Girls. Alcohol. Midlife.
What might go fallacious?
At first look, nothing appears too loopy. So, you’re kicking again and enjoyable with slightly extra alcohol than you used to. No biggie. You deserve it. The children are gone. You will have some further time in your palms. Why not let free slightly extra typically?
The one drawback? Letting free is killing us.
A examine led by Dr. Ibraheem Karaye highlights the narrowing gender hole in relation to binge consuming and alcohol-related deaths. Not precisely the type of gender hole we’re making an attempt to shut.
Essentially the most stunning half? Midlife ladies at the moment are the fastest-growing section of binge drinkers.
Extra particularly: ladies in midlife who’re thriving on the skin. Those with excessive incomes, prestigious careers, superior levels—and a fridge stuffed with natural produce. These are the ladies doing yoga, working 10Ks, monitoring their steps, shopping for designer collagen peptides, maintaining with their mammograms… and consuming greater than ever earlier than.
So, Why Are We Ingesting So A lot?
In a phrase: stress.
The strain of making an attempt to maintain all of it collectively. The transitions that hit exhausting in midlife: empty nests, divorce, profession upheaval, getting older dad and mom. And all the emotions that include them—grief, boredom, loneliness, rage, existential unease.
Alcohol has been offered to us as the right remedy. Not simply acceptable—aspirational. A glass of wine is self-care. A weekend bender is “Mommy’s reward.” It’s change into the socially sanctioned strategy to soothe, have fun, and survive.
However right here’s the issue: you’re making an attempt to really feel higher, get stronger, sleep extra deeply, and at last prioritize your self—and alcohol is quietly undoing all of that. It disrupts your sleep cycle, spikes your cortisol, slows your metabolism, and robs your physique of important vitamins.
In case you’re hitting the health club however nonetheless hitting the wine bottle, you’re mainly driving with the brakes on.
6 Midlife Ingesting Crimson Flags to Watch For
Crimson Flag #1: Considering Any Quantity of Alcohol Is Secure
In case you’ve been on the fence about exploring your relationship with alcohol, begin right here. In 2023, the World Well being Group declared that no quantity of alcohol is secure for consumption.
Alcohol is classed as a Group 1 carcinogen—proper alongside asbestos and tobacco. It’s tied to no less than seven varieties of most cancers, together with breast most cancers. In case you’re doing every thing else to remain wholesome, this reality alone deserves your consideration.
Crimson Flag #2: You’re Ingesting to Cope
Or to take the sting off. If alcohol has change into one in every of your go-to coping methods, it’s time so as to add new instruments to your emotional toolbox.
Ingesting to manage is a one-way ticket to dependence. It numbs your senses, stopping you from processing the stuff you really have to take care of.
And alcohol doesn’t simply mute the exhausting emotions—it dulls your pleasure, too. In case you’re struggling to really feel happiness or connection such as you used to, your nightly glass (or bottle) of wine could also be taking part in a task.
Crimson Flag #3: Your Social Life Revolves Round Alcohol
This one creeps up slowly. And it may be exhausting to see—as a result of the timber are so thick, you miss the forest solely.
Alcohol is all over the place now: birthday events, e-book golf equipment, sporting occasions, charity fundraisers. Have a look at your social calendar. Is it stuffed with boozy brunches, pleased hours, dinner events, or nights in with wine on the sofa?
Attempt exploring different methods to attach. Host a cocktail party with alcohol-free cocktails. Plan a dawn hike. Redefine what it means to “catch up.” Keep curious.
Crimson Flag #4: “Me Time” = Wine Time
Has wine change into your reward for time alone?
When my youngsters had been with their dad, or I lastly had an evening off, I instinctively reached for a bottle. Throughout my divorce, I drank extra—and I drank alone. I assumed I used to be soothing myself, however actually, I used to be staying caught.
Wine didn’t assist me heal. It saved me from therapeutic.
Crimson Flag #5: You’re Binge Ingesting With out Realizing It
I used to suppose binge consuming was for faculty youngsters. Beer pong and vodka photographs. However for ladies, binge consuming is outlined as 4+ drinks in a single sitting.
That 12-ounce wine glass you fill to the brim? That’s not one drink—it’s virtually three.
In case your tolerance has crept up, it might be masking how a lot you’re consuming—and the way a lot it’s affecting your physique.
Crimson Flag #6: Your Exercises Really feel Tougher Than They Ought to
Alcohol impacts every thing: cardiovascular well being, motivation, restoration time. It will increase irritation, slows muscle restore, and leaves you sore longer.
In case you’re chalking up sluggish exercises or recurring accidents to “simply getting older,” it could be time to think about whether or not alcohol is making your physique really feel older than it really is.
So Now What?
If any of those purple flags hit slightly near house, take a breath. This isn’t about disgrace. It’s about energy.
Realizing the reality about alcohol offers you the possibility to determine what sort of life you need to stay—and the way robust you need to really feel in it.
In case you’re interested by slicing again, experiment with a number of alcohol-free weeks. Observe how your exercises really feel, the way you sleep, the way you present up in your relationships. You could be stunned by what comes again on-line when alcohol is off the desk. —Krysty
Interested in what life can appear to be alcohol-free? I’m a sobriety coach, and I write concerning the messy center of midlife and sober curiosity at krystykrywko.substack.com. Come hang around—or try purpledogsober.com.