Is A Bottle A Day Too Much ?

[MarKofQuality]

Trouble and strife is giving me heck about my red habit and am running out of witty repoirte !
Anyone got any good technical / medical articles as to why a bottle (and on the odd occassion a magnum) of red a day is a good thing for your health ?
Either that or a good comeback for when I pour that third glass indicating an embarkation on the road to an empty bottle ?

[JDSJDS]

In a word - yes. Even if you have a healthy diet and regular exercise (by far the two best things you can do for health), the medical research suggests that drinking a bottle of wine per day is not healthy over the medium to long term. After looking at the research, I have decided to have at least 2-3 alcohol free days per week, and keep my 'normal' wine consumption to half a bottle maximum (pouring half a bottle into an empty half bottles for the next day is very useful to help you do this). Of course, on the weekend, for usually one day I'll ignore my own advise. As Mark Twain said, Everything in moderation - including moderation!

My problem is I'm buying much more than I'm drinking now. It's hard on the pocketbook, but I think buying too much is a better problem to have than drinking too much, both for you and your loved ones.

My 2 cents...

Edit: Sorry, didn;t provide any readings. i had a quick look again, and good lord there is so much on alcohol related health issues it's hard to find a recent one reviewing the amount of alcohol consumed with health effects. Here's an older one: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1360-0443.2003.00467.x/abstract;jsessionid=CC9E9CAD1F0CE31470A1593FD3FFC72B.d02t02?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false. Basically, 100s of studies note the positive health effect of light to moderate drinking (1 or 2 glasses per day), but a bottle of day is considered excessive, and has more health costs than benefits. But i can't find a good study right away...

Another edit: Google the following article: The relation between different dimensions of alcohol consumption and burden of disease: an overview.

[dan_smee]

In a word - yes. Even if you have a healthy diet and regular exercise (by far the two best things you can do for health), the medical research suggests that drinking a bottle of wine per day is not healthy over the medium to long term. After looking at the research, I have decided to have at least 2-3 alcohol free days per week, and keep my 'normal' wine consumption to half a bottle maximum (pouring half a bottle into an empty half bottles for the next day is very useful to help you do this). Of course, on the weekend, for usually one day I'll ignore my own advise. As Mark Twain said, Everything in moderation - including moderation!

My problem is I'm buying much more than I'm drinking now. It's hard on the pocketbook, but I think buying too much is a better problem to have than drinking too much, both for you and your loved ones.

My 2 cents...

Edit: Sorry, didn;t provide any readings. i had a quick look again, and good lord there is so much on alcohol related health issues it's hard to find a recent one reviewing the amount of alcohol consumed with health effects. Here's an older one: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1360-0443.2003.00467.x/abstract;jsessionid=CC9E9CAD1F0CE31470A1593FD3FFC72B.d02t02?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false. Basically, 100s of studies note the positive health effect of light to moderate drinking (1 or 2 glasses per day), but a bottle of day is considered excessive, and has more health costs than benefits. But i can't find a good study right away...

Another edit: Google the following article: The relation between different dimensions of alcohol consumption and burden of disease: an overview.

I would second that.

My wife and I would share a bottle 3 nights of the week, and maybe open a second once a week (friday or saturday nights). From everything i've heard the distinction between 1-3 glasses each night isn't the major factor, it's the consistency (night after night). We will usually take Monday, Wednesday, Thursday off share a bottle Tuesday, Sunday and two Friday or Saturday.

[tpang]

Here's the pdf of that review if anyone's interested.

[Matt]

A bottle a day is definately too much. I agree with the posters above - try for a few alcohol free nights a week. If you can stay under 1/2 a bottle per sitting you should be fine imo however everyone is different.

[dan_smee]

Tolerance and health are two very different things. Someone might get drunk off one glass, someone else off 2 bottles. If person a) has 1 galss a night and gets drunk, and person b) has 1.5 bottles a night an doesn't I would imagine person a) is still better off health-wise.

[via collins]

At risk of playing stacks on the mill here, I'll third or fourth the above.
My dad was an alcoholic, so I've always trod as carefully as I can since falling in love with wine.
Two to three glasses a session, four or five nights a week. A blowout every now and then.
I've read several times this is the acceptable level, and it sure feels like it is too.

[TravisW]

I agree with the guys above.

Also have a look at the physiological aspect as well. If you can't go without a drink (be it a glass/half bottle/bottle) at night or on the weekends, then you have a problem. Time to start winding it down and replacing it with another non-alcoholic drink.

Thanks for the honest question.

Regards, Travis.

[MarKofQuality]

Easy to go without (and do on the odd occassion) - just generally choose not to ...

[dan_smee]

Easy to go without (and do on the odd occassion) - just generally choose not to ...

This is one common attitude I've seen before (and please don't get me wrong, I am answering in the spirit of the question offered).

People I have known, the test is more not that they could go without if they choose to to 'prove it to themselves', that they HAVE to break a dry spell. I enjoy it, and I choose to break every dry spell too, but I suppose what I am driving at is that if it is a bottle per night, and you get into that pattern again as a reward for breaking it, then it isn't broken. Badly worded, I know.

At a bottle a day, I'd talk to a Dr. about what real risks there were. If you enjoy it, and you aren't hurting anyone, that's fine. If it bothers your loved ones and is potentially doing physical damage that is a different story.

Sincerely, good luck with your research, and hope mine and other's responses don't seem too blunt.

