Is it normal to drink wine every night

For the most part, routines are familiar habits that are innocent enough. The answer is not as straightforward as one might hope. The short answer is that it depends.

In , the World Health Organization member, Dr. Poikolainen, stated that alcohol consumption is bad after thirteen units. A bottle of wine is ten units. There is no research to back this guideline. If indeed, it was a successful unit of measurement, a full bottle of wine would not be indicative of excessive drinking. The U. Moderation is defined as one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. What matters more, scientists have discovered, are your drinking patterns.

Studies show a few drinks a week may not be harmful. On the other hand, excessive or binge drinking can cause extensive issues short-term, including:. How much is too much? That depends on what you're most afraid of. If it's alcoholism, it's safe to say that limiting yourself to a maximum of one drink per day for instance, a 5-ounce glass of wine or 12 ounces of beer will keep most women out of the danger zone.

Those who are pregnant have a good reason not to drink at all: Most experts counsel-total abstinence, although some obstetricians allow their patients an occasional glass of wine or beer with dinner. Keep a drinking diary: Many people find they are well within safe levels 75 percent of the women in our poll reported having fewer than four drinks per week. Does this mean that if you drink two glasses of wine a night you're a little bit alcoholic?

Absolutely not. People metabolize alcohol differently. The stout Winston Churchill could probably handle many more drinks than, say, the bone-thin Audrey Hepburn. For others, the same amount can compel them to overindulge," says Arnold M.

Washton, Ph. Many factors can predispose a person toward alcohol abuse, among them familial attitudes, psychological history and friends' drinking habits. The key to recognizing a problem is determining whether drinking has a detrimental effect on your life. Habitually making inappropriate comments, acting out sexually, driving dangerously, blacking out or waking up sick because of alcohol are signs of a serious problem, no matter how infrequently a person drinks.

Alcoholism is generally diagnosed by what some experts call the Three C's: control, compulsion and consequences. Red wine contains a lot of polyphenols, which are natural chemicals containing antimicrobial properties.

And antimicrobials are agents that help balance out the natural microbiome of the gut. Whether or not red wine can help with heart health is a common discussion among health experts and wine lovers alike. Overall, research shows that moderate intake of red wine no more than one glass a day does, in fact, have some cardiovascular benefits.

In a study done by the Canadian Journal of Clinical Nutrition , results found that the polyphenols found in red wine that we discussed earlier also have numerous benefits on coronary blood flow and heart health. Polyphenols are proven to have " vaso-relaxing effects on the coronary microvessels," which in other words, means the natural chemicals found in red wine can help relax our blood vessels, aiding in the prevention of blood clots and other cardiovascular issues.

Red wine also raises levels of lipoproteins HDL , also known as "good cholesterol. So it's not always rainbows and sunshine, right? Alcohol can mess with our natural circadian rhythm , aka our body's natural clock, even in small doses. A study done on sleep and alcohol by the National Institute of Health revealed that when we drink even a moderate amount of alcohol, our bodies go through a " rebound effect.

The alcohol takes about hours to leave your system, which means that the sleep disruption you do experience during the second half of the night is the alcohol making its way out of your body. Looking for more tips? Sign up for our newsletter to get daily recipes and food news in your inbox!

Prioritizing drinking: Enjoying wine might be nothing more than something you do occasionally with family and friends over a good meal or after a stressful day at work. However, when drinking starts to interfere with your daily life and responsibilities, you may need to take a look at your behavior. Is your drinking affecting your performance at work?

Are your personal relationships suffering? If you continue to drink despite those issues, you may be struggling with an addiction.

Inability to stop drinking: An inability to stop drinking is another strong indicator of addiction. Maybe you have recognized that your wine drinking is affecting you and your family. Maybe you have decided to cut back your intake only to find that you are unable to reduce or stop your drinking.

If you find yourself reaching for the glass or bottle even though you would rather not, you may need help.

Increase in risky behavior: Alcohol consumption lowers your inhibitions. When you develop an addiction, you may find that risk-taking behavior becomes a normal part of your life. Behaviors like drunk driving or unsafe sex can become an issue when someone struggles with addiction.

Withdrawal: Withdrawal is an unequivocal indication of addiction. If you do stop drinking only to experience symptoms like difficulty thinking clearly, headache, tiredness, shakiness and clammy skin, you are experiencing withdrawal. It is unpleasant, and in some cases, it can be dangerous. Overcoming Wine Addiction Addiction is a difficult cycle to break.

Here are some steps you can take to help you get started: Recognize the problem: The first step to addressing addiction is recognizing that you have a problem. This step may sound easy to take, but for many people, this is a challenge. Wine is often considered to be less harmful than beer or liquor, despite still being an alcoholic beverage.

From there, you can start to think about how you are going to make the necessary changes in your life. Ask for help from your support system: Many people are ashamed to be struggling with a wine addiction. So, they might try to quit on their own. It is ok to ask your close friends and family for support.

The people who love you will want to see you change your behavior and move toward recovery. Set goals: Breaking an addiction is a process. Most people need time to accept the issue and to work on recovery. Understand that you may take a step forward only to take another one backward. Relapse is a normal and expected part of recovery. Be kind to yourself. Set realistic goals and work to achieve them.