Anyone else’s ability to drink wine worsen with age?!

[Island67]

I had one glass of red wine last night - ONE glass. I drank it at about 7:30pm. I have a headache and a teeny bit of post-alcohol anxiety this morning.

The other week I had two large glasses of white wine at lunchtime and got a cracking headache that evening, and felt slightly off for two days after.

Do I have to quit wine?!

(I’m in my early 40s.)

Yes, exactly the same, slightly better if I have that 1 glass after I've eaten something already. I have cut down massively on alcohol in the last 5 months because it's just not worth it for me anymore.

I am in my late 50’s, if I want to drink anything I have to be prepared for a sleepless night!

Oh goodness yes!

Yes it’s very common, especially with wine.

I find spirits much better so stick with gin and margaritas.

definitely

I quit alcohol completely at 47. It just wasn't worth the consequences any more. It wasn't just wine. Alcohol is alcohol and the anxiety I suffered the following day just wasn't worth it.

Ooh yes. I stopped drinking altogether in my late 30s. I couldn't even handle a glass of anything without a 2 day immobilising hangover. I used to drink a fair amount before that then I suddenly felt like I couldn't process it at all. Lots of being sick and terrible migraines from a tiny amount! Same thing happened to my sister and, despite being petite and whippet-like, she used to put it away like an absolute docker! (Cider & black anyone?) Not sure why it happens but I know a few women like this, mostly in our 40s.
Just the idea of a drink now makes me feel ill in advance cos the hangover is so bad

I can no longer -
Drink during the day
Drink on an empty stomach
Drink wine
Drink champagne/cava other than one possibly two glasses
All crept up on me over the years.
Recent mini heatwave may also have contributed to your awful headache. Easy to be dehydrated without being fully aware and drinking when dehydrated has stronger adverse effects and more quickly.

Two glasses of Prosecco and I’m drunk these days.

Ahh I’m both glad I’m not alone and sad that I probably really do have to quit!!

How did you manage quitting without making people around you feel slightly disappointed? I have a WhatsApp groups that is called “🍷 time”

I found better quality wine helped with this!

Wine is insanely strong. I couldn’t handle it even in my 20s - I noticed it was always the girls with bottles of wine on the table who’d be falling over/crying/arguing later. So I’ve always stuck to spirits with mixers.

I have some lovely friends my age (50) who’ve kept drinking wine and they now drink a LOT of wine every week — I’m talking like 2x bottles every night. They don’t look good on it. Very bloated, red-faced and overweight. And if you speak to them on a Tuesday night about 8pm, they’re slurring.

It’s awful stuff.

Same here, one glass of red or two of white is my absolute limit since my late 30s. Only with a meal, never during the day. Spirits are not much better. I can manage a couple of bottles or halves of beer. I probably only drink alcohol once a month now if that.

50 here and it gives me earache for some unknown reason.

You may find your "wine time " friends gradually begin to cut back or quit too presuming you are all around the same age.
In my circle we gradually realised realised no one bothered any more as not worth the fall out. Friendship and chat never changed and, if anything, are even better.

I sometimes get the headache whilst I'm still drinking the wine, especially red.

Strangely, I can drink large amounts of champagne with no ill effects whatsoever.

Sadly it always seems to give me heartburn/indigestion these days. Im early 50s and have been a white wine drinker throughout my adult years.

Im 51. I can still tuck it away but I definitely struggle more with the after effects drank 5 pints with the football last night, it's going to be a long day

I've found most of my friends are similar. A group of 4 of us will go to the pub and share a bottle of wine then move on to tea or coffee.

Yes. Peri menopause ruined drinking for me. Gutting.

Yes.

I had a beer and three small glasses of wine last night. Admittedly it's more than I normally drink but the football was on and I was bored so...

Have woken up with a banger of a headache this morning - even after going downstairs for painkillers at 4.30am.

Yes! I am 40 and used to drink wine regularly. However if I drink even one glass now it makes me feel awful, and I wake up in the middle of the night with palpitations! I hardly drink to be fair, but I can handle a double brandy with no side effects at all.

I can drink more now without getting drunk than I could when I was young. But it takes me longer to get over a massive hangover than it used to. I don't drink wine btw.

There was once a time many many moons ago when I would drink a bottle of wine before even going out!!

It’s starting the menopause that’s killed off wine drinking for me. Something had to though