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I just read a wonderful article about someone who quit drinking at the age of 70.
https://www.wsj.com/health/wellness/its-never-too-late-to-quit-drinking-alcohol-i-should-know-cbaf6aea?st=tG27gv&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
I have been reading more and more articles about how dangerous even moderate drinking is and I have been considering quitting completely.
I wanted to know how readers of HD handle drinking and if it has affected their life and finances. I look forward to your comments.
Drinking is a highly personal thing but also one that has all sorts of social and societal overlaps. And as a few members have articulated it’s not something that works out well for all.
It’s also easy to get inappropriately judgemental about too easily. I’m sure we’ve all known people who seem to overdo it socially just a little too often to the extent we worry about them. And yet I, personally, tend to be a little suspicious of people who claim never to have drunk or overindulged as perhaps a little bit too straight-edged (obviously there may be religious exceptions here).
For me, as many of my generation, I drank heavily as a student but always in social, nights out situations. I was also fortunate to be able to turn it off cold turkey e.g. in exam season. That tapered considerably once in the working world as indeed did weekly appetite for nights out.
Nowadays I’m just not so interested – I’ll have a social drink when I feel like it or a nightcap usually on vacation. I look at peers who seem to put away a bottle of wine per person per night and think “maybe they are overdoing it” but I can never really tell whether it’s habit or addiction and wouldn’t dream of intervening. One thing is for certain – a work event sold on the basis of free drinks is no longer that attractive.
I have an occasional glass of wine or beer and rarely, something stronger. Almost always social. And since you referenced someone who quit drinking at 70, I’ll probably celebrate my 70th next year with a glass (and stop there like I almost always do).
Over the years I’ve been told that eggs are bad for me, and then good. Butter has been bad for me, and then good. Ditto coffee, fats, carbs, cheese, probably chocolate. I no longer pay much attention to the latest “bad for you” campaign. I enjoy drinking wine with dinner. If it kills me a few months faster, that’s OK. At 78 I really don’t care whether it’s bad for me or not. Actually, if it were that bad I’d already be dead.
I enjoy bourbon or the occasional glass of beer/wine My wife is partial to chardonnay. We generally limit ourselves to one per day on the weekend or when on vacation – so we have many days when we abstain. It’s a choice we made as we got older.
Back when I was a sailor, a cold beer on the water was truly refreshing. Then wine was preferred. Since 2022 I rarely drink alcohol. My doctors have told me I can drink a moderate amount (undefined amount of wine). When I was undergoing treatment I simply stopped. Today most of the wine we purchase is for gifting. My eldest son has the attitude that alcohol kills off the weak brain cells. I joke that some of us cannot spare any.
I could go on and on about my relationship with alcohol and what I’ve observed over the years, but won’t. Not enough room here. That said, I had my second hip replacement surgery a month ago, and after both surgeries I completely lost my desire for a glass of wine. Typically, I drink almost a glass of wine per day, but I’ve had just 1.5 glasses since my surgery 32 days ago. I’m not sure if it’s the anesthesia or what, but I’ve been a closet teetotaler lately. Has anyone else experienced the same effect after surgery?
Having trouble lessening your alcohol consumption?
Take a page from the Scott Adam’s playbook and reframe drinking as “Alcohol is poison”.
Worked for me.
I’ve never been much of a drinker. These days I do like a “skinny margarita” a few times a week, but there’s so little alcohol in the small amount of margarita mix I use that it’s negligible. If the amount of alcohol I consume creeps up, the first thing I notice is I don’t sleep as long or as well. Once I figured that out several years back, I just naturally moved away from alcohol more and more as I really value a good night’s sleep. Reading this article and the comments about non-alcoholic substitutes, I think I’ll try switching to a non-alcoholic margarita mix and see if I can’t drop the alcohol entirely. I suspect I won’t notice the difference. Thanks for the article and bringing this to my attention.
Nick,
Most of my life I was a casual drinker, usually one beer a day. However, I developed GERD around the time I retired at age 66. One of its symptoms with me was asthma like symptoms, shortness of breath and chest tightening. As a life long asthmatic that was very uncomfortable. Drinking a beer or glass of wine could trigger my GERD symptoms. Also, my GERD was a pre cancerous form which gave me further incentive to stop drinking.
So I stopped drinking altogether. Honestly, I do not miss it at all. I really think it was more of a habit for me. Coffee, water and tea are a lot cheaper, but the impact on our finances is negligible.
While never being much of a drinker the past few years I have been losing my taste for alcohol. Then came the point where I was fed up with the expense at restaurants so I stopped ordering drinks. The final straw was when I was prescribed a medication with which alcohol should not be taken. Haven’t missed it a bit.
