Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be blindsided by doctor's comments about my alcohol consumption?

385 replies

omafiet · 13/08/2019 15:13

I am 42 and overweight. Since having my third child and injuring my back I've gained 2.5 stone. The weight gain hasn't been linear - in fact this time last year I was in reasonable shape and doing a triathlon - but I know I need to do something. Now.

I have been having some unusual stomach symptoms recently and after my friend was diagnosed with ovarian cancer I figured to be on the safe side I should get checked out. I have a great reply with my doctor and respect her advice.

After doing the physical exam she asked me about my drinking habits. I replied that I drank half a bottle of wine, two or three times a week. So, up to 1.5 bottles a week. She put her pen down and told me that this was really excessive and I needed to cut down, if not stop completely for a while.

I'm a little freaked out and have decided to do a 90-day booze-free challenge. But is 1.5 bottles a week really so bad? When I was in my twenties I'd drink that in a night Blush. How much do you drink?

OP posts:
TheInvestigator · 13/08/2019 22:16

For God's sake, what is it with people saying "well my mum never drank and she got cancer so cutting out alcohol is pointless". That's a completely nonsensical conclusion.
Cancer is genetic as well as environmental as well as being caused by things we eat and drink! Someone might not drink, but their genetics, their environment or their diet could increase cancer risks. Just because someone who didn't drink still got cancer does not mean you should drink as much as you like.

LatteLove · 13/08/2019 22:17

*Disclaimer: I had a problem with alcohol which is now resolved.

Only on mumsnet do you get people saying they drink half a glass of wine a year or a sniff of Baileys at Xmas saying anything more than that is a problem!*

This exactly

I know, you could tell how the replies would go before they were even posted. Only on MN eh.

I know plenty of people who either don’t drink or drink more or less than OP but not many of the “a glass of wine every few months, so that seems a lot” brigade

Delatron · 13/08/2019 22:23

It’s irrelevant that it ‘seems a lot’ to some people who nurse their one glass of sherry a year.

It’s not excessive and only one unit over the max recommend amount (which was made up).

The Spectator article is very enlightening...

LaVieilleHarpie · 13/08/2019 22:29

Don't listen to her OP. Them doctors, what do they know anyway. Their years and years of education and training are about as useful as tying laces.

Randoms on Mumsnet know better y'know.

timshelthechoice · 13/08/2019 22:33

Cancer is also correlated to age, unfortunately, and a big risk factor in many cancers is advancing age Sad.

Sparky888 · 13/08/2019 22:36

Usually doctors double it, so she probably thinks you drink 3 bottles of wine a week. People most often under estimate their own consumption because it’s embarassing. Also, do you split each bottle with a partner, 3 nights a week?

Littleduckeggblue · 13/08/2019 22:36

Gosh, I would probably drink that in a year

boatyardblues · 13/08/2019 22:40

When I viewed my records on line they said I am an occasional smoker lol Which is rubbish because I don't smoke at all grin

You should be aware that if you’ve declared on insurance policies (eg life insurance, critical illness) that you are a non-smoker and this was picked up in a review of your medical records in the event of a claim, it could invalidate your insurance, even if the claim is totally unrelated to smoking-related illness. It needs correcting! (I had a former colleague who’d worked in insurance claims - some of her stories were hair-raising.)

TheInvestigator · 13/08/2019 22:42

@boatyardblues
I already pointed that out. Apparently she has enough money so it doesn't matter if her insurance is invalid.

Blue7 · 13/08/2019 22:44

*photographTheInvestigator

For God's sake, what is it with people saying "well my mum never drank and she got cancer so cutting out alcohol is pointless". That's a completely nonsensical conclusion.
Cancer is genetic as well as environmental as well as being caused by things we eat and drink! Someone might not drink, but their genetics, their environment or their diet could increase cancer risks. Just because someone who didn't drink still got cancer does not mean you should drink as much as you like.*

How healthy are you?

Doyoureallyneedtoask · 13/08/2019 22:45

Many people tell their GP that they drink less than they do. When I smoked in my twenties, I always told the GP that I smoked ten a day. The reality was I smoked fifteen frequently particularly if I was out drinking. I imagine most GPs are aware that people underestimate the quantity of cigarettes and alcohol.

FWIW I think fifteen drinks a week sounds a lot but then I don't go out regularly so my lifestyle isn't comparable to other peoples. In my twenties and thirties when I was childfree I would probably have consumed ten units of alcohol a week. Nowadays I can't tolerate much so tend to only have a glass or two of wine when I'm in a restaurant so have about four max a month.

