Suddenly not able to drink in mid 40s

[DoggieNamechange]

I'm mid 40s, have always liked a wine, too much probably but other than a slightly expanding waistline I never had any issues.

Recently I look and feel terrible after drinking, Mild rosacea on my face goes red and ichy, I sleep terribly, feel tired and anxious - I also look so bloated. I've put on about 1.5 stone in recent years although eat well and fairly active.

I usually don't drink Mon - Weds and feel so much better but then there's the end of the week where I almost dread how I will feel.

Anyone else?? Is it horemones? Peri like EVERYTHING else apparently is in your 40s? I've had a really stressful few years with family stuff with no real break so can’t untangle cause and effect.

I know I should drink less and would like to use this as a driver however the thought of never having some lovely wine when on hoilidays or when meeting up with friends makes me so sad.

My drinking capacity has gone down, but I now take Milk Thistle everyday and it definitely minimises hangovers. I’m 51 and now post menopause

How do you feel during drinking? I had to stop as felt like I was being poisoned whilst drinking (not talking huge amounts either). Mine is part of a barrage of symptoms after one of my covid infections. I’m ashamed to say I’ve really wanted a drink so that at least the daily hangover feeling has a cause! Not happening. Obviously as you get older, recovery takes longer, which might be what’s happening with you? For me, it’s linked to covid and is apparently quite common, but there’s a whole heap of shit covid does that’s common that I was unaware of before.

I’m 49. Drinking used to be one of my special skills 😂. Now I get a hangover while drinking my first drink. So it’s literally not worth it.
Today I passed my adult DD a glass of Prosecco and the smell made me feel unwell!

This happened to me too, op. I have never really been keen on most alcoholic drinks, I don't much like beer or any spirits, but I would happily have a glass of wine or Baileys. From my late 40s, if I drank alcohol I felt awful. My face felt like it was burning, my heart pounded, I felt queasy and just uncomfortable. It's hard to describe. I now either drink alcohol- free wine or a nice soft drink or just sparkling water. I really don't miss it at all.

This happened in my 30s. I was never a big drinker but I rarely even bother at all now. I’d like to just have a glass of wine of an evening and not have to weigh up whether it’s worth it or not.

Same here. I went from drinking too much and enjoying it to being violently ill and passing out on a half bottle of champagne in less than a year.
I tried every drink just in case there was one I could carry on drinking. There wasn't. I havent had a drink for over a decade and a sherry trifle can cause problems for me.
When folk offer me a drink I explain I became allergic and they always nod and I can see them thinking AA. I really dont miss drinking at all as once I stopped and stopped being resentful I preferred it. I really noticed how alcohol affects people it really slows you down. I feel like Barry Allen on an evening stroll through Soho now!

same, i used to be able to drink male rugby players under the table and nowadays at pushing 40 I get heartburn and a headache and need a nap after half a glass of wine. I never believed older friends when they told me if would happen, but it’s like a switch has been flipped in my body. Perimenopause is a weird thing!

Again, I don’t think it’s simply age or peri.

a quick search says it is multiple factors linked to age, firstly reduced liver function. As liver enzymes that break down alcohol become less effective as we age , and slower blood flow through the liver means it takes longer to clear it.

it also says lower muscle mass and higher body fat also impacts our ability to manage it and poor hydration. All combined mean we can’t process it effectively and get hangovers.

which makes sense, as said I can drink like I did in my 20s, when before even one glass of wine disrupted my sleep and I felt shit the next day.

so I’ve increased my lean muscle mass and reduced my body fat, am very hydrated drinking 3 litres of water a day and mounjaro is now known to improve and speed up liver regeneration, plus I abstained for 10 months or so.

All of which appears to have resulted in no hangovers again. I find it one of the most surprising things, I don’t drink often, usually fortnightly, max 3 large glasses of wine when socialising, and I have been known to drink more, but I’m fine the next day, it’s very weird,

I suddenly started with a red, itchy face when drinking wine. Add this to the terrible sleep and next day exhaustion, I knew it was time to stop drinking. And I don’t miss it, I just wonder why I spent so many years pouring poison down my throat!