In our household, we occasionally drink wine, but not every week. If we go to one of the restaurants our daughter works for, we do have a glass of wine or a beer, but just one. We are fans of local wineries vs some of the bigger names. We also get some of the Costco wines. LOL! Can you tell we are frugal? Chris
I stopped drinking 5 years ago during the start of Covid, and really haven’t missed it. Socially, I drink NA beer. There are many brands of NA beer now, that taste as good or not better than regular beer. I feel much better (more energy) day to day, and have lost 15 lbs. I only wish I had quit 20-30 years ago. I’m currently 67, and see many of my peers struggle with various health issues- many of which are exacerbated by excessive alcohol use. Not being critical of those that drink- just an observation….
i would say drinking alcohol hasn’t impacted our personal finances, unless having a clearer mind will help manage our portfolio now and later in life.
Many of my extended family members were functioning alcoholics, and seeing them in action put me off alcohol completely – I’ve never had a drink in my life.
My father worked for a well known distiller, and to this day gets a case of their products every Christmas. We always had a lot of alcohol in the house, but my parents didn’t drink back then. They got into wine in their old age, but I don’t see myself going down that road either.
I have nothing intelligent to add. I just saw the title and thought ..drinking …finances…I’m interested in both those things!
I like wine with dinner, but I keep to two ounces, otherwise I gain weight. I use a VacuVin system to recork the bottles. I usually buy in the $12 to $20 range, aside from port, but I get a case discount.
We aren’t cutting back on either our 3-4 glasses of Red wine a week. Nor our 2 cups of coffee a day.
As Mark Crothers suggests isn’t the point to enjoy life?
Anyway, none of my (many) Doctors has recommended I abstain.
——
Does anyone think they’re going to study the effects of Marijuana consumption anytime soon? Or does selling THAT yield lots of tax revenue?
There is a lot of research on present-day marijuana. It’s much more potent than earlier versions, and particularly problematic for the brain development of teens, Even its use in medical settings is not without issues, since the strength is highly variable, and, therefore difficult to prescribe.
My husband and I used to drink 3-4 alcoholic drinks a week, but even before the latest research surfaced, we cut way back— no more than one drink a week. Now, we rarely drink — not never, just rarely. We don’t miss drinking at all. We do regularly drink non alcoholic beer; I can’t tell the difference. We’ve also found some non alcoholic wines that seem ok — but then we never had refined palates!
The only effect on our finances has been a slight increase in our beverage spending. The non alcoholic stuff actually costs more than what we had been spending! We live a few blocks from Trader Joe’s and used to buy at their low end range. It wasn’t frugality-/ just didn’t know the difference.
Also, this might be a good place to comment on Guinness. The stench of their Dublin brewery made me nauseated— left before the end of the tour. I don’t know how any can stand the stuff! Bring on the red arrows.
Marilyn, I think the smell has something to do with the yeast. I loves my beer, but not the aroma in the brewery. This would not be unique to Guinness…. (trying to not hurt Mr. Crothers feelings, lol)
You’re undoubtedly correct.
Thirty or so years ago, while I was still in the beer business, we were elated at the research that concluded a drink or two each day was not inconsistent with a healthy lifestyle, and that small amounts of alcohol may even be beneficial for your heart.
New research says that no amount of alcohol is good for you.
In my younger days, my drinking was sometimes a source of stress in my first marriage. It was very easy to get caught up in that culture when you sell the stuff for a living. I do not believe that I made any poor financial decisions as a result of drinking, and as I wrote in a recent post, I still enjoy a glass or two of wine, or a couple beers, once or twice per week.
I enjoy a glass of wine when out to dinner- usually in the $10-$12 a glass range, occasionally at home. A beer is rarer and then in the summer mostly. I like Guinness and a few German beers.
I recall when we were told a glass of wine was good for us. In fact, I recall the secret to long life was once wine, an aspirin and garlic.
I’m still going with the wine and garlic and I will make sure it’s in my budget and in my spreadsheet under entertainment. 🍷
Without wanting to sound unconcerned, I think life is too short for abstinence. Sometimes, we have to acknowledge that life is to be lived and enjoyed. Mitigating all health risks would be so very dull; health and safety compliance during my working life was bad enough, and I’ve no wish to embrace it in my retirement. Each to their own. I’m happy with two Guinness and three or four whiskeys during the week. It’s not a financial deal-breaker on my spreadsheet. My brother was an excessive drinker from a teenager—a sad and heartbreaking thing to see with attendant health risks, including mental health issues. That’s certainly not a road anyone should be walking. So, I guess alcohol has indirectly affected my life through my brother, may he rest in peace.
Mark – my sympathies. I lost my younger brother the same way.