[Scotty vino]

I usually go for a dry spell from monday to wednesday. If not, usually a glass, maybe 2 at the max with dinner.
One weekend night a week I'd probably share a bottle. Sometimes follow it up.
Once every couple of months I go out for a red session with 3 mates. On those occasions it's usually a palette cleanser (1 pint)
then into the reds. I'd say on those occasions we open three bottles between 4 of us over the evening. By that stage I usually go back for an ale or 2 if I want any hope of remembering the TNs. I have a mate who goes dry for a month once a year. Usually february

[Steve]

Aside from water, the alternatives aren't great, either. Wine contains alcohol but just about everything contains something that's undesirable in one way or another. Sugar, caffeine, lactose, synthetic crap, or whatever.

[Boyeah]

A bottle a day is no good, like every body on the previous said.
1, small amount 150ml every day with meal, better lunch than dinner health wise or
2, Normal amount 250ml a day, have 2-3 times in a week no alcohol.
3, Avoid drinks if not feel 100% or upset
4,Once for a while or special occasion drink some good wines and enjoy, say 2-3 bottles over several hours
5, drink plenty of water during and after wine
My humble 2 cents!
Cheers Boyeah

[Cloth Ears]

My wife and I share our wine drinking and would have a bottle with dinner on 4-5 nights a week. Very few times do we go for a second bottle. The only effect is that it means that we have to be a little careful with our waistlines (OK - I have to be careful with mine). On our recent trip to Vietnam/Cambodia/Thailand for 4 weeks, I didn't have any wine at all (and got sick twice). QED.

[tarija]

I like/love my wine, but only if it is of a certain standard/interest. There are high amount of calories in wine, and I don't see the point in drinking something ordinary just for the sake of it. Would rather save my waistline and money for something worthwhile.

So:
- at weddings, parties or plane trips where there is typically generic/boring wine available, I don't drink wine.
- I don't drink "plonk" wines during the week.

Maybe try green tea or something a few nights of the week, and you can trade up for better bottles on the days you do drink something.

[porschemad911]

I like Tarija's idea and have been following it myself. I got to the point of drinking half a bottle a night of ok wine, and started putting on a couple of kgs. Since then (the ever-watchful of my wife definitely helps) I've cut back to one or zero glasses (or maybe an ale) on weekdays and at most 2 or 3 on the weekend of the nicest wine that I feel I can afford, especially bottles gathered from cellar door visits around the country. I find that I've been appreciating the wine more that way, and definitely feel better for it (plus slimmed back down).

[GraemeG]

Aside from water, the alternatives aren't great, either. Wine contains alcohol but just about everything contains something that's undesirable in one way or another. Sugar, caffeine, lactose, synthetic crap, or whatever.

This is the nub. What do you drink with a meal? Water is boring, beer works with curries.
What else is there?
GG

[tarija]

I like Tarija's idea and have been following it myself. I got to the point of drinking half a bottle a night of ok wine, and started putting on a couple of kgs. Since then (the ever-watchful of my wife definitely helps) I've cut back to one or zero glasses (or maybe an ale) on weekdays and at most 2 or 3 on the weekend of the nicest wine that I feel I can afford, especially bottles gathered from cellar door visits around the country. I find that I've been appreciating the wine more that way, and definitely feel better for it (plus slimmed back down).

Good job for being able to cut back.

The problem with the Mediterranean example of drinking wine daily is that Australian wines generally are so much higher in alcohol than their European counterparts. I also believe that all of those large scale wines such as Penfolds, which state an ABV of 14.5%, are more likely to be 15.5%-16%. A 15.5% ABV wine contains almost 20% more alcohol than a 13% ABV wine.

Drinking half a bottle a day is still pretty bad from a weight viewpoint - based on a 1800 calorie/day intake, half a bottle of a typical Barossa red contains 20-25% of a day's calories. 1 bottle a day: 40-50% recommended calories - not good.

[MarKofQuality]

To allay the concern of all, I have now reverted to a routine of a single glass on every other night (much to the delight of she who must be obeyed).

The DT's haven't stopped yet but no drama in flicking to the new routine - other than the issue (despite a vacuum job on the opened bottle) of oxidation - have had to tip the odd half bottle so not very cost effective ...

[Panda 9D]

To allay the concern of all, I have now reverted to a routine of a single glass on every other night (much to the delight of she who must be obeyed).

The DT's haven't stopped yet but no drama in flicking to the new routine - other than the issue (despite a vacuum job on the opened bottle) of oxidation - have had to tip the odd half bottle so not very cost effective ...

Make a stew or something with it.. that's what I do.

[porschemad911]

Or what I've been doing (this requires a spare, empty, washed half bottle on hand), as soon as I open a bottle, pour half into the spare half-bottle and seal it up in the fridge to keep it fresh while I drink the other half. I've only ever noticed a very slight softening by the time I get to drinking it, although if it is an older wine it might not survive as well.

[damonpeyo]

Too easy to drink whole bottle if it's so nice and good, especially if using large over-sized glasses

[Michael McNally]

Too easy to drink whole bottle if it's so nice and good, especially if using large over-sized glasses

The size of glasses these days is an issue. Some tips:

Get some good quality half bottles. Had a 2006 Bin 28 last night that hit the spot.
Pour off 375ml into a half bottle leaving very little head space and back in the cellar - the wine will be okay on the third day (if you are having a night off in between).
Use good shaped, but moderate-sized glasses.
Keep the bottle somewhere away from where you are sitting so that you have to get up for re-fills.
Don't go back for the other 375ml............

Cheers

Michael

[cuttlefish]

A bottle a day is certainly doable, but it'll wear you down after a while.
I could, but it just wastes you too much and begins affecting your health eventually.
Some can, and good luck to them.
I prefer a big one every once in a while, and even that is becoming less frequent.
Makes the times you do really tie one on more memorable, I suppose.
Drink well everyone, but drink within your limits. There's always next time !!