What Kind of Drinker Are You?

Are you someone who enjoys a glass or two of wine every evening? Perhaps you rarely drink during the week but look forward to a few glasses of wine at the weekend. Or maybe alcohol appears only at dinners, celebrations and social occasions.

Most of us have no problem justifying our drinking habit.

The daily drinker may feel reassured that she never gets drunk, while the weekend drinker may point proudly to several alcohol-free days each week.

The social drinker believes that alcohol cannot be a problem because she never drinks alone.

But when it comes to our health, both the amount we drink and the way we drink it does matter – especially after 60.

Which Pattern is most Harmful?

The Daily Drinker

A daily drinker might have a glass of wine while preparing dinner and perhaps another with the meal. Because the habit looks controlled, it can feel harmless – even sophisticated.

The problem is that daily drinking adds up surprisingly quickly. One 175ml glass of wine at 13% alcohol contains approximately 2.3 UK units. One glass every evening therefore amounts to more than 16 units a week, already exceeding the UK low-risk guideline of 14 units.

Many home measures are far larger than 175ml. What we think of as “a glass” may be closer to a third of a bottle, and a couple of generous servings can quietly become most of the bottle.

There is also the habit itself. When alcohol becomes woven into the end of every day, the brain begins to associate it with relaxation, reward and relief. Opening the wine may become as automatic as switching on the television.

Over time, one glass can become two. The pour gets larger, the bottle empties more quickly, and alcohol-free evenings become increasingly difficult to imagine.

Daily drinking also gives the body no regular break from alcohol. The liver must prioritise processing it, while sleep can be repeatedly disrupted. Alcohol may make us feel drowsy initially, but it interferes with the restorative stages of sleep and can cause us to wake in the early hours feeling hot, thirsty or anxious.

Then there is cancer risk. Alcohol is an established carcinogen and is linked with at least seven types of cancer, including breast, bowel, liver, mouth and oesophageal cancer.

This does not mean that one glass will inevitably cause cancer, it simply means there is no completely risk-free way to drink alcohol.

The Weekend Drinker

I have worked with many people who say they find it easy not to drink during the week but when they open the wine at the weekend they don’t seem to have an “off” switch. They see it as their reward for a tough and busy week.

We tend to think of “binge drinking” as the domain of young people out partying and knocking back shots but, in fact, anything over six units for women in a single session is classified as a “binge.”

That can be just two large glasses of strong wine, considerably less than many people imagine and drinking a large amount in a short period places the body under considerable pressure.

Binge drinking causes blood alcohol levels to rise rapidly. This impairs judgement, reaction time, coordination and balance, increasing the risk of accidents and falls. These dangers become more significant as we age, particularly if we already have problems with mobility or bone strength.

There is also a risk of memory loss.

An alcohol blackout does not necessarily mean passing out. A person may remain awake, hold conversations, send messages or travel home, yet have no memory of what happened because alcohol temporarily prevented the brain from forming new memories.

In fact, it was a six hour “walking talking blackout” at the age of 63 that convinced me I needed to quit drinking.

Overdrinking at the weekend may provoke anxiety, low mood and disrupted sleep for several days afterwards meaning that even an alcohol free week will not erase the impact of the binge or give the liver enough time to recover.

The “Little Every Day, More at Weekends” Drinker

This pattern is particularly easy to underestimate and tends to increase in quantity over the years. What began as a “socialising” evolved to drinking alone and “self-medicating” to deal with stress.

In my 30s and 40s, I would drink a glass or two of wine every evening but as the stresses of mid-life kicked in, those glasses became a bottle, followed by more at the weekend.

I never think I saw myself as a problem drinker because I was functioning well, fulfilling my responsibilities and rarely being visibly intoxicated.

Yet my weekly intake could easily reach 30 or 40 units.

For example, half a bottle of 13% wine contains roughly five units. Drinking that amount every night adds up to about 35 units a week – before restaurant drinks, weekend lunches or a celebratory G&T are included.

It was only when I reached my 50s and tried to “cut down” that I realised that I had become dependent.

Alcohol problems do not always look dramatic. Many women continue managing careers, families, relationships and busy social lives while drinking at a level that is affecting their blood pressure, liver, sleep, mood and energy.

We do not have to reach a crisis before becoming curious about our drinking.

