Its nice to see a balanced article on this topic! I too have cut back but I still very much enjoy moderate drinking. Its definitely more about quality over quantity.
I hate it when my mum was right - moderation is key!! It's funny - my middle daughter is 18 and took a bottle of wine to a party - the cheapest one she could find. i'm no connosseur but I wouldn't waste the experience now unless I knew I'd really like it!
Thanks for your openness about a topic that is difficult to share for fear of judgement. I too discovered in my menopause transition that giving up my 2 glasses of wine most nights of the week (1 preparing dinner and then 1 with it) was not serving me well. I felt fine but it was only when I gave it up that I realised just how much it was exacerbating my symptoms - namely aching joints. I still have a glass of red with my pasta and occasionally when out socialising but it's not the norm it once was for me. Interestingly for me, the hardest part was 'explaining myself' to others when passing on having alcohol. Now I'm much more comfortable with the conversations and don't feel the judgement. Looking back I'm sure it was more about my perception of what they were thinking than what they actually were. Being in The Upgrade now certainly helps that 'no &ucks given' attitude too :) Cheers Alana! Anita xx
Thanks so much Anita, And yes! what were we thinking?! I was really unsure how to navigate telling people - as if I was giving up talking or something! That's why I gave it a name so I could explain I was just being more mindful and actually most of my pals have decided something along that lines too. Just shows how deepset our habits can be. Cheers
Reading my journals from a few years back, about the time I was quitting my job and deep into my "reinvention," I am stunned by how much and how prominently alcohol (white wine and Vermont IPAs) plays a role in my story. Worse during the pandemic. It's only recently (when I wanted to lose weight for my son's wedding last fall) that I began a reckoning that has also landed me in a "damp" place. 2-4 drinks a week instead of every day, but I wonder .... How the habit became so deeply embedded by a lifestyle, personality, brand we've been sold. Even Chat GPT suggested I reward myself with a glass of wine!! Was that because I am a middle-aged woman, a wine mom or whatever the trope? Great conversation for us to be having Alana! Thanks for sharing your story.
Thanks Catherine... I'm exactly the same. I never questioned it. A bottle of wine on a Friday night was literally just an automatic response to end of week. I chose 'damp' because I didn't love either side of the midlife women memes.... the wino mums or the 'never let a crisp (chip) or wine pass my lips, i only eat kale' brigade. So I found my happy medium but the most important part was the trying to be really conscious and intentional about it. Here's to damp drinking!
Its nice to see a balanced article on this topic! I too have cut back but I still very much enjoy moderate drinking. Its definitely more about quality over quantity.
I hate it when my mum was right - moderation is key!! It's funny - my middle daughter is 18 and took a bottle of wine to a party - the cheapest one she could find. i'm no connosseur but I wouldn't waste the experience now unless I knew I'd really like it!
Thanks for your openness about a topic that is difficult to share for fear of judgement. I too discovered in my menopause transition that giving up my 2 glasses of wine most nights of the week (1 preparing dinner and then 1 with it) was not serving me well. I felt fine but it was only when I gave it up that I realised just how much it was exacerbating my symptoms - namely aching joints. I still have a glass of red with my pasta and occasionally when out socialising but it's not the norm it once was for me. Interestingly for me, the hardest part was 'explaining myself' to others when passing on having alcohol. Now I'm much more comfortable with the conversations and don't feel the judgement. Looking back I'm sure it was more about my perception of what they were thinking than what they actually were. Being in The Upgrade now certainly helps that 'no &ucks given' attitude too :) Cheers Alana! Anita xx
Thanks so much Anita, And yes! what were we thinking?! I was really unsure how to navigate telling people - as if I was giving up talking or something! That's why I gave it a name so I could explain I was just being more mindful and actually most of my pals have decided something along that lines too. Just shows how deepset our habits can be. Cheers
Reading my journals from a few years back, about the time I was quitting my job and deep into my "reinvention," I am stunned by how much and how prominently alcohol (white wine and Vermont IPAs) plays a role in my story. Worse during the pandemic. It's only recently (when I wanted to lose weight for my son's wedding last fall) that I began a reckoning that has also landed me in a "damp" place. 2-4 drinks a week instead of every day, but I wonder .... How the habit became so deeply embedded by a lifestyle, personality, brand we've been sold. Even Chat GPT suggested I reward myself with a glass of wine!! Was that because I am a middle-aged woman, a wine mom or whatever the trope? Great conversation for us to be having Alana! Thanks for sharing your story.
Thanks Catherine... I'm exactly the same. I never questioned it. A bottle of wine on a Friday night was literally just an automatic response to end of week. I chose 'damp' because I didn't love either side of the midlife women memes.... the wino mums or the 'never let a crisp (chip) or wine pass my lips, i only eat kale' brigade. So I found my happy medium but the most important part was the trying to be really conscious and intentional about it. Here's to damp drinking!