Drinking wine each evening

[Mamabear2424]

Is it ok to drink wine every eve?? I have a glass , sometimes 2 every evening and I love it, it makes me happy. Dh says mental health more important so if it makes me happy I should just do it. I am a healthy 40 something with a professional career. I just love wine.

It is too much. My mum has been an evening drinker for the past 20 years (more than 2 glasses though I must say) and now she’s in her 60s has many health issues relating and unfortunately looks even older than my 80 year grandmother (dad’s mother). Alcohol definitely ages you

I don't think it's that bad. There are always a load of people out there who don't drink who will make out that it is the worst thing ever though, probably to make them feel good about themselves because they don't do it.

There are loads of things we do that are bad for us. Not getting any exercise. Eating a poor diet. Drinking too much coffee. Lying in the sun too much. Drugs and smoking. Being overweight.

You could run a marathon every day and eat lettuce for your entire life, but it's not that much fun. The key to me is to strike a balance between doing stuff you like, while not doing so much of it that it becomes a major issue.

With many things the problem is the consumption can creep up over time. So having a hard limit like you have (2.5 bottles a week) is a good idea.

Ultimately how long you live will be dictated more by your genes than anything else. Some people have really bad responses to alcohol/bad things. Others seem virtually indestructable. Look at someone like Jeanne Clemant, who lived to be 122 years old and smoked one cigarette a day until she had to quit at 116 because she could no longer see to light them. I think she also ate a pile of chocolate a week.

Yep. How to say "I've got a drinking problem" without actually saying that you've got a drinking problem.

A bottle of wine per week isn't so much.

But a bottle of wine all in one go is. I think if most people drank an entire bottle of wine in one go they would feel pretty crap the next day. Red wine/dark beer makes me feel particularly awful because of the various stuff it has in it as well as alcohol.

It's harder for your body to process it all in one go, and probably damages you a lot more than spread out over time.

People do a lot, lot worse to their bodies. The fact that you have asked the question would suggest you are a bit concerned...

Of course we all do things that are bad for us. However, most of us probably know that drugs and smoking, being overweight, failing to exercise etc are bad for us. Why is it that people feel the need to pretend that drinking excessive amounts of alcohol is fine?

Well it's made me rethink my drinking a bit, although I do really enjoy it. I always had the idea that a bit of red wine was good for you. Michael Mosley has been quite positive about a small glass with dinner it as well.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5vdhZ0K2YJFkL6SmlFWb6lz/cheers-how-choosing-red-wine-could-help-keep-your-heart-healthy

At the same time, a large percentage of the population is overweight and I would think a lot of people don't follow all the other NHS recommendations about diet and exercise. Do people actually eat 5 a day? No point vilifying drinkers when being overweight is equally bad. I'm not saying it's fine but everyone lecturing the OP here should check if there are virtuous in all other areas. Eating a lot of meat and processed food increases the risk of bowel cancer massively. We should be lecturing people to stop eating meat for health, ethical and environmental reasons.

I don't think most people do think drinking excessive amounts (like the OP drinks) is fine. They think drinking small amounts is fine. That's what I think, although willing to consider that I might be wrong.

At the same time, a large percentage of the population is overweight and I would think a lot of people don't follow all the other NHS recommendations about diet and exercise. Do people actually eat 5 a day? No point vilifying drinkers when being overweight is equally bad.

But the OP asked about her drinking. If someone started a post saying ‘I have a BMI of 40 and I eat junk food every day, AIBU?’ most posters would point out that obesity is dangerous to health and that the OP is directly damaging their health with their diet. You’d get a few posters saying ‘nah, this is fine, crack on’ and these would be the ones who were also in denial about their diet/health.

I'm was even convinced that the food I ate over Christmas was actually worse for me than all the booze I drink.

I agree that most people think that drinking small amounts is fine. I will admit to having generally believed that myself though now I'm wondering.

But a lot of posters have responded to the OP to say that her drinking is fine, it's normal, it's not an issue etc. I don't think that's helpful as she is clearly drinking an excessive amount.

And yes @winterrabbit, lots of people are overweight, or they smoke, and/or have various other vices. I'm certainly no paragon of virtue myself and I'm absolutely not judging anyone. However, I do at least know what my unhealthy habits are and I'm not trying to kid myself that they're just fine.

If the OP acknowledges that she is drinking an unhealthy amount but chooses to do it anyway, she is at least making an informed choice. If she kids herself that it's fine and normal, then she may not realise the damage that she is potentially doing to her body. We need to be honest with ourselves at least about the choices that we're making.

Exactly.

Normalising excessive drinking won't help anyone.

No one that I know or take any advice from claims that any alcohol is good for you.

IMO (and it is a personal opinion because everyones idea of risk and reward is different) the amount of drinking specified is not excessive and the risk it poses is small given the pleasure it brings. Everyone has to make their own assessment of that and whether the risks outweigh the reward.

If you want to eliminate all risk from your life you would never leave the house and sit in a bulletproof jar all day.

People generally aren't very good at judging risk and reward.

