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

[omafiet]

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 . How much do you drink?

I don't drink that much but I know plenty of people who drink lots more than that, doesn't sound that excessive to me.

To answer your question I don't really drink at all as we have a young family and I'm too busy to have a hangover.
Cutting out alcohol will not be a bad thing though for weight loss, possibly for your stomach issues depending on what's going on, and for your general health and we'll being. Good luck on the 90day challenge, hope it makes you feel fab!

I think she might have misheard you. I think she thinks you're drinking that per day, not per week.

You're drinking around 15 units a week. The recommended limit is 14 units so you are barely above that - and you are spreading it out over three days or so, and you're have plenty of days per week where you don't drink at all. I don't think any doctor would genuinely think that was excessive - unless you have some sort of health condition that's made worse by alcohol? You mentioned stomach symptoms - alcohol can certainly irritate the stomach and some people are much more sensitive to it than others. Could that have been what she meant?

Another thought - had you indicated to your doctor that you want/need to lose weight? If so, then it's feasible that a doctor might recommend cutting back on/cutting out booze simply to avoid consuming 'empty' calories.

But for most people, 1.5 bottles of wine over the course of a week wouldn't be considered 'excessive' at all. I think if I were you I'd ask her for clarification, as I suspect this is all a misunderstanding.

I'm 43. At the moment I'm having quite a few weeks where I don't drink at all, because I need to lose a lot of weight, but before that I was drinking a bottle of wine a week, maybe two if we were eating out somewhere one night.

Half a bottle is one to two glasses

Sounds like she's one of the hysterical about booze posters on here. 😂You're on the recommended safe limit, give yourself breaks, so no clue why she was clutching at her arse. Your drinking is fine.

She prob assumed you were under estimating and doubled or x3 in her head.

Also if I drink say 5-15 units a week (say, one bottle of wine or equivalent), going teetotal has no discerible beneficial effect at all. Drinking say 25 units a week does clearly affect my sleep and gut health, but moderate drinking I always feel is beneficial, as I just really bloody enjoy it!

I find it has actually helped to switch to gin and slimline tonic rather than wine. Wine I just find bloody lethal, apart from the lighter rosés, perhaps. I do have a measure, and use it, though! A double g&t is much more satisfying and enjoyable to me now than a glass of wine, and I only have four or five a week (not a night!) so it's only 8-10 units.

Drinkaware app is good for recording intake, OP.

Rather than having half a bottle every couple of days, have 1-2 glasses a night? I'm guessing here!

No, the NHS recommends that you spread your alcohol intake over three or more days per week, and have some alcohol-free days. So three days when you drink and four days when you don't, which is what the OP is doing, is about right. The OP is basically following the NHS guidelines for safe drinking to the letter, apart from possibly being 1 unit over (although if she's drinking a wine that's only, say, 11%, she probably isn't even that!)

but effectively binging each time you do drink

Only on mumsnet can drinking half a bottle of wine, two glasses, in one evening be considered bingeing, 😂😂😂😂

You're at around the weekly limit for women, which really isn;t excessive.

However this is Mumsnet, so prepare for 8 pages of posters utterly HORRIFIED that you're playing fast and loose with your health, as they only have a single sip of sweet sherry at Xmas, and feel that's quite enough for anyone.

I generally have one G&T most evenings, no idea of units but I’d guess it equates to 14 a week? I prefer doing that to binge drinking once a week as some people do.

I drink more than that I think. My bottle is quite a small one and contains just under 7 units per bottle, I get 3 large glasses out of it and can drink that in one night, but I only drink on 2 or 3 nights a week.

The OP is basically following the NHS guidelines for safe drinking to the letter, apart from possibly being 1 unit over

Exactly.

Well, I had a consultation with a breast cancer consultant in the week, and she asked me about my drinking. I drink the same amount as you do and she told me I was in the low risk category and under the NHS limit of 14 units and that I needn't worry.

I think your GP might have got mixed up -did she think you said 1.5 bottles a DAY maybe?

When I was drinking that much (or more - up to 25 units a week) I cut out alcohol completely for three months, and did not shift a single pound.

Yeah... me too. Very disappointing.

This article is quite interesting (and might make you feel better about yourself!)

life.spectator.co.uk/articles/the-great-alcohol-cover-up-how-public-health-bodies-hid-the-truth-about-drinking/

Depends on what wine, I drink 5.5% rose because I don't really drink but quite like Rose, a bottle is only 4.1 units

What Bluntness said above ^^

Threads like these on here are always ridiculous though, as people who are teetotal or drink "one glass of wine a month", for some reason feel the need to post to tell you that. It won't hurt obviously to cut out alcohol for a while, but her reaction was completely OTT or else she misheard you. If she was looking at your test results and you had elevated results in your LFT or something I'd maybe get her reaction, but she wasn't and you don't.

Your GP probably thinks you are lying about the wine. I don't think it's excessive. My french BIL drinks an aperitif, a bottle of wine and a brandy every day. Life's too short not to have a tipple occasionally.

I think it's a hell of a lot but then I rarely drink alcohol.

Surely the recommended limit is just that, a limit, not a target?

I always tell GPs and health practitioners (truthfully) that apart from on holidays I really carefully watch my alcohol intake.

Also, really pants but if I have more than the recommended units for a night it ususlly stops me sleeping very well. I'd rather have a nice sleep.

I drink a bottle of wine a week plus a couple of beers. I'm 40. Any more than that and I feel sluggish all week. I think cutting down as we age is probably sensible but it sounds like your doing ok to me op. I think she misheard you too as a pp suggested.

@Bluntness100 well 2 to 3 units isn't my idea of a binge either but that is apparently the guideline for women or so the label on my bottle of wine says

but effectively binging each time you do drink

😂

Actually you can't win. I generally only drink once a week on a Friday or Saturday. Don't drink at home. Don't drink during the week. They want two or three alcohol-free days? I'll give them six! Are they happy? Of course. Because I'm a binge drinker.