You can only drink them before combat, not during. When you press CTRL to meditate, there should also be a potions button that you can press to select which ones you want to drink.
I liked it. I wish the camera/controls were better, but other than that I haven't come across any bugs at all (wtf), it runs well and there's more options to develop your character than I expected.
I've lived in the same apartment from the day I was born until I was 14, at which point we had to move to another place. We've stayed there for 3 years, until we had to move again. Now I'm here. I can say that it's terrifying at first, but you'll be alright. You'll even learn to like appreciate...
I don't see how combat in TW1 could be considered too hard. Game didn't even really need a manual as it's tutorial was good enough, it taught you just about everything you needed to know.