Meet old me: reaching for a glass of wine a few times a week to relax, unwind, and also because I really like the taste of wine, especially red wine. Does that sound familiar? So many of us are in that boat! Wine seems to be indoctrinated in mommy culture and is often synonymous with THE drink of choice for when times get tough, busy, disruptive, or uncomfortable. At the same time, it’s also a social drink that brings joy and people together, helps ladies bond, and wine can be analyzed and discussed for hours if you’re into that kind of thing. I’ve been to so many tech conferences, sales meetings, and customer dinners where alcohol is front and center because of the social aspect. So why is that you’ve been reading so much about the whole “sober curious” movement lately, likely have a growing number of sober friends, or at least some who have decreased their wine and alcohol intake lately? Here are the facts:
Bad News First
Wine ends up relaxing you and may put you in a good mood as well, but unfortunately, disrupts your REM and deep sleep, even if you don’t notice it or it does not feel like that at all. If you have an Oura ring, or a similar “smart ring”, you’ll be able to tell by analyzing your sleep for the nights you drink wine compared to when you don’t have a drink and follow your regular sleep routine. Your sleep score (which is a direct reflection of the quality of sleep you get) will likely be lower on those nights that you drink. I have tested this on several people and it holds true every single time. Alcohol in general causes a reduction in HRV (heart rate variability), which is associated with stress and illness, while a higher HRV generally means a higher level of fitness and recovery, which is critical if you’re trying to get in better shape, lose weight, or maintain your current level of fitness. You can read more about how alcohol affects HRV here.
Alcohol increases the toxic burden on the liver and is estimated to increase your breast cancer risk by 30% – 50% if you’re drinking 1-2 drinks per day. This number could be influenced by other risk factors too, but there is evidence that alcohol may play a role. The burden you’re putting on your liver can translate into poor hormone balance since your liver’s job is to not just process alcohol, but estrogen, toxins, and other hormones as well. You want that baby running as smoothly and efficiently as possible. When ladies approach perimenopause and menopause, the effects of alcohol often become more prominent and the nighttime sweats, fatigue, bloating, stiff joints, PMS-like symptoms, and weight gain often become more pronounced with regular alcohol intake. If you’re frequently stressed or anxious, I can almost guarantee that reducing or dropping alcohol (for a while, say at least six weeks) will make a world of difference.
Whew. That’s a lot of bad news if you’re a regular (once a week or more often) alcohol drinker. In terms of the amount of alcohol you drink, the best amount is still zero since alcohol provides no health benefits.
Here’s the good news: consuming alcohol is a very personal choice and if you’re looking to reduce your intake, I’ve got lots of great options for you below. I am here to educate, empower, and teach you how to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. If you’re into drinking alcohol because you’re trying to numb your feelings, we definitely need to chat! It doesn’t have to be a black or white, joy or no joy, or all or nothing thing. If reducing or dropping alcohol is not on the horizon for you, I promise you’ll still want to try some of my suggestions, they’re pretty darn good!
Love at First Sip
I have to admit that I wasn’t a mocktail girl until recently. Why would I want all the extra sugar and calories? I think mocktails served in restaurants can definitely be sugar bombs, so I started playing around with making mocktails myself. One of my favorites is one that tastes great AND helps you get better sleep. Total win-win!
Viral TikTok Sleepy Girl Mocktail
More of my favorites:
Another great way to hydrate is to incorporate an Adrenal Mocktail, which you can even pop in the freezer for a few hours to get a delicious slushy (I do recommend decreasing the salt to 1/8 of a teaspoon if you do this).
I also find herbal teas (dandelion, rooibos, ginger, and chamomile are all fantastic for hormone balance) and a strawberry matcha latte very appealing and calming. If you’re into warmer drinks and need something inflammation-fighting, I recommend my Hormone Friendly Golden Mylk latte or my Hormone Healthy Hot Chocolate.
Best Non Alcoholic Wine & Drinks
If you’re looking for a ready-made alternative, I’ve got choices for you as well since I’ve tested out a bunch of the read-made drink alternatives. The key to a quality mocktail or nonalcoholic wine alternative is to look out for added sugars, artificial sugars, colors, and flavors, and ideally, one without natural flavors. I found it pretty difficult to find one without natural flavors and since many natural flavors are harmless, I decided to let that one go. My absolute favorite is the Spritz Italiano from De Soi. It tastes JUST like a classic Aperol Spritz. You honestly won’t miss the alcohol. The entire De Soi line (founded by Katy Perry) is great and you can find their products either online or at Target. I love that they’ve added adaptogens to their products, which either energize or calm the mind and body.
Another brand to try is Kin Euphorics, which uses adaptogens and nootropics in their products as well. If you’re sensitive to caffeine or are currently working on cutting it out, be sure to pay attention to the ingredients. This brand has clean ingredients overall, though I’m not a big fan of some of the gums in their concoctions. Overall, delicious and refreshing, all without the added hangover!
If you really need a wine replacement, I like Surely a lot since they start with alcoholic wine and then remove the alcohol for their alcoholic version. I’m also a fan of French Bloom and Noughty (I know, these names are great, right?!), which has organic wines.
Finally, one of the hardest things about not drinking alcohol is the social aspect. What do you do when all your co-workers are drinking alcohol and you don’t want to feel “left out” or antisocial? Well, no one is actually keeping tabs of what or how much you drink, so here are some drinks that look just like a cocktail, but are still zero proof:
- Soda water with a lime wedge
- Ginger beer with a lime wedge
- Soda water, berries, and a lemon slice
- Half soda water and half juice
- Flavored sparkling water
- Herbal tea (one of my absolute favorite substitutes, but probably not very cocktail like ;-))
I hope this gave you some ideas on what to drink instead of wine. As always, you can always reach out to me for help, whether that’s with drinking no or less alcohol, navigating social situations, learning how to truly relax and de-stress, and of course, balancing your hormones so you can show up as your true, authentic, badass self.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3696243/
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