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Menopause and alcohol tolerance

16/4/2018

12 Comments

 
Maybe it's just me but has anyone else noticed they are less able to handle even a small amount of alcohol once peri-menopause has started?  Maybe you are not aware that being less able to process alcohol is one of the many symptoms of peri-menopause?

Now I love a glass of wine.  A glass of red with a steak on an evening out.  A glass or two of prosecco with friends.  A crisp, cold white on a summer evening or a light and refreshing rosé or kir royale on holiday.   I rarely drink anything else, very occasionally a G&T but I have never liked beer or any other spirits.  In fact I didn't really drink much at all until I was in my 30's and even then never to excess - three glasses and that's my lot!!
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Dinner on my 50th Birthday at The Coach in Marlow
When I first started noticing problems I thought that I'd make sure I only ever had two glasses max.  But then that started affecting me too. Now I have to have one glass only or really none at all - or accept that I will have a sleepless night and feel pretty rough the next day.

Prosecco is lighter and has 'less' alcohol so that is better for me but one glass of red is just so nice with a steak?!  I tried alcohol-free wine but I wasn't impressed.  I'd like to try some low-alcohol wines but am I that bothered really?

Why do I drink?

For me it is now simply a social thing.  We eat out quite a lot.  Usually in good restaurants, we are minor 'foodies' so enjoy the whole experience of a good restaurant, good food and fine wine.  Favourite places ... The Coach in Marlow, The Waterside Inn at Bray, The Ivy Marlow Garden.

I used to drink to relax - yes I know - 'wine o'clock' or 'it's Friday evening' or 'it's the weekend' or simply let's open a bottle for no reason whatsoever. 

When I did The Body Coach Plan I gave it up.  It was fairly easy as I wanted to lose weight and feel better.  But slowly it crept back in, although not at home.  We have a small stock of wine that has not been touched for two years.  Laithwaites keep calling me and every time I say no we don't need any.

The impact of alcohol on menopausal symptoms

For me it is the increase in night sweats and insomnia.  I simply can't sleep.  I get too hot and have a very restless night.  Then when I 'wake' in the morning I feel absolutely dreadful and this can have an effect for two days after.  This then has an effect on my mood and anxiety.

And of course weight gain - although I probably don't drink enough for it to have much effect and I do try to log the calories in MFP but I can often feel much more bloated and inflamed after a  few drinks and a sleepless night.  My body simply can't process the alcohol any more.  And it is very common among menopausal women it seems.

Everyone is different and you might not be affected in the same way.  I'd love to hear your experience though.  Do my symptoms sound familiar to you?  Have you given up alcohol or cut down a lot since starting peri-menopause?
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Last year at Pub in the Park, Marlow
​What now?

Well I am cutting down further.  Two glasses on the odd night out is still a too much and even one glass can affect my already poor ability to sleep.  The late night doesn't help either and the more we drink the more relaxed we get and so common sense disappears and you have the dessert and you stay up late (and sod the consequences) then the next morning I feel dreadful and think why!?  A glass or two at lunchtime is better for me as by the evening the effects have worn off.  Prosecco is also better!

But to be honest I really don't need to drink - none of us do!!!  It is just social pressure and I need to learn to say 'no thank you'.  But I do enjoy the odd glass and I do enjoy the social side of it.  I admit it is relaxing but only 'in the moment' not at 3 am or the next day!

I hear that 'low alcohol beers' are getting much better - but I don't drink beer.  I'm pretty sure it is rare to find 'low alcohol wine' in a bar or restaurant.  I quite like an alcohol-free cocktail.  I've yet to try Seedlip (the world's first distilled non-alcohol spirit) - have you?  Someone recommended it to me but it isn't yet served in many establishments.
I did a little research online and found this information about lower alcohol wines (Source: Real Simple).

​Very Low (Under 12.5 Percent)
Sparkling: Italian Asti, Italian Prosecco.
White: French Vouvray and Muscadet, German Riesling, Portuguese Vinho Verde, Spanish Txacolina.
Rosé: California White Zinfandel, Portuguese rosés.
​
Moderately Low (12.5 to 13.5 Percent)
Sparkling: California sparkling wine, French Champagne, Spanish Cava.
White: Austrian Grüner Veltliner, Australian Riesling, French Alsace white, French Loire and Bordeaux whites, French white Burgundy, Italian Pinot Grigio, New York Riesling, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Oregon Pinot Gris, South African Sauvignon Blanc, Spanish Albarino.
Rosé: French rosés, Spanish rosés.
Red: French Beaujolais and Burgundy, French Bordeaux, Italian Chianti, Spanish Rioja.


But I am not sure I will whip out my notes when ordering wine in a restaurant!?  I will just need to try and remember (oh now there's another symptom of peri-menopause - brain fog and dodgy memory)!

I'd love to hear from you - maybe you have a great 'wine alternative' you can recommend?