I’m slightly torn between the health implications and what alcohol actually does to you but also agree that if you enjoy it that is also important which makes it hard to say it’s ‘bad.
I think the mindset in how you drink alcohol is also a big factor. If it’s enjoyment/relaxed/positive I genuinely believe your body responds and reacts better than if you drink it angrily/to forget/as a crutch/negatively.

However, I have recently learnt a lot about alcohol and it is quite horrendous stuff and essentially should be classed as a poison. This is coming from a huge wine lover so totally get it !

if its every day it does sound like you ‘need’ it which isn’t ideal. What if things go wrong - how easy would it be to increase?

could you try and decrease it and have at least one night off? If not then I think that’s your answer.

It’s obviously not good to drink every day, just as it’s not good to eat junk food meals every day and to be obese. No point pretending it’s healthy. It will age you too so just keep an eye on it op.

But it is excessive according to NHS guidelines, which are themselves based on extensive research. Your personal opinion doesn't change that.

And yes, of course the OP is entirely at liberty to choose to accept any risks that are associated with excessive drinking if she feels that they are worth it. We all take calculated risks on a daily basis. But she should take those risks having properly understood the fact that the amount she is drinking is considered by the experts to be unsafe.

If she is happy to go ahead regardless, then that's her prerogative. But she asked a question on this forum about whether her current drinking is OK, and many of us have pointed out that, according to most mainstream health advice, it is not.

I’ve known so many people turn to alcoholism so I’m a bit biased and get worried about it!

I think you need to differentiate between it being common and it being risk free. Posting on here will help convince you it's common, which it is because our relationship with alcohol in this country is awful. But lots of people telling you its fine doesn't make it risk free. If you do a literature search you will find all the way it's risky - cancer, cognitive function etc etc. The evidence is unambiguous. As well as the effects on your skin and your sleep. It's up to you to make a choice based on risk but the factually correct answer is that the amount you are drinking has been proven to be associated with health risks.
I'm not writing as a small sherry once a year drinker either - I definitely drink too much at times. I recently had breast cancer, for which alcohol is a risk factor, and I now fluctuate between thinking I must stop drinking as I don't want to increase my risk of future cancer, and thinking alcohol one of life's pleasures and having cancer has shown me that life can be short. I don't know which is the right way of looking at things!

In fact, the UK guidelines are starting to look a little outdated. More recent studies and evidence suggest that about 3-4 units a week can be considered low risk, then you’re looking at moderate and high risk depending on your level. 25 units a week would not be considered low harm
even in the current guidelines.

Thanks I fully intend to continue drinking wine but am going to have mon and tues as free nights. Yes i had a health check last year actually and everything is fine and no issues, but i posted as i had a gut feeling it wasnt completely right, the replies have made me feel 2 nights off in a row is a good compromise for me.

The NHS shouldn't define what is excessive to anyone.

What it should do is provide information for people to make informed choices.

Certain government bodies cite certain amounts of alcohol consumption per week as "safe" but what is "safe" ? A 1% chance of having it affect your life in a meaningful way ? A 2% chance ? What chance should be acceptable ? How do you define meaningful ?

A lot of people just parrot the NHS numbers as things that are considered "safe" or not excessive. But those numbers need to be informed by individual information in order to make them in any way accurate. Sex, family history can be things that change the equation considerably as well as personal attitude to risk. You can either use that information to argument what the government tells you and modify their numbers up or down, or you can just blindly accept the numbers as given and hope you conform to the average person and have the same idea as the government of what is "safe".

The government doesn't have a right to tell me or anyone else what is excessive and what isn't. Because that is based on my own personal opinion of risk and reward.

What it does do (and should do) is provide me with information so that I can understand the consequences of my actions.

I'm pretty sure the government would want to ban people from doing lots of stuff and deem a lot of our activity that costs it money illegal if it had half a chance. But I quite like skiing and I'm not keen on having the government ban it or disuade me from doing it because it deems it too risky and it costs it too much money.

Society has a huge drinking culture. There’s normalised ways to include alcohol in every meal. As a result, people are generally conditioned to think that you have to be on the extreme end of the spectrum to have an alcohol problem, whereas your body might not be able to tolerate these moderate amounts of daily consumption. The perspective is skewed - the line isn’t swigging vodka all day starting at 9am and being gross and unable to function. Lots of people struggle to notice when their drinking gets excessive because it’s such a commonplace part of society.

You should seek medical advice vs comparing yourself to others - especially people online. You don’t know if the person that’s reassuring you is a pinnacle of health themselves - it could be an echo chamber. Best thing is to start by getting blood tests and see 1.if anything is abnormal and 2.what has changed in comparison to your last blood test results which might pinpoint trends.

The government doesn't have a right to tell me or anyone else what is excessive and what isn't. Because that is based on my own personal opinion of risk and reward.

Of course it does, and it has a responsibility to be a source of reliable evidence-based information for the general population.

(Whether it always fulfils that is another conversation).

If you think you know better because of your knowledge of your individual circumstances, then crack on. The government isn't controlling your freedom to act in ways that are not in line with their advice.