A glass of wine each night has been part of human life for centuries. If you enjoy it and keep your wine consumption within the recommended amount, there may even be some benefits. But, if you don’t drink, the benefits aren’t a good reason to start. You need to keep in mind that a healthy lifestyle in general, including healthy eating, physical activity, and regular socializing, is the most important to your overall health. Your glass of wine probably won’t make or break you.
While the general agreement on wine is divisive, researchers do agree that drinking it in moderation is not bad for you. But what is moderation? Generally speaking, moderate wine consumption for a healthy adult is up to one drink per day for a woman and up to two drinks per day for a man.
If you or a loved one are in need of help, at NIRC, our Illinois alcohol rehab center is one of the best facilities in the country.
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Pros and Cons of Drinking Wine Daily
Pros:
- Lower risk of heart disease–Drinking wine can help lower your risk of heart disease.
- Reduce signs of aging–Particularly red wine has antioxidants that may slow the process of aging
- Brain function improvement–Studies show that drinking wine in moderation may prevent mental illness due to the presence of a compound in wine called resveratrol.
- Less stress–There is research on wine’s stress-lowering effects. Resveratrol can provide anti-stress effects by blocking enzymes in the brain that lead to depression and anxiety-like behaviors
- Natural sunscreen–The flavonoids found in red wine may help protect against sun damage.
- A healthier heart–The antioxidant compounds in wine help decrease inflammation and oxidative stress. This lowers the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and atherosclerosis.
- Improved gut health–Gut health can add to the health of your body as a whole by supporting immune function to hold off certain types of cancer. Red wine drinkers, specifically, have a more diverse microbiome than drinkers of other types of alcohol
- Reduction of risk for some cancers–Moderate wine drinking may protect against esophageal and gastric cancers.
Cons:
- Risk of heart disease–Although wine can reduce this risk, too much can actually increase your risk.
- Sleep problems–The alcohol in wine can disturb your rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and you end up feeling exhausted.
- Increases stress–Although that nightly glass of wine might relax you, it increases cortisol and can create an excess of bad thoughts.
- Wrecks your diet–The high calories in wine can change the way your metabolism works.
- Increases cancer risk–If you drink excessively, it increases your risk for lung and breast cancer.
- Intensifies existing conditions–If you’re already struggling with a condition, regular alcohol drinking (even wine) has the power to make it worse, potentially resulting in co-occurring disorders.
Does Drinking Wine Every Day Make You an Alcoholic?
Having a glass of wine, or two, every night is not a definitive sign that you’re headed for an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Still, drinking wine every day can increase your risk for alcohol-related health problems. Watch for the following warning signs that a drinking problem may be sneaking up on you:
- You need to have a drink to cope with problems
- You frequently drink more than you meant to
- You need to drink to relax
- You sometimes feel shame or guilt about your drinking
- You lie about or hide your drinking habits
- You sometimes “blackout” or forget what happened while you were drinking
Side Effects of Drinking Too Much Wine
If you drink two glasses of wine with dinner every night, you are in the top 20% of adult drinkers.
On the other hand, The Washington Post found that the top 10% of adults (24 million) drink an average of 74 drinks per week. That amounts to slightly more than 10 drinks per day.
Short-Term Effects
Wine is safe for most adults when used in moderation but more than that can be unsafe. Drinking larger amounts can cause:
- Blackouts
- Drowsiness
- Difficulty walking
- Vomiting
Long-Term Effects
In the long term, drinking large amounts of wine can cause serious health problems, including:
- Dependence
- Liver disease
- Certain types of cancer
- High blood pressure
- Insomnia
- Pancreatitis
- Mental health disorders
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How Does Drinking Wine Lead to Dependence and Addiction?
Whether you’re drinking wine every day or any other alcoholic beverage, you might find yourself becoming dependent on it. And dependence leads to addiction. Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a condition that features an impaired ability to stop or control your use of alcohol. How does drinking wine every day lead to this? It develops in your brain, and it is progressive.
How Addiction Develops–The Addiction Cycle
Like other drugs, alcohol has a powerful effect on your brain. It produces pleasant feelings and dulls the negative ones. These feelings motivate you to drink alcohol over and over again, despite the risks to your health and well-being.
Addiction can be described as a repeating cycle, with three stages. Each stage is connected to and feeds on the others. You may go through this three-stage cycle over weeks or months, or even go through it several times a day. Also, a person can enter the addiction cycle at any of the stages:
In stage 1, an individual experiences the rewarding effects of alcohol such as
- Reduced anxiety
- Euphoria
- Ease of social interactions
Repeated activation of the reward system reinforces drinking behavior, increasing the potential for repeated consumption. This repeated consumption also changes the area in the brain that leads to habit formation, contributing to compulsive use.