Either way, if you have stomach problems and are overweight, sixty plus drinks a month is not going to improve your health in any way.

LiliesAndChocolate · 13/08/2019 22:46

@flashdancer19
I am just giving evidence and providing the fact from the one of the oldest and most prestigious medical journal. I would think people would like a link to the evidence.
The evidence is there, like it or not, alcohol increases your risk of cancer. So OP's doctor recommending she cut her alcohol intake has a point.

If this recommendation interferes with your lifestyle, you can choose to ignore or deny the science.

Or you could look at the science yourself. Pubmed is a good starting point but stick to the big names, such as the New England Journal or Medicine, Lancet, British Medical Journal, the JAMA, and so on.

formerbabe · 13/08/2019 22:48

When I viewed my records on line they said I am an occasional smoker lol Which is rubbish because I don't smoke at all grin

Interesting. When I went to see my gp, he said to me at the end of the appointment "now, let's talk about your smoking"

I don't smoke Confused

MrsJBaptiste · 13/08/2019 22:52

Shit, I'm on holiday at the moment and am drinking a bottle before we leave the beach at 7pm! Then a few glasses round the villa and maybe a cocktail. I know this is on holiday so I'm actively ignoring my units for these 2 weeks!

At home I'd have a couple of bottles of wine a week, as would all my friends. Not ideal but I'm in the gym 5 x week, don't smoke and am slim so I'm not too worried!

HennyPennyHorror · 13/08/2019 22:58

MrsJ my Mother got pancreatitis from binge drinking. She just used to go out every Saturday night through her 20s and 30s then when she got into her 40s she stopped but got pancreatitis. The doctor said it was those Saturday nights of heavy drinking she did for years.

She never drank a drop the other 6 days.

TooManyPaws · 13/08/2019 23:03

I'm not sure that alcohol buying is necessarily linked to consumption completely either. I drink very little now due to medication but have a vast array of bottles of spirits and liqueurs so I can provide any guest with their drink of choice. I like to have a large wine rack filled for the same purpose. The number of units of alcohol that I have bought and are sitting in my house has bugger all to do with my consumption.

timshelthechoice · 13/08/2019 23:08

The doctor said it was those Saturday nights of heavy drinking she did for years

That may not necessarily be true at all if those nights were as far in the past as they were Hmm. It can have a number of causes. I got it from gallbladder disease. I wasn't even 'that' overweight but the biggest risk factors for that are age and being female.

HennyPennyHorror · 13/08/2019 23:10

time well she was going out right up until her late 30s and got Pancreatitis at 41. So it wasn't "far in the past" at all.

timshelthechoice · 13/08/2019 23:14

It depdends a lot on chronic or acute pancreatitis and even the former is likely to be from far more heavy long-term drinking than Saturday night binges in one's 20s and 30s.

timshelthechoice · 13/08/2019 23:16

Of course, in the UK, anything that can be is pinned on alcohol use, even if you don't use it at all Hmm.

Treem · 13/08/2019 23:19

To the poster who reports her smoking incorrectly because she feels data collection is intrusive- WTAF?!

You do realise that this is how researchers figure out what is good and bad for us? Its how they work out guidelines for food and alcohol consumption (which wont be accurate if everyone was like you).

itsahardknocklife87 · 13/08/2019 23:22

As a occasional drinker that seems a lot of alcohol to have in a single week to be honest

HiJenny35 · 13/08/2019 23:35

Yes far too much, you're over the maximum considered and you are binge drinking that. Why are you even drinking several times a week? If you were out for a meal but just at home drinking, why? But hey why listen to the professional, I'm sure they are just making it all up for a giggle.

YesImStressed · 13/08/2019 23:41

I drink a glass a night, sometimes 2 glasses. Sometimes I'll have a cup of tea instead and not bother with the wine. I thought this was all normal. Confused

My mum's had a glass of wine every night for her whole life and she's 72 now and still going strong. Her doctor told her to carry on! She claims red wine is good for you anyway WineSmile

Atthebottomofthegarden · 13/08/2019 23:44

I think it’s a smidge more than average, but not worryingly so. Personally, I like to drink a bottle of beer and a couple of glasses of wine a week. However I’m trying to shed a few pounds at the moment so I’ve cut it out completely for the time being.

I used to drink much more than that before kids! And there are some weeks where I will drink much more than that if we’re out a lot! (unusual though) On holiday I probably drink half a bottle of wine or a couple of beers every night. 😱

Swipe left for the next trending thread