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.

Kendodd - I wouldn't bother, if it's a struggle. Drink green tea instead!

@SolarT

"It’s your life. Do what you want. 25 units or whatever it is, isn’t that much"

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Except the recommended max alcohol consumption per week is 14 units.

"24% of adults (30%of drinkers) in England and Scotland regularly drink over the Chief Medical Officer’s low-risk guidelines and 27% of drinkers in Great Britain binge drink on their heaviest drinking days"

alcoholchange.org.uk/alcohol-facts/fact-sheets/alcohol-statistics

Also alcohol costs the UK economy £27 billion per year in health costs and lost production.

We don’t drink in the week well Mon - thurs. Tolerance goes down so we drink less at the weekends too. Both enjoy our wine but quality over quantity. Alcohol just isn’t good for you having it everyday can’t be right.

I think it sounds find. Very civilised and very pleasant. I started drinking a glass after work every day in lockdown plus one with dinner but that combined with perimenopause meant I put on weight and went up a dress size. I never weigh myself so not a clue how much. I only drink a couple of times a week now. If work is very stressful I will crack open a bottle but I drink in moderation. Sounds all good to me.

I probably wouldn't do it every night.

I previously drank a similar amount to you. I tried to only drink weekends (1 bottle across fri, sat, sun). I sometimes drank in the week if we went to a restaurant, so sometimes stretched to the equivalent of 2 bottles.

I had a blood test a few months back and my liver level came back slightly high so I've been advised to cut down. It was a real wake up call. I'm 34 btw...

I've been alcohol free for 3 months now but the thought I might have done permanent damage terrifies me. If I could have my time again, I would have definitely drank less. Not every week.

Experts do say 14 units a week. Other experts in others countries disagree. Some research indicates that alcohol has adverse effects. Some research indicates otherwise. If you keep looking, you'll find research that suits your purpose. I'm pretty sure the recommended units were criticised at the time by a lot of 'experts' because they seemed arbitrary. Many people felt that the UK had the most conservative limits because the British have more alcohol problems than other countries rather than there being evidence to support such a low number.

If I didn't want to shift some weight, I'd carry on with a daily glass of wine - I don't have problems with moderation. As it is, if I do lose the weight, I'll save some money too.

I've always drunk wine with meals. My heritage is French so it is totally normal.

Some view it as actually healthy.
What Happens to Your Body When You Drink a Glass of Wine Every Night

I do exactly this OP and really enjoy it but have been worried about it for some time as it means my liver doesn't get a break. I usually have 2 glasses/half a bottle of wine a night and always feel fine in the morning, never drunk and rarely drink more than that. DH and I rarely/never go out and work full time so I feel like it's my way to relax. I can definitely go a few days without but find is hard to break the habit completely. Doing dry January now so will see how that goes but not sure I will last. I've had three kids so given up 3 times with no issue. Life just seems a bit boring and less sparkle without wine although I do feel more virtuous and glad I am given my body a break. I remember watching my dad drink every day and being really worried about his health. Long term I think 2 days off a week is easily achievable and would make a difference to my health so am aiming for that. In terms of weight gain from wine, does anyone else with busy lives find that they substitute food for wine? DH and I have one or two glasses each a night and nibble on the kids' leftovers but don't really eat ourselves which is maybe why it hasn't impacted our weight (yet).

I don't think that much will be hugely damaging to your health, and i don't think it sounds like you are addicted.

I would recommend having some days off though. I love wine, but I feel like I appreciate it much more when I have a break. I don't usually drink Sunday to Thursday. And allow a bottle of wine over the weekend, sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less, and I really enjoy it.

Also might sound snobbish but I now only buy good wines, from a wine club. That way I feel more inclined to savour the wine and drink slowly, it feels like more of an event than just having a tipple.

I drink a similar amount to you OP and never considered it to be a problem. Thought I was fully in control and could stop anytime.

Anyway I'm doing dry january and actually I'm finding it REALLY hard - craving wine, headaches and so tired. Which has made me realise that I probably am dependant to some extent.

