Cutting way back on wine consumption

[Anonymous]

Why is wine "condoned", but not beer or even hard liquor? This is a real question, not a troll post. One or two beers has to be less alcohol than wine. Or one rum & diet coke (I would also think it less). Honestly, I started drinking wine after I had my kids, because it was less frowned upon.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the poster who said that you need to create different routines, but I also think you need to change your relationship with alcohol. Before I got pregnant, I was a 2x/week happy hour girl. It wasn't a special thing anymore to sit down and have a glass of wine with a friend so much as it was a thing that I did every Wednesday and many Thursdays.

Now my DD is a year old, and I have tried really hard to add a little ritual back into it. Make it special. Sit down with a nice glass of wine, maybe some cheese and crackers. Brush your hair and maybe put on some lipstick. It's about creating an occasion out of a regular evening, and you can't do that if one of your "props" for the occasion is a habit.

Also, just to add my $0.02 to the discussion of addiction, it is a HABIT. There are a lot of kinds of habits. My personal litmus test for whether it's a habit that is bad for you or a habit that is NOT bad for you is how it changes your behavior in the rest of your life. Do you structure your days around drinking? Do you watch the clock? Do you "need" a drink? Those are bad signs. If you just are stuck in a routine where at 5pm, you pour a glass of wine, that's not a bad thing in and of itself any more than making a pot of coffee in the morning every day is a bad thing.

[Anonymous]

OP, I haven't read all the responses and it's possible that this has already degenerated as threads on this subject tend to do on DCUM. But let me just tell you, I am you - I have been a little too comfortable pouring myself one glass, and then another, too many nights of the week for quite a while now. I come from a family with some alcoholic tendencies, and mostly I just knew it was bad for me - it contributed to poor sleeping, weight gain, and my lack of work productivity (I have a flexible schedule but need to work at night.) I kept telling myself I was going to change my ways, but always found some excuse not to do so. Somehow about a month ago I decided I would give up wine for Lent - I actually started early so that I could claim the whole month of March. I have zero willpower for almost anything, but it's interesting once you start something like this, it has a way of becoming self sustaining. I don't intend to give up wine forever; I will probably indulge at a family Easter celebration. But I'm hoping that 6-8 weeks can break what had become a bad habit, and help me continue to limit myself. Interestingly, I figured it would help me lose weight, but so far it's maybe only been a pound or two. But I definitely feel better, and knowing that I can exert some self-control over this bad habit makes me feel like I can deal more effectively with all the craziness in my life right now. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is wine "condoned", but not beer or even hard liquor? This is a real question, not a troll post. One or two beers has to be less alcohol than wine. Or one rum & diet coke (I would also think it less). Honestly, I started drinking wine after I had my kids, because it was less frowned upon.

Wine is perceived to be classier, true or not true.

I personally think there's a difference in the aesthetic of selecting and drinking a $30 bottle of nice wine and opening a Bud Light. But some people feel strongly about microbrews and some people (my husband included) are wild about scotch, so I think it's more a class thing than a difference in the alcohol itself.

[Anonymous]

April is Alcohol Awareness Month

http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/seasonal/aprilalcohol/

Warning Signs of Alcohol Abuse
If you answer "yes" to any of the following questions, you may have a problem with alcohol:
Do you drink alone when you feel angry or sad?
Does your drinking ever make you late for work?
Does your drinking worry your family?
Do you ever drink after telling yourself you will not?
Do you ever forget what you did while drinking?
Do you get headaches or have a hangover after drinking?
Source: How to Cut Down on Your Drinking

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is wine "condoned", but not beer or even hard liquor? This is a real question, not a troll post. One or two beers has to be less alcohol than wine. Or one rum & diet coke (I would also think it less). Honestly, I started drinking wine after I had my kids, because it was less frowned upon.

That's an interesting question. I guess it depends on the social circle. I have wine drinking friends and beer drinking friends and I know those that like to drink both. I never thought that beer or hard liquor would be considered "less classy". My husband has a shot of whiskey and a beer when he gets home from work. He's been doing that for years. After a stressful day, it just relaxes him. Other than that, he's not a heavy drinker. I on the other hand love beer. It's cold and refreshing and delicious to me. However, I'm gonna take a break for a while and replace it with a refreshing non-alcoholic drink for a while.

Also, I don't really care if something is frowned upon. I just do what I like and what I feel comfortable with.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for posting this question OP - I, too, could have written it myself. I don't have anything insightful to add, but I'm going to take some of the advice given and try to replace wine with something else special a few nights a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:April is Alcohol Awareness Month

http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/seasonal/aprilalcohol/

Warning Signs of Alcohol Abuse
If you answer "yes" to any of the following questions, you may have a problem with alcohol:

Do you drink alone when you feel angry or sad?
Does your drinking ever make you late for work?
Do you ever drink after telling yourself you will not?
Do you get headaches or have a hangover after drinking?

