasblind 09-11-2009 07:50 AM

About $100 US a week. Add in lawyers, fines, other random drinking related nonsense and I estimate I spent about $70,000 US in four years of heavy drinking.

Today, I take the $100 I would have spent each week and deposit it into my 401k. I want to see what might happen.

So I still have my drinking bill, just now it's going somewhere positive.

PurpleCat 09-11-2009 08:11 AM

I spent about $75 per week on beer for home, plus probably another $10 per week during hockey season for beers at the rink's restaurant.

smacked 09-11-2009 08:56 AM

No idea, way too much.

firestorm090 09-11-2009 10:48 AM

Whenever I drank, it always cost me all I had, with rare exception. If I went out with $500US, I'd be lucky to get home with $50US, if with any at all. Over a thirty year span, the totals are in the thousands, well over 100 grand, possibly a qtr mil, considering lost opportunities, drug use for several years, it hurts to even type this, but it helps to look at what happened. Today, I blew a whopping $1.59 on a 24 oz cup of coffee, that's a start in the right direction for today.

penny74 09-11-2009 10:52 AM

My last few drinks cost me my job..

firestorm090 09-11-2009 11:04 AM

I'm sorry to hear that penny

NewBeginning010 09-11-2009 11:44 AM


Originally Posted by firestorm090 (Post 2361937)
Whenever I drank, it always cost me all I had, with rare exception. If I went out with $500US, I'd be lucky to get home with $50US, if with any at all. Over a thirty year span, the totals are in the thousands, well over 100 grand, possibly a qtr mil, considering lost opportunities, drug use for several years, it hurts to even type this, but it helps to look at what happened. Today, I blew a whopping $1.59 on a 24 oz cup of coffee, that's a start in the right direction for today.

I am closer to the FS drinking model, up to $500 a night. I have spent over $1,500 in one night (bought booze for everyone at a party, took out a limo with a bunch of people to pick it up... tack on another $400).

Once I drank enough that I know longer knew what I was doing I seemed to think I was some kind of millionaire... Bought drinks & rounds for everyone around (stupid). Then came the Visa bills along with all of the other monthly bills.

I am sure I have spent over $500,000 on such things in the past & if I start to think of the lost job opportunities & commissions due to my consumption of alcohol then... too embarrassed to even start to try to add that up.

I did however spend $2.49 on an iced coffee & spent some quality time talking & playing chess with my Father last night (priceless) :scoregood

DayWalker 09-11-2009 11:56 AM

In the later stages for me I was always an "alone drinker" so I didn't go to bars, that's where I use to spend a lot was when I would visit bars (easily $100 per bar visit)

But when I was drinking at home alone it was about 5 fifth size bottle of Vodka per week at around $9 each (I use to drink the cheaper stuff). So that's about $45 per week. But I always smoked more when I drank so I'd end up smoking about 4 more packs of cigs per week when I was drinking vs when I wasn't. So that's another $25 per week on the cigs due to drinking. So I guess I'd say I am now about $70 per week richer being sober vs when I was drinking.

Never actually thought about that till just now....pretty cool :c032:

Steve

ElegantlyWasted 09-11-2009 12:10 PM

0 on booz. 50 on cigs. Up to a month and a half ago.... easily over a c note. Humbly on day 45.

Nettaja 09-11-2009 12:47 PM

For me it wasn't the amount I spent on alcohol but the other frivolous **** that went with it. I'd splurge on other things but still seek out the cheapest alcohol possible. In a way, I think part of the reason I drank was because I enjoyed myself in other ways too by spending more on restaurant meals/takeaways/gambling/travelling/sporting events (whereas when sober I limit myself in regards all other enjoyment - something I'm trying to change).

So I'd go from spending £4 ($6) a day on food, and that'd be it when sober which was two-thirds of the time; to spending £20 on crappier food, £20 on booze, £40 on gambling, and then other stuff if there was sport going on or I fancied a "treat".

yeahgr8 09-11-2009 01:01 PM

bout $8k a month including gambling

debs 09-11-2009 01:21 PM


Originally Posted by penny74 (Post 2361943)
My last few drinks cost me my job..

I know the feeling.

Boleo 09-11-2009 01:27 PM

In the early days of my drinking I drank premium beer and whiskey.
Maybe $50-100 a week.

In my finall days I drank Icehouse beer and Popov vodka. Maybe $30-60 a week.

Wartrace 09-11-2009 01:50 PM

:redface:

Originally Posted by Boleo (Post 2362066)
In the early days of my drinking I drank premium beer and whiskey.
Maybe $50-100 a week.

In my finall days I drank Icehouse beer and Popov vodka. Maybe $30-60 a week.

I was drinking "country club" brand vodka (100 proof), 16.00 a bottle for a 1.75 liter bottle. Cheapest 100 proof they sell around here. Do you reckon the liquer store clerks knew I was an alcoholic? :redface:


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