Alzare il gomito

To drink too much alcohol

(slangy)

By and large he is a good person, but he bends his elbow a little too much for my liking

In linea di massima è una brava persona, ma per i miei gusti alza un po' troppo il gomito

What is his favorite pastime? Crooking his elbow every night in a different pub

Qual è il suo passatempo preferito? Alzare il gomito ogni sera in un pub diverso

To bring the glass (or the bottle!!!) to your lips for drinking, you normally have to bend your elbow