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.

2.5 bottles a week is almost double the recommended limit. Alcohol’s effects creep up on you. By the time you’re 60, I’d imagine you’ll be feeling the symptoms of long term steady drinking. I get that alcohol has a social function but could you get enjoyment in other ways? What are your triggers? Do you associate having a drink with doing pleasurable things? I’m not saying stop-but I think it would be a good idea to halve it at least.

Not a problem at all. Complete non issue although you’ll have a flurry of pearl clutchers saying otherwise on their way.

Ah thank you @Bestyearever2024 that means a lot, especially considering self inflicted 🙄. I'm just going to have to adjust and carry on ❤️

Stupid attitudes like this are why we have such a drinking problem in this country.

How incredibly tone deaf after all @JanglingJack has said 🙄

Alcohol is a toxin that your liver has to work hard to break down. Over time it’s a risk factor for most cancers. I would do all you can to reduce your daily dependence on it. It’s not an emergency situation of course. But why not protect your long term health?

And you will look better as a 50/60 year old if you reduce your alcohol intake, an added bonus!

If your mental health depends on alcohol, then that’s something to explore.

To be fair, I was drinking far more than the OP. It's just like I said I don't want give limits, figures, units because that would suggest safe up until that amount or, I drink more than that and I'm fine...

I'm not anti drinking at all and don't want to use my situation to lecture others. It's happened, it's something I didn't know existed especially as lft was fine.

It's just my experience.

So sorry to hear your story @JanglingJack. It has reinforced my recent decision to be alcohol free. Wishing you all the best xx

It's not about this or that limit or whether most people do it or not.

Learn about what alcohol actual is, how your body reacts to it, and how your body deals with all the components of alcohol so close to the time you go to sleep.

Also there may be long term consequences that are disguised by the temporary sedation of alcohol.

Thank you. Good choice! Xx

*Shouldistayorshouldi · Today 08:22

Not a problem at all. Complete non issue although you’ll have a flurry of pearl clutchers saying otherwise on their way.*

You should probably consider whether you have an alcohol problem yourself @Shouldistayorshouldi

Sounds like you just do it out of habit but ask yourself: if you didn’t have your glass of wine tonight and tomorrow, how would you feel? If you feel upset or like you couldn’t do it, that’s a problem. 2.5 bottles a week is quite a lot really!

I would feel drunk and then hungover the next day after 2 glasses of wine!

What qualifications do you have that make you a better judge of what's healthy than the NHS/medical experts? I'm curious to know what your judgement that it's a non-issue is based on. Have you carried out extensive research into this issue, and if so, where is this published?

No I don't think that's healthy. Try one glass each evening, if that's too difficult then have glasses Friday and Saturdays.

There is a huge amount of denial about drinking in this country. Often from the middle-class middle-aged women demographic who think because they are drinking ‘good’ wine with dinner, they are ok…

The little voice in your head is telling you it's not fine so trying a night or two off is a good plan. It's not great long term even if you feel 'healthy' now. It's well over the 14 recommended units.

I'm no better because I 'binge' my recommended units on the weekend. Flat wine also now makes me feel like crap (I'm 53) but fizzy wine not so much. That's my vice.

Good luck on trying a wine free night or two.

Yep. There is some strange kind of snobbery hierarchy with drinking. If you have a good job and drink posh wine, that’s ok. Apparently. The denial is strong.

I suspect there are a few on this thread who have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol.

Personally, I think that the fact the OP even asked the question is probably enough to indicate that, deep down, she is questioning whether or not there is a problem. The fact that her DH links it so readily to her mental health is also quite telling. People without a drink problem don't need alcohol to stay happy or mentally healthy. In any case, alcohol is well known to be a depressant.

@JanglingJack really sorry to hear about your condition. Nobody should judge you for it having been "self inflicted" btw. Pretty much half the population regularly drinks more than they should as this thread has shown. It's so normalised in society that most people close their mind to the fact that it is a very dangerous drug. It's been shown that if alcohol was developed today it would immediately be banned and considered class a. But it's everywhere. I used to drink way too much as well but as far as I know I've got lucky. I even continued binge drinking after watching my mum die if liver disease (which by the way is an absolutely brutal, horrendous way to go) because it's just something that happens to other people. I only really started moderation after meeting DH because he rarely drinks - which was a revelation to me. Drinking every day was just "normal" and I think that's because my parents are/ were both alcoholic. Id caution parents against regular drinking in front of kids if you don't want them to do the same.
Anyway I wish you well and hope your condition doesn't get any worse.

2 1/2 bottles a week, especially every week is too much in my opinion.

We know alcohol is bad for our livers. You won't know about long term damage being done until it is symptomatic, (although I guess you could pay for a private liver panel blood test every 6 months or so). I had liver damage (from covid) - trust me you do not want to make your liver upset with you!

I'd limit it to a bottle a week. Get in the habit of pouring a healthier drink every evening, and keep your glass of wine for a Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening.

Agreed. I think there have been studies that have found the middle classes to be at higher risk of dangerous drinking, haven't there? Excessive consumption is often normalised so people don't realise that they have a problem until it's too late. Like poor @JanglingJack who has shared her story above.

I think, that if you are overthinking you’re drinking enough to ask, that you know that it’s not ok and looking for people to tell you it is. Give your liver a day or two off, your body will thank you.

I am sorry you are going through this. The problems with blood tests is that the liver can carry on functioning until there is only around 10% left. And then it can suddenly get damaged beyond repair and the bloods go haywire when it’s too late.

i hope you can get some meds to ease the pain and numbness a little. That sounds awful xx

As we can see on this thread, many drinkers want other people to drink too. Like when people are overweight, they find it difficult when their friends are on a diet and tell them that they are perfectly fine and don’t need to lose weight.

People who drink as much or more than the OP are telling her that it’s absolutely fine and she should keep going because anyone saying to the contrary is being uptight. They feel uncomfortable and don’t want to look at their own intake as a problem.

OP take advice from objective medical sources. Not fellow drinkers on Mumsnet.

Alcohol is a confirmed risk factor for cancer. I have young adult kids who drink with their peers, and they don’t understand the implications or care. I hope they will when they mature further.