Anyone drink 4-5 bottles of wine per week and how is your health ?

[fartoobig]

Mid forties. Just wondering g if it impacts you? I enjoy wine as it brings me back to when I was really happy.
I am Going through immense stress and sadness now.
No hangovers but feel mildly better on days where I haven't had wine the night before .

I’m so sorry you have been through that OP.

I totally get the first buzz with the first glass too. Unfortunately it rarely stays that way and as tolerance goes up you need more and more to get the same buzz. Problem is, the relaxation only lasts like 30 mins. Then it’s gone and to counteract the depressive effects of alcohol your brain dumps a load of stimulants into your system like cortisol the stress hormone to maintain balance. The alcohol wears off quicker than the stimulants do so what happens is, the next day you end up feeling anxious and so reach for more wine to relax you from the after effects of the previous night. It’s a vicious cycle.

please read alcohol explained- it’s an excellent book which goes into exactly why alcohol has this effect and how to break the cycle. Alcohol dependence is like any addiction - you swap a quick fix of “relaxation” for hours of feeling crap and recovering. Once you are sober for a while you really realise how awful you felt before and you didn’t even realise it!

i love that this thread is really cracking open a topic that is far too mired in shame, unnecessarily. Soooooooo many people who overdrink do so out of pure habit. It’s as much a habit to grab a glass of wine every night, as it is to clean your teeth twice a day. So once you drop the shame and work from the root up, it’s actually simple. not always easy but simple to change. It’s less about the alcohol and more about what lies underneath.

Forgot to mention, I have a podcast called 90 days later (available on all major podcast platforms) that contains all the stuff I learned when I changed my relationship with alcohol and that I use with my clients. Episodes 1,2 and 3: why we drink my willpower isn’t the answer and desire are great places to start.

OP, I really admire you for taking on board what people are saying and committing to tackle the problem. That is not an easy thing to do at all, and shows great strength and wisdom on your part IMO. You have been through a lot by the sounds of things, no wonder you feel driven to self-medicate. But as you realise, the amount you’re drinking is likely to create far more (and more severe) problems in the future. Good luck in cutting down or stopping. 💐

Sorry you've been feeling unhappy, OP. Posting here is a great first step.

The alcohol support board on here is a very friendly place and you'll get lots of advice from people who have been where you are. https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/alcohol_support/4777454-the-support-thread-continued-for-an-alcohol-free-life-all-welcome

Alcohol is a depressant so if you are feeling sad/stressed, it will only make it worse. I think you know its too much to be drinking.

Why not try stop it for a while and try other approaches and if you cant well then you know theres a problem x

It honestly can't be doing your liver much good

If you want to know if it is actually damaging your health.

Get a liver profile blood test done at your GP.

You may feel fine now, and not feel the effects of the internal damage until it is too late to do anything about it.

Hope all goes well for you.

My youngest DB did he’s dead now.

I suspect what you’re really asking is “do you think I have an issue with alcohol?” And my answer would be… can you go a week without a drink?

if not, then you need to seek some help x

Well done OP on being so brave. Its hard questioning ourselves. You are a brave strong woman. You ex sounds like an ass.

Some thing I heard recently to motive...say outloud I will just do this today. That way you arent focusing on the big change but constant little changes eg say outloud I will just do yoga today. I will juat read a book or I will just go for a run today. You are not commiting every day. But you say the same thing every day. Or you could try the opposite...I will just not have a drink today. That hopefully will get you through the day until tomorrow. I do know it is a lot more complex than that and I do not mean to be patronising.

Secondly there are great resources on youtube like yoga, hiit, learning instruments, diy, gardening, baking. I know that takes a lot of motivation. You try singing or playing an instrument on yousician. I think there is a free trial for a week.

We are all cheering you on. You can and you will x x x

That's just silly, there will be several hours in the day when she was sober.

Too much alcohol. I’m thinking you may have a problem and there’s no better time to look for support.
One day at a time - you can do this!

I used to. I'm 11 months today without a drink. I was very functioning and felt ok but knew it was enough. I'm 100% better without it.

This is hugely too much alcohol and I regularly have to tell patients I’m seeing who drink similar amounts that sadly they have liver cirrhosis. They’re invariably really shocked. Stop now, hopefully before it’s too late. Google the alcohol services for your area if you need help.

Read or listen to The Wine O’Clock Myth

Well done OP.

To those having difficulty giving up, I was a secret heavy drinker for 30 years never managing to give up for longer than a few weeks at a time and seriously considering joining AA. That is until I read a book called This Naked Mind by Annie Grace. The book turned my life around and left me with no desire to drink. Giving up has finally been easy. I cannot recommend the book enough.

No. That sounds like you need help as you are using alcohol to deal with things. If you think it's about the relaxing routine of having a glass of wine, then try non-alcoholic wine and see if you get the same effect.

I drink around 2 bottles of wine a week, occasionally three. On the occasion I drink three, I can feel it health wise. I feel like I drink too much. 4/5 bottles really is a lot. I suppose I counter balance mine with a very clean diet and exercise, but I still feel tired the day after I drink wine and my sleep is affected.

I'm hearing you. I feel for your situation and it's nice to numb the pain for a wee while. But it sounds like you know it's not the answer. Alcohol is not ur friend despite what it tells you.
It's an unhealthy attachment to it I think you have and I think it be an idea to give it up and find other ways to fill the gap. ..just like what your doing with nice cordials and being kind to yourself. Maybe one of Ur good Friends cud babysit for you and go out for a cycle or swim or trip to the gym?
Sending you love.

She may well be sober a few hours during the day, but it won’t be that long when you consider that the average bottle of wine contains ten units of alcohol - some contain up to fourteen. It takes the body about an hour to metabolise one unit of alcohol, so assuming the drinking is taking place in the evening, and a full bottle is consumed, the alcohol probably won’t be fully metabolised until mid morning, so if she drives, she’ll likely still be under the influence if leaving early for work. And the whole process starts again in the evening. But the reason she doesn’t have hangovers is because it’s a huge amount of alcohol and she’s built up a tolerance.

The problem with that is a liver function test won’t detect actual liver damage, it will only assess liver function at the time the blood test is done, and the LFT can be normal despite significant liver damage. A FIB4 test is a better option to assess fibrosis, which is stiffening of the liver - the stage before cirrhosis. If the FIB4 is above a certain value, an ultrasound or fibroscan would be the next step to assess the damage.

I easily drank that much for a well over ten years. I am currently at 115 days alcohol free but who’s counting. Don’t beat yourself up as for all the people shocked at how much you are drinking there are A LOT of readers staying quiet thinking they easily do the same. I think you know deep down the damage it will be doing, mentally and physically but my god it’s hard to take that step. Can I suggest this group on Facebook; full of supportive people who know their relationship with alcohol is no longer working for them https://facebook.com/groups/342319476897067/ . Be kind to yourself x

Your liver gives no indication of being severely damaged until it’s too late!

Thanks so much ...
Went all out and had a Diet Coke tonight! Looking forward to unbroken sleep.
I really appreciate the replies ❤️