The Occasional Social Drinker

Someone who has one or two drinks occasionally and can easily stop is at much lower risk than either the daily drinker or the weekend binger.

She benefits from having long alcohol-free periods as alcohol is not really on her radar.

Social connection itself is good for our wellbeing, particularly as we get older. Meeting friends, laughing, talking and feeling part of a community can protect against loneliness and lift our mood.

It’s important to realise that it’s usually the conversation and the companionship making us feel good, not the wine.

If we do need to cut down, we can preserve the ritual while changing the ingredient. Alcohol-free wines, botanical drinks, tonics and mocktails have improved enormously. Ordering one no longer needs to feel like an announcement or an apology.

Which Drinking Pattern Is Healthiest?

Neither drinking every day nor saving all your alcohol for a weekend binge is a healthy strategy.

Total consumption matters for long-term risks such as cancer and liver disease, while the speed and amount consumed in a single session influence immediate risks such as falls, blackouts, poor decisions and heart rhythm problems.

The lower the quantity and the fewer the drinking occasions, the lower the risk.

Taking a meaningful break can help you to test your dependence and decide whether alcohol still deserves the place it occupies in your life.

Changing your drinking is not about giving up pleasure.

It’s about asking a more interesting question: How do I want to feel during the years ahead?

After 60, we still have adventures to enjoy, people to love and work to do.

Perhaps the best measure of any habit is not whether we can “get away with it,” but whether it supports the life we want to live.

Why Alcohol Can Feel Different After 60

Many women notice that they simply cannot drink as they once did. One or two glasses may leave them sluggish, anxious or foggy the following morning.

This is not a failure of stamina. It is biology.

As we age, we generally lose muscle and body water. Because alcohol is diluted by water in the body, this can result in a higher blood alcohol level from the same quantity of alcohol.

Our liver may also process alcohol more slowly. At the same time, we are more likely to take medication for sleep, pain, blood pressure, depression, anxiety or other health conditions. Some of these medicines interact with alcohol or intensify its sedative effects.

Poor balance, reduced bone density and slower reflexes make alcohol-related falls more dangerous, while disturbed sleep can affect memory, immunity, appetite and emotional resilience.

Alcohol may have been relatively forgiving in our youth. Later in life, the gap between what we drink and how we want to feel becomes harder to ignore.

Check out this Article: Six Reasons to Ditch the Booze at Sixty.

Are you Dependent?

Alcohol is insidious – it creeps up on us over the years.

If you think you may be drinking too much then the first step is simply to become curious.

For one or two weeks, write down every drink as you pour it. Include its size and strength, and record it at the time rather than trying to remember the following day.

Measure your usual home serving at least once. Many women are astonished to discover that their normal “glass” contains two or even three standard measures.

Notice what triggers the desire to drink. Is it stress, loneliness, boredom, tiredness, resentment or simply the time of day? Are you craving alcohol itself, or the feeling of switching off?

At Tribe Sober we use the acronym HALT – do you drink because you are Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired?

This exercise is not about guilt. It is about replacing guesswork with information.

Try a 7-Day Alcohol-Free Reset

Taking a break from alcohol can be more revealing than repeatedly promising yourself you will “cut down.”

If you feel anxious about the thought of an alcohol-free period then that’s a sure sign that you need to take a break.

A period of 7 alcohol-free days allows you to experience your natural sleep, mood, energy and concentration. It also interrupts the automatic connection between alcohol and relaxation.

You may discover that you sleep more deeply, feel less anxious and have more energy. You may also notice how often you were using alcohol to change an uncomfortable feeling.

That knowledge is valuable. Once you understand why you’ve been reaching for that drink you can find healthier ways to meet the same need.

Tribe Sober – Free Breakthrough Week – 21-28th September

If this article has made you curious about taking a break from alcohol, I’d love you to join me for Tribe Sober’s free seven-day Breakthrough Week, starting on 21 September.

 It’s a friendly, supportive introduction to alcohol-free living, created to help you change the way you think about drinking, take some positive first steps and discover just how much better life can feel without alcohol.

It’s absolutely free and takes place on a private WhatsApp group.

Tasks, Trainings and a daily Zoom meeting.

Find out more and sign up here.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What type of drinker are you? How has alcohol affected you in the past? How does it affect you now?