I’m wondering if it’s a fatty liver related. After over a year on mounjaro and I’ve been at a healthy bmi for some time I still can’t tolerate any alcohol.

i hit forty and couldn’t drink much. I haven’t got any physical symptoms like @DoggieNamechange as such: anxiety and hangovers with much smaller amounts. I’m 47 so i have a couple when i do drink.Which can be fortnightly or once a week. I often add lemonade to wine. I’ve been exploring non alcoholic ones too.

Honestly OP, how much did you drink in total in last 4 weeks?
It's not healthy if someone is drinking a bottle of wine every week, it's a miracle that your body ever tolerated it.

It’s because alcohol is a carcinogenic toxin and anybody drinking that 4 days a week is going to feel like shit. In your 20s and 30s, your body could compensate for all the damage you were doing, but it can’t once you get older. It’s catching up with you.

Honestly, just have a few months break and see how you feel. I was drinking more than you (nightly wine drinker) when I stopped. It’s been 3+ years. I do not miss it one bit. I can still socialise and I enjoy people much more now without the booze. But I feel a million times better. Great sleep, no anxiety, and I wake up refreshed every day. If you’re dreading the end of the week, it’s no longer serving you. Sounds like you’re serving the booze. You have control and you can just say, nope, don’t want that for me anymore.

Thanks - yeah, that resonates.

Well done you for 3 years and feeling so much better.

It really varies and is quite cyclical - last 4 weeks I didn't drink at all for first half as had kidney infection but then last 2 weeks I've had a lot of summer social stuff on and probably on 3-4 bottles of wine a week.

Do you mean it's not healthy to drink a bottle a week??? That's well within reccomended limits.

I'm only a little overweight (BMI 27ish) but have some inflamatory stuff going on so have thought about MJ but not sure if I could get it. Really interesting how it helps people with inflamation.

Tbh if I just stopped drinking and used that time for a bit of excercise I reckon I'd sort this quite easily.

Perimenopause sadly. I’m now down to 2 G&T’s a year. I miss wine so much 😭

It makes me feel tired and dehydrated straight away tbh - I almost need to keep drinking becase the second I stop the exhaustion hits.

Sorry to hear you've struggled after Covid - I had it a few times and was quite ill once so it's difficult to unpick what's that or horemones / stress etc

It will only get worse if you’re like me 🤦‍♀️ I can now only drink one drink only at lunchtime. If I drink ONE drink in the evening I am hungover, sick the next day.

I CANNOT WAIT til I get through the menopause and can drink one drink again. I can’t even imagine the day where it can be more than one as it’s been 8 years since I’ve been able to drink more than 1.

Do you mean it's not healthy to drink a bottle a week??? That's well within reccomended limits.

Limits are limits not targets.

Yes it’s completely normal as we get older. I get so tired as soon as I start drinking and my heart races so much I don’t sleep at all. It makes me feel awful! I rarely drink now and feel so much better for it. I sleep great, am slim, have much more energy and my skin looks better.

Same. I was envious of my friends who can still drink but ten years on I’m used to it now.

Can someone find my eyes? I just rolled them out of my head at this ludicrous comment.

It's not a miracle @DoggieNamechange body tolerated a bottle of wine a week. That's around 10 units which is well below recommended limits. It's wine, not crack cocaine 🙄

I don't drink at all, a minor health issue gave me an excuse to stop, I never drank much but never enjoyed it. Now at social events I can just cite the health condition and nobody tries to persuade me otherwise, it's a relief.

DH (49) used to drink quite a lot, however he recently decided to cut back and he looks so much better, his skin is glowing and he looks younger.

There is nothing as nice as sleeping well and waking up clear headed.

it's a limit not a target.
I like to drink too and think it's fine for most people to drink some alcohol routinely.
But don't pretend it's not poison, that any amount doesn't link to higher cancer risks and other health problems. A well-functioning body can handle it and not make you feel awful afterwards, but probably anybody over time, their aging liver and other systems will handle it less well.

That ability to handle less as we age sounds normal to me, a natural consequence of both slightly less efficient systems as we age, less over all resilience, and cumulative damage that makes the systems less able to damage the toxins, that may sometimes be linked to excesses when younger.

I perceive that some people here are glorifying how lovely it was when they could drink 2 bottles of wine a night and not regret it next day, even seem to be pining after those days. YOLO, not saying they did wrong, but also am saying it's not something to regret if you can't do it now.