“To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems.”

This quote from Homer, not the ancient Greek poet but the second most eloquent Homer, Simpson, is spot on, isn’t it?

Is there anything more synonymous with having a rough day and needing to relax than having a drink?

It’s even gone so far as having hundreds of millions spent on studying the possible health benefits of alcohol, especially wine.

But over the past few years, a lot of truths about alcohol have come to light…

Alcohol is a toxin.

The idea that wine is healthy? Might not be true.

And the more you drink, the higher your risk of certain cancers.

This isn’t to scare you, but empower you to make the best decisions for yourself when it comes to alcohol.

We’re going to talk about all of these in more detail, but it will all make more sense if we start by looking at how alcohol works in your body.

We’re going to keep this section short, sweet, and not get too sciencey…sound good?

No matter what form of alcohol you drink - yes, even that glass of wine - all turn into the same thing in your body.

Ethyl alcohol.

And ethyl alcohol is toxic to your body. This is why you feel hungover as your body processes and “protects” you.

In small doses, you might feel tired and have a headache.

In moderate doses, you might feel nauseous and be slumped over the toilet.

And large doses can lead to more severe consequences.

Simply knowing this often changes the way you think of alcohol.

The next thing I’m going to share will change your thoughts even more.

Let’s talk about its impact on sleep.

Most of the women I’ve worked with have shared frustrating changes that happen after turning 40 and starting/going through menopause.

Hot flashes, weight gain, mood swings, low energy and motivation, brain fog.

But what might be the most frustrating are the sleep challenges.

And can you think of one of the most common ways to “try” to sleep better?

You guessed it…drinking alcohol…with a glass of wine (or two) typically being the favorite.

It used to be thought that having a drink before bed, better known as a “nightcap”, helped you sleep better.

And it's partially true. Alcohol before bed can help you fall asleep faster. But it causes you to wake up more in the middle of the night.

Preventing you from getting the deep, restorative sleep that helps to prevent dementia, aches and pains.

Not only that, but poor sleep from alcohol creates a cycle of:

Lack of deep sleep → Tired so you drink more coffee → more sugar cravings from poor sleep → more snacking → too much coffee so trouble falling asleep → drink alcohol → Lack of deep sleep

It can be a hard cycle to break but if you’re using alcohol to fall asleep, here are a few simple things you can replace the alcohol with:

It's easy to take sleep for granted, but improving it will change every area of your life and health. As much as, if not more than, nutrition and exercise.

While alcohol’s impact on sleep happens that night, it has a bigger, longer term impact on something we all want to avoid.

Cancer.

The more you drink, the higher your risk of cancer is.

I know that sounds harsh but it’s the truth. And no, this isn’t drink-dependent…this includes all forms of alcohol. Even wine. We’ll get to the controversy of wine being healthy in a second.

While drinking increases your risk of all cancers, there’s one that it seems to particularly target…one you’re already at an increased risk for as a woman over 40.

Breast cancer.

Here are the stats on drinks per week and their increased risk of breast cancer:

But you might be asking, “I thought certain alcohol like wine was good for you?”

That used to be true...or so we thought.

It all started when researchers in the 80s and 90s found people in France had lower rates of coronary heart disease despite eating high amounts of saturated fat.

Somehow, this got partly attributed to their love for red wine.

On top of this, wine was also said to be heart-healthy because the skins of red grapes have a powerful antioxidant, “resveratrol”.

Studies on rats and cells showed resveratrol might help with less inflammation and support cardiovascular health.

Sounds great, right?

It is until you look at how many glasses of wine you’d need to drink to get these benefits. Let’s just say it’s not humanly possible.

While alcohol was once thought of as “healthy”, the World Health Organization in Europe shared a groundbreaking statement in 2023…

“There is no safe level of alcohol consumption that does not affect health.”

And the World Health Organization’s cancer agency, International Agency for Research on Cancer, classified alcohol as a Group 1 carcinogen. On the same level as tobacco and asbestos.

That doesn’t mean a glass of wine carries the same risk as smoking a pack a day…but it does mean the scientific community is confident it causes cancer.

I know that was a lot so take a deep breath...it’s possible that what you read caused quite a bit of fear around alcohol.

If it did, that’s ok.

My goal wasn’t to make you afraid and ashamed for drinking alcohol. It was to empower you to have the correct knowledge to make informed decisions moving forward.

If you’re enjoying a glass (or three) of wine with friends, you’re laughing and having a great time, then it’s absolutely worth it.

But if you’re having trouble sleeping and drinking a bottle each night just to feel calm and fall asleep, then it might be time to reassess.

This week, I want you to try one thing:

Pay attention to why you're reaching for a drink. Not to judge yourself, but just to notice.

Is it to celebrate? To connect? To unwind after a stressful day? To fall asleep?

I promise, there's no wrong answer. But once you start noticing the why, you'll start to make choices that best serve you.

Your friend and coach,

Ben Miknis