Girls. Alcohol. Midlife.
What might go unsuitable?
At first look, nothing appears too loopy. So, you’re kicking again and stress-free with just a little extra alcohol than you used to. No biggie. You deserve it. The children are gone. You have got some additional time in your arms. Why not let free just a little extra usually?
The one downside? Letting free is killing us.
A examine led by Dr. Ibraheem Karaye highlights the narrowing gender hole with regards to binge consuming and alcohol-related deaths. Not precisely the type of gender hole we’re attempting to shut.
Probably the most shocking half? Midlife ladies at the moment are the fastest-growing section of binge drinkers.
Extra particularly: ladies in midlife who’re thriving on the surface. Those with excessive incomes, prestigious careers, superior levels—and a fridge filled with natural produce. These are the ladies doing yoga, operating 10Ks, monitoring their steps, shopping for designer collagen peptides, maintaining with their mammograms… and consuming greater than ever earlier than.
So, Why Are We Consuming So A lot?
In a phrase: stress.
The strain of attempting to maintain all of it collectively. The transitions that hit exhausting in midlife: empty nests, divorce, profession upheaval, growing old dad and mom. And all the emotions that include them—grief, boredom, loneliness, rage, existential unease.
Alcohol has been bought to us as the proper remedy. Not simply acceptable—aspirational. A glass of wine is self-care. A weekend bender is “Mommy’s reward.” It’s turn into the socially sanctioned strategy to soothe, have fun, and survive.
However right here’s the issue: you’re attempting to really feel higher, get stronger, sleep extra deeply, and eventually 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 the event you’re hitting the health club however nonetheless hitting the wine bottle, you’re mainly driving with the brakes on.
6 Midlife Consuming Pink Flags to Watch For
Pink Flag #1: Pondering Any Quantity of Alcohol Is Secure
In the event 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 protected for consumption.
Alcohol is assessed as a Group 1 carcinogen—proper alongside asbestos and tobacco. It’s tied to a minimum of seven kinds of most cancers, together with breast most cancers. In the event you’re doing every thing else to remain wholesome, this truth alone deserves your consideration.
Pink Flag #2: You’re Consuming to Cope
Or to take the sting off. If alcohol has turn into one among your go-to coping methods, it’s time so as to add new instruments to your emotional toolbox.
Consuming to manage is a one-way ticket to dependence. It numbs your senses, stopping you from processing the belongings you really must take care of.
And alcohol doesn’t simply mute the exhausting emotions—it dulls your pleasure, too. In the event you’re struggling to really feel happiness or connection such as you used to, your nightly glass (or bottle) of wine could also be enjoying a job.
Pink 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 bushes are so thick, you miss the forest fully.
Alcohol is in all places now: birthday events, ebook golf equipment, sporting occasions, charity fundraisers. Take 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.
Pink Flag #4: “Me Time” = Wine Time
Has wine turn into your reward for time alone?
When my youngsters have 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 believed I used to be soothing myself, however actually, I used to be staying caught.
Wine didn’t assist me heal. It stored me from therapeutic.
Pink Flag #5: You’re Binge Consuming With out Figuring out It
I used to suppose binge consuming was for school youngsters. Beer pong and vodka pictures. However for girls, 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.
Pink 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 the event you’re chalking up sluggish exercises or recurring accidents to “simply getting older,” it is likely to 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 just a little near house, take a breath. This isn’t about disgrace. It’s about energy.
Figuring out the reality about alcohol provides you the possibility to resolve what sort of life you wish to dwell—and the way sturdy you wish to really feel in it.
In the event you’re inquisitive about reducing again, experiment with just a few alcohol-free weeks. Monitor how your exercises really feel, the way you sleep, the way you present up in your relationships. You is likely to be shocked by what comes again on-line when alcohol is off the desk. —Krysty
Interested by what life can appear to be alcohol-free? I’m a sobriety coach, and I write in regards to the messy center of midlife and sober curiosity at krystykrywko.substack.com. Come hang around—or try purpledogsober.com.