As you all know, I did participate in Dry January. I stopped alcohol intake on Jan 4 and had my first glass of wine on Jan 30. I know it was not the entire month, but it was the majority of the month. Now what?
I decided to give Dry January a try because I wondered if my alcohol consumption was getting out of control. I wanted to make sure that I was controlling my two glasses of wine every evening and that it was not controlling me. Alcoholism is in my family history, and I do not plan on going down that road, so I thought, why not give it up for a few weeks.
Drinking wine in the evening has become a habit for me, just like enjoying several cups of coffee in the morning. So the first question was could I stop my evening indulgence? I have found that I can stop drinking wine without any physical symptoms. It was good to know that I am not addicted.
I believe that drinking wine for me is a comfort and a habit. Now that Dry January is over and I have started drinking wine again, I find myself right back where I was when I started. The last several nights, I have had two glasses of wine in the evening.
I don’t want to return to my old habits, so I need to make a plan. I don’t think there is anything wrong with enjoying a couple of glasses of wine in the evening, but I don’t know if it is a healthy habit. I don’t need all those empty calories and the adverse effects of alcohol on my body.
Let’s head to Google to devise a plan…
I was reading an article on a website called Alcohol Rehab Guide. The article is called “Are You Drinking too Much Wine?” Here is a quote from the article.
“Experts strongly advise women against having more than 3 drinks of wine per day,”
That comment is reassuring. I only have two glasses a day, so maybe I am ok right? I feel that I don’t need to be drinking that much. Let’s continue to develop a plan.
I found a website called Wine Folly. This site breaks down the good and bad associated with wine.Here is their definition of drinking in moderation,
The Definition of Moderate Drinking in the US
- Men: two 5 oz glasses of 12% ABV wine (~200 calories)
- Women: one 5 oz glass of 12% ABV wine (~100 calories)
No more than 7 drinks per week for women and no more than 14 drinks per week for men.
You might be wondering why men can drink more than women, and there’s actually a scientific reason for this. As it happens, men have more of the enzymes needed to metabolize alcohol than women do by about a factor of two.
They say that for me, a woman, I should not have more than 3 glasses of wine a day. Considering my pours are more than 5 oz/glass, I would say 2 should be my limit.
I am sitting here debating a plan. I know I will probably have to change things up as I go but here are my initial goals.
I don’t want to drink every night. I will plan to have three dry nights a week. When I do enjoy my evening wine, I will have a limit of two glasses that night. If I go out, I can enjoy two glasses of wine, but with Covid going out is a rarity.
To sum it up, my plan is simple. When I do drink, I will limit my consumption to two glasses. I will also have three dry nights a week. This sounds doable. I will start my first dry night tonight.
Let’s enjoy our wine but in moderation.
Kathiey V