Love
Michelle xx
12 Comments
Katherine
16/4/2018 05:23:59 pm

Oh I feel your pain! I am so similar. I gave up wine years ago ( for Lent) and have never rediscovered my taste for it and i don’t drink spirits either so I am now a confirmed Prosecco or Champagne girl. I will happily do without alcohol and certainly don’t need it to have a good time. If I do have even 1 glass I experience hot flushes almost instantly and like you if I drink in the evening it leads to all sorts of sleep problems which bearing in mind I don’t sleep well anyway, is not a happy situation.
Milk thistle is a good natural helper for the cleansing of the liver and general liver function, how the menopause affects the liver, if at all, I don’t know, but it might be worth a try. I am lucky enough to have a Neals Yard remedy shop locally and they are endlessly knowledgeable about what to take to help the causes, symptoms etc of all things menopausal, perhaps if you have somewhere similar close by you can ask for their advice.
In the meantime, tough as it is, just stick to water!!! Cheers ;)
K xx

Reply
Michelle Green
17/4/2018 08:26:27 am

Feedback on this post has been amazing, thank you for commenting! It does seem that it is a common worry and most of us are giving up or cutting down considerably. A bit different to our 30's and even 40's then :) I will look up Milk Thistle, I have heard of it but never tried it. I love Neal's Yard although we don't have one nearby. Water it is then! xx

Reply
Jo
16/4/2018 05:24:07 pm

Hi Michelle! I gave up alcohol at the beginning of this year and am not regretting it one bit! I’m 44 and have always suffered with PMT but the main reason for stopping was the impact it was having on my sleep, my moods and my anxiety. I just got fed up with days being wasted because I couldn’t function thanks to another sleepless night. I also read Clare Pooley’s book, The Sober Diaries, which made a lot of sense to me. It is tricky on the social front and finding decent alternatives out there. I’m with you on the wine, the non-alcoholic one’s are not great. However, as a non-beer drinker I’ve actually found the non-alcoholic beers to pretty good and are served in most pubs/bars etc. I have tried Seedlip too - Pizza Express are the only place I’ve ever found it - and this too I think is an excellent alternative. Well done you & keep going! Jo xxx

Reply
Michelle Green
17/4/2018 08:28:28 am

Feedback on this post has been amazing, thank you for commenting! It does seem that it is a common worry and most of us are giving up or cutting down considerably. I am going to order that book!! And maybe I might taste a non-alcoholic beer then and go to Pizza Express to try Seelip :) I think my mind is made up - no more alcohol xx

Reply
Janice link
16/4/2018 05:30:24 pm

Hi I don't really drink at all now either,I used to love a glass of red with steak and a glass of white in the sunshine, but I now have that very rarely - it does interfere with my sleep and quickly seems to lead to weight gain if I have wine for a few days running - on holiday for example.
I now have a (one) gin and slimline tonic (Fever Tree) if I have alcohol, it doesn't seem to have the same effect as wine and as I add the whole tonic it lasts for a while too!

Reply
Michelle Green
17/4/2018 08:31:06 am

Feedback on this post has been amazing, thank you for commenting! It does seem that it is a common worry and most of us are giving up or cutting down considerably. I think holiday's are the biggest challenge as it is relaxing to sit with a nice cold glass of wine in the evening sunshine. G&T does seem to have less effect but not quite the same as the red with steak xx

Reply
Jan
16/4/2018 05:52:56 pm

This has been my life for the last ten years. The hangover from 2 glasses! The night sweats sigh. I've been told it to do with the liver being too busy trying to deal with hormones. Anyway... I've always been a red wine gal and I've discovered low alcohol wines from Brown Brothers in Australia (I live in New Zealand). But this doesn't help me when I'm out because not every place stocks it. I've been trying different alcohols and the one I found the best so far is Tequila lime and water. I wanted something mixed with water so the body doesn't have to deal with sugar load as well as the alcohol. You could do the same with vodka if that's more your style. I quite like that I drink tequila as it makes me feel young at heart. 🥂

Reply
Michelle Green
17/4/2018 08:33:07 am

Feedback on this post has been amazing, thank you for commenting! It does seem that it is a common worry and most of us are giving up or cutting down considerably. Very interesting to read about liver and dealing with the hormones .... and I like the idea of a drink mixed with water for that reason. I don't think I've ever tried tequila :) xx

Reply
Isobel
16/4/2018 06:24:20 pm

So good to hear I’m not alone! Would love to do the Clare Pooley way and just abstain, but I just don’t think I can at the moment. I’m a big fan of white wine, and have recently found a nice Sauvignon Blanc called Sunlight ( unfortunate connotations of shampoo or cleaning products!), but it’s actully really nice and it’s only 8.5%. I get it from the Sunday Times Wine Club, but I’m sure you can probably source it elsewhere. Am yet to find a decent low alcohol red though. I can drink at least one or two glasses, any more and the dreaded insomnia/ restlessness and anxiety kick in! Thanks for this post! Really helpful 😄

Reply
Michelle Green
17/4/2018 08:38:29 am

Feedback on this post has been amazing, thank you for commenting! It does seem that it is a common worry and most of us are giving up or cutting down considerably. Ooh I am going to research Sunlight!! But yes odd name :) So glad you found it helpful, I think I will read the book but I don't really want to give up totally as I always think that just makes you want it more!!! xx

Reply
Jane Morris
16/4/2018 06:50:10 pm

Yep, me too! Everything you write rings true to me too. I'm literally wide awake all night after a couple of glasses of wine thinking 'I'll never drink another drop again' and feel like death the next day Like you, I don't really even drink much, perhaps it's because my body isn't used to it?! It's definitely been so much worse in the last few years.

Reply
Michelle Green
17/4/2018 08:40:01 am

Hi Jane! I do that, I am never drinking again (then the next time comes along) but I am definitely moving towards never drinking again as one day after has now become two days. We need a diary date!!! Love Michelle xx

Reply



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    ​Welcome to Fifty & Fab, a lifestyle blog to inspire you. I am a blogger with a passion for writing about style, beauty, health and fitness with a focus on the over 50's. I am based in Marlow but work across London and the South East.

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