Maybe try and do a week or 2 alcohol free and see how you feel. That should give you your answer.

It's an unhealthy habit that you have got yourself in to. 2.5 bottles of wine a week is a huge amount (to me)!

I probably drink the same amount in total in a week. (2.5 bottles) but drink 3/4 nights a week. So I think I binge drink which is worse?!

Alcohol is a funny old thing. If a Dr handed you a prescription for a neurotoxin that may cause addiction and breast cancer you wouldn't take it.

Don't let the neo-temperance lobby scare you. If you're not suffering any ill effects, and don't regularly drink much more than that, then go for it.

There's a good summary of the evidence here - countless studies have found that moderate drinking is associated with better health outcomes overall than temperance, and it's only once you get to 4 or more drinks a day that this changes. https://snowdon.substack.com/p/moderate-drinking-is-still-good-for

I think a glass or two of wine should be something you fancy on occasion and probably a bit of an issue if it’s needed to relax every night.

My dad’s wife is similar to you and claims she can take it or leave it but I’m not so sure. She’s recently been told to stop drinking by the doctors due to a health issue and she has been finding every excuse under the sun to ignore it. As PP’s have said - it’s a slippery slope.

Ok, so you asked and my answer is that it's too much. You may not be binge drinking, but you're drinking double the recommended maximum weekly amount.

My suggestion, if you want it, is stop at one glass a night and then cut it out a few times a week.

Along with other health risks, a quick Google search tells me that a bottle of wine has about 625 calories. You're consuming the equivalent of over 6 Mars bars a week.

I get it - I love wine, but it seems a bit of a habit for you and by asking the question, it has been playing on your mind.

'Temperance activitists' are mentioned in that 'study'. No bias at all then?! 😂

I think every night is a bit much, even if it was just three or four nights a week- it's not so bad. Or preferably one or two nights!

I sometimes drink wine or brandy 7 or 8 nights on the trot - but I get sick of it then, and then I'll go a full month without drinking anything. I like to have a good break in between drinking surges if you see what I mean.

I mean, you're bound to get people on here saying, oh, well they drink all the time in Europe... Blah, blah, blah. Although they do, they probably often have one glass of wine, and they don't have it every single day, like some people make out. I know a few people who live in Europe and they certainly do not drink glasses of wine every single day.

Don't you get bored with it @Mamabear2424 ?

Oh dear Snoozy, that sounds grim after four days. I've not noticed any difference, so I hope that's not going to kick in for me.

In what way does it make you happy?

You say you love it. What do you love about it?

Do you drink red, white, prosecco?

Genuinely interested.

You’d struggle to get life insurance at standard rates with units per week at the level you consume. It’s considered too high for long term health.

Canada has now declared zero units the guideline.

Alcohol is an inflammatory toxin, 2.5 bottles a week is a lot of work for your body.

My French SIL said her Grandmother drank daily, but 7% wine and maybe 125ml - that’s more like a bottle a week. A glass is not a third of a bottle, which is what you drink.

Drinking with food is better, but days off are even better. You drink too much. I had the same realisation and now drink on holiday, and Saturday night.

For perspective, that's 20-25 units. Make your judgement from that.

In all honesty (and I fucking LOVE wine OP) I’d try to at least moderate it. So like 2 bottles a week. Have 2 consecutive days per week off.

Isn’t 4 units or in one sitting considered binge drinking for women? You’re drinking at least 5?

if you don’t care what NHS says, alcohol doesn’t affect you adversely in any way what is your question?

people keep quoting that Italians or Spaniards drink loads & it doesn’t affect them. I’ve worked for long periods & that wasn’t my experience. Most people drank a small glass 1/6 of a bottle.

im in my 50s. 2 friends recently were both shocked to discover they have considerable scarring on their liver. No symptoms. Both drank less than you. The issue is you don’t know how alcohol will affect your individual health.

There is an excellent episode of Huberman labs on alcohol. It's episode 86.

I would encourage you to listen as lot of the information being given here isn't correct. That way you can decide based on the fact what's best for you.