I've definitely occasionally experienced these, but I've experienced them with biking, too. So maybe I'm also a bike-a-holic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am concerned about my wine consumption which can range from 2-4 glasses over a 4 hour period every night. I usually pour my first glass around 5-6 and one every hour until 9 and then I am really tired and just fall asleep only to not sleep well. I need to stop the wine to sleep better, be healthier, and lose some weight, be more motivated.

Anyone else tried to do the same with success? I need ideas, and not go to AA. I don't think I am an alcoholic, but I think I have a habit and am bored at home as a SAHM and the evenings are hard for me as I do it all, my husband is gone a lot for work.

Thanks everyone.

You've got a problem with alcohol and could not pass a breathilizer test. This means that you are too drunk to take care of your children. Seek help and stop drinking immediately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:April is Alcohol Awareness Month

http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/seasonal/aprilalcohol/

Warning Signs of Alcohol Abuse
If you answer "yes" to any of the following questions, you may have a problem with alcohol:

Do you drink alone when you feel angry or sad?
Does your drinking ever make you late for work?
Do you ever drink after telling yourself you will not?
Do you get headaches or have a hangover after drinking?

I've definitely occasionally experienced these, but I've experienced them with biking, too. So maybe I'm also a bike-a-holic.

Same here. Except that I may have a running addiction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am concerned about my wine consumption which can range from 2-4 glasses over a 4 hour period every night. I usually pour my first glass around 5-6 and one every hour until 9 and then I am really tired and just fall asleep only to not sleep well. I need to stop the wine to sleep better, be healthier, and lose some weight, be more motivated.

Anyone else tried to do the same with success? I need ideas, and not go to AA. I don't think I am an alcoholic, but I think I have a habit and am bored at home as a SAHM and the evenings are hard for me as I do it all, my husband is gone a lot for work.

Thanks everyone.

You've described my habits as well. Habitual drinker. Don't need AA anymore than I needed CA to quit my occasional habitual smoking habit quite a while ago.

Classic answer of an alcoholic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: You should do what I do: do a short "cleanse" every few months. No alcohol for a week. You'll be amazed how good it makes you feel.

I just visited an Islamic country and went three weeks with no alcohol. (Ok, one night we went out to an underground bar and had two small glasses of wine-- at $10 each, it was all I could afford!) But it had ZERO effect on my wellbeing. I didn't even lose any weight, which was a bummer. I was so happy to lose 10 pounds in early pregnancy. I attributed it all to being on the wagon, but apparently not...

[Anonymous]

Replacing wine with a couple benzos should do the trick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I haven't read all the responses and it's possible that this has already degenerated as threads on this subject tend to do on DCUM. But let me just tell you, I am you - I have been a little too comfortable pouring myself one glass, and then another, too many nights of the week for quite a while now. I come from a family with some alcoholic tendencies, and mostly I just knew it was bad for me - it contributed to poor sleeping, weight gain, and my lack of work productivity (I have a flexible schedule but need to work at night.) I kept telling myself I was going to change my ways, but always found some excuse not to do so. Somehow about a month ago I decided I would give up wine for Lent - I actually started early so that I could claim the whole month of March. I have zero willpower for almost anything, but it's interesting once you start something like this, it has a way of becoming self sustaining. I don't intend to give up wine forever; I will probably indulge at a family Easter celebration. But I'm hoping that 6-8 weeks can break what had become a bad habit, and help me continue to limit myself. Interestingly, I figured it would help me lose weight, but so far it's maybe only been a pound or two. But I definitely feel better, and knowing that I can exert some self-control over this bad habit makes me feel like I can deal more effectively with all the craziness in my life right now. Good luck!

OP here. Thanks. I appreciate your story and your kindness. Good luck to us both!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am concerned about my wine consumption which can range from 2-4 glasses over a 4 hour period every night. I usually pour my first glass around 5-6 and one every hour until 9 and then I am really tired and just fall asleep only to not sleep well. I need to stop the wine to sleep better, be healthier, and lose some weight, be more motivated.

Anyone else tried to do the same with success? I need ideas, and not go to AA. I don't think I am an alcoholic, but I think I have a habit and am bored at home as a SAHM and the evenings are hard for me as I do it all, my husband is gone a lot for work.

Thanks everyone.

You've got a problem with alcohol and could not pass a breathilizer test. This means that you are too drunk to take care of your children. Seek help and stop drinking immediately.

I think this is a bit of an over-reaction. I am tall and athletic so I metabolize quite a bit easily. One drink an hour or so is metabolized by someone like me. I rarely feel buzzed, just a more relaxed.