Maybe it's just me but did anyone else notice they were less able to handle even a small amount of alcohol once peri-menopause started? Maybe you are not aware that being less able to process alcohol is one of the many symptoms of peri-menopause? Some of my hangovers since about age 45 have been horrific and 2 days get wiped out! But 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!! And as you can see from my photos, there is often a glass of wine in my hand! It's just so social! This blog post forms part of a sponsored collaboration. Updated, original post was published in April 2018. When I first started noticing problems with menopause alcohol tolerance, I thought that I'd make sure I only ever had two glasses max. But then that started affecting me too. For a while I could only have one glass or 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? Alcohol is after-all a totally unnecessary thing ... So why do we drink? For me it is mostly a social thing and a way to relax. 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. Then there is the 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. The impact of alcohol on menopause 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 especially on low 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 Nutracheck 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 research shows I am not alone, from chatting to my friends and reading about others experience of it, it seems these mega hangovers are linked to age and hormones including our levels of hydration, stress and sleep quality. Mariella Frostrup and Alice Smellie talk about it in their new book Cracking the Menopause. Our oestrogen levels are sporadic during peri-menopause, they can go up and down, and our body tries to cope by getting rid of excess oestrogen through the liver, throwing in alcohol as well just adds to the chaos! And as we age, our body contains less water to dilute any alcohol as well as more fat, so we retain the alcohol for longer. So it seems there is confirmation that alcohol will exacerbate menopause symptoms including night sweats, feeling anxious and low mood. What now? I have cut down considerably on my alcohol intake over the past few years, I still enjoy a glass of wine but I make sure I only have a maximum of two glasses on any one occasion, or three glasses of Prosecco. I also adopted the rule that I would not drink at home. That kind of went out the window during lockdown but I am slowly getting back into that habit, it really does make a difference. Totiuss - change your relationship with alcohol Totiuss is a new programme to support women who want to change their relationship with alcohol. Pronounced (toe-tee-us) Totiuss comes from the latin word meaning WHOLE and they want to empower women to feel great and take back control of their health and wellbeing by changing their relationship with alcohol. Rather than it be the go to answer - open a bottle of wine! Do you want to say goodbye to drinking completely or do your drinking habits just need an overhaul along with your mental and physical health? Totiuss have developed a unique 100 day alcohol free guided journey to address our increase in alcohol use. If like me you have a stressful day and reach for a bottle of wine, or feel you need some down time and a glass of rosé is part of that, Totiuss will teach us that there are other ways of getting support! Totiuss offer a holistic approach of nutrition, fitness, mental health coaching and meditation techniques. There are so many factors that we can use to help us find a healthier, happier lifestyle. If you are interested in finding out more, Totiuss will be launching their first programme in October 2021 and you can register here. Alcohol Free Alternatives? I did a little research online and found this information about lower alcohol wines (Source: Real Simple). It is useful to remember and I certainly find Prosecco is a better option for me. 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. I'd love to hear from you - maybe you have a great 'wine alternative' you can recommend? Love Michelle xx Disclaimer: this blog post was originally shared in April 2018 and has been updated to include information from Totiuss, it is part of a paid blog collaboration.
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.
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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
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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
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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
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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. 🥂
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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
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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 😄
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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
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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.
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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
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Carol
13/5/2021 10:54:02 am
So glad it’s not just me I thought I was going slightly mad but realisation has dawned I just cannot tolerate alcohol the after effects sleepless night feeling awful the next day are just not worth it I’m an occasional social drinker so was astonished when the reaction became so adverse but there you go I’ve still got chocolate to fall back on 🥴
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Beverly
5/12/2022 08:39:14 pm
Oh my goodness, here I am huddled under my covers feeling like poo! I had 2 glasses of home measured g & t last night. I felt quite tipsy, had a snooze and woke up feeling so piddled. I fell asleep on the bathroom floor, I was so disappointed with myself I’m. 55 years old not a 15 year old having discovered lambrini. But it does make sense, I’ve not tolerated alcohol for about a year and this has put me off altogether thank you for making me feel “normal “ again :)
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Hi, I’m Michelle and my blog Fifty & Fab is all about my journey into and through my 50s. I started this blog in 2016 with the purpose of helping other women at this stage of life. I’m delighted that my blog has grown to over 13k visitors per month. Visit my Work with Me page and request my Media Kit for details of product reviews, blogging services and social media content creation.
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