When people who are addicted to alcohol stop drinking, they experience withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms are opposed to the positive effects of alcohol that are felt while drinking it. They can be physical, including:
- Sleep problems
- Pain
- Feeling sick
During stage 2, the person doesn’t drink alcohol for the pleasurable effects, the “high.” They drink to escape the “low” feelings that come from not drinking.
In this stage, the person seeks alcohol after a period of not drinking. They become preoccupied with alcohol, how to get more, and looking forward to the next use. Because the area of the brain responsible for executive function is compromised from alcohol use, people with AUD problems with the ability to organize activities and thoughts, prioritize duties, manage time, and make decisions.
Who is At Risk of Developing AUD?
An individual’s risk for developing AUD depends, partly, on how much, how frequently, and how fast they consume alcohol. The misuse of alcohol, which includes heavy alcohol use and binge drinking, increases the risk of AUD over time. Other factors include:
In a national survey, updated in January 2024, it was found that among people ages 26 and older, people who began drinking before age 15 were more than three times as likely to report having AUD in the past year. This is compared to those who waited until age 21 or later to begin drinking. For females in this group, the risk is higher.
Genetics also plays a part. The possibility of inheriting the disorder is about 60%. However, similar to other chronic health disorders, the risk for AUD is influenced by the interaction of the person’s genes and their environment. The drinking patterns of parents might also influence the chance that a child will develop AUD one day.
There is a wide range of psychiatric conditions that tend to occur at the same time as AUD and are linked to an increased risk of AUD. They include:
- PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)
- ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)
- Depression
People with a history of childhood trauma are also more susceptible to AUD.
Having a partner or close friends who drink regularly increases the risk. In addition, the glamorous way drinking is portrayed in the media sometimes may also send the message that drinking too much is okay. The influence of parents, peers, and role models can also impact risk.
Signs and Symptoms of Wine Addiction
Symptoms of wine addiction are the same as addiction to any other alcoholic beverage. It’s the alcohol a person is addicted to, not the grape juice. AUD can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the number of symptoms you experience. Typical signs of AUD Include:
- Not being able to limit the amount of wine (alcohol) you drink
- Wanting to cut down, attempting to cut down, but being unsuccessful
- Feeling strong cravings or urges to drink alcohol
- Failing to meet major obligations and responsibilities at work, school, or home because of repeated alcohol use
- Continuing to drink alcohol even though it’s causing physical, social, work, and relationship problems, and you know it
- Reducing or giving up social and work activities and hobbies to use alcohol
- Consuming alcohol in situations where it isn’t safe, such as when driving, boating, or swimming
- Developing a tolerance–you need more of it to feel the effects or, you feel no effect from the amount you typically drink
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms such as nausea, shaking, and sweating when you don’t drink, or drinking just to avoid the symptoms
How is AUD Treated?
Most people with AUD will require some form of treatment, and some will need intensive, comprehensive treatment. Typical treatment for AUD includes:
Depending on the severity of your addiction, AUD treatment will usually begin with a detoxification. At our Illinois detox center, our clients go through withdrawal safely with medical supervision. Because withdrawal from alcohol can be life-threatening, this is an important step to prepare for treatment.
Medication-assisted treatment includes medications approved to treat AUD, including:
- Disulfiram–causes unpleasant symptoms if you drink alcohol
- Naltrexone–blocks the receptors in your brain that make you feel good when you drink alcohol
- Acamprosate–helps you avoid alcohol after you quit drinking
Other medications may be given to help ease withdrawal symptoms.
Behavioral therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy help you see the dysfunction in your thinking as a result of AUD. Individual and group therapy helps you understand any underlying causes for your addiction and help you learn strategies to prevent relapse.
Whether you need a full-time residential program for addiction or a less intense outpatient program will be decided at your evaluation before treatment. Here again, a lot depends on the severity of the addiction.
Sober living programs offer a safe, sober place to live before transitioning back to normal life.
How Northern Illinois Recovery Center Can Help
Because denial is very common, most people don’t feel like they have a problem with alcohol. This could be you. Maybe you don’t realize how much you drink or how many problems in your life are related to it. Talk to your relatives, friends, and co-workers, and listen when they ask you to consider your drinking habits.
If you’re ready to take control of your life, Northern Illinois Recovery Center can provide everything you need to take charge of your future. From detox aftercare, we’ve got you covered. NIRC is dedicated to making sure you get the care you need to succeed, and we have the experienced professionals to help you make that happen. Contact us today.
Licensed Physician and Surgeon
Dr. Beth Dunlap, a board-certified addiction medicine and family medicine physician, and is the medical director at Northern Illinois Recovery Center. She is responsible for overseeing all the integrated medical services at both campuses. Beth completed medical school, residency, and fellowship at Northwestern University, where she continues to serve on the faculty as a member of the Department of Family and Community Medicine. She has extensive experience in addiction medicine at all levels of care, and her clinical interests include integrated primary care and addiction medicine, harm reduction, and medication-assisted treatment.
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