Is it Possible to Develop an Addiction to Wine?

Is it possible to develop an addiction to wine? Simply put, as with any other type of alcohol the answer is yes. While excessive or binge drinking is more often associated with beer or hard liquor, wine is still a type of alcohol that can lead to dependance and addiction. When evaluating alcohol consumption, a five-ounce glass of wine contains the same amount of alcohol as a 12-ounce glass of beer or 1.5 ounces of liquor and it is the amount of alcohol itself which most directly affects a person, not the type of alcoholic beverage that is consumed. [1]

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), a moderate amount of drinking is defined as one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. [2] When you begin consuming more than moderate amounts, your drinking habit has become problematic and is characterized as binging.

How much wine is too much? What are the common symptoms of a wine addiction? Learn more here about the long-term effects of drinking wine every day and resources that can help you stop drinking wine if it becomes a problem.

The Negative Effects of Daily Wine Consumption

Drinking alcohol has become a socially acceptable way to wind down after a long work week, and wine in particular has become a very popular choice. As such, people may sometimes become too accustomed to the ritual of opening up a bottle of wine at the end of a long day to relax or unwind.

Due in part to wine manufacturers and advertisers depicting overwhelmed and possibly anxiety-stricken stay-at-home moms partaking in wine as an escape from everyday pressures, or movies and TV shows glamorizing the cliché of young women drinking large amounts of wine while on a ladies’ getaway, wine sales and consumption have increased among this target demographic in particular. [3] However, as with any other substance that is ingested or drunk, there is a general risk of going overboard with wine consumption.

Unfortunately, millions of Americans are drinking much more wine than is deemed safe under medical guidelines, and many may be unaware of the risks involved with drinking an excessive amount of wine.

Related post: Self-Medicating to Deal With Stress

The Potential for Alcoholism

The condition of alcoholism isn’t always obvious to spot, but the condition is almost always highly damaging to those who suffer its effects. Alcoholism is a condition that often leads to sadness, destruction, and loss, especially in the long-term. Regularly drinking too much wine may lead to an unintended tolerance of alcohol’s effects. Drinking more to offset this tolerance and feel the same effects of wine as you did previously may lead you to become dependent on wine, especially if there is a family history of alcohol abuse or addiction. Signs that your wine consumption may be leading you towards alcoholism may include:

• Preferring to drink alone to disguise the amount of wine you’re drinking.
• Stashing wine bottles in places that are convenient for you alone to access them, such as in your car, the back of kitchen cabinets, in your bedroom closet, etc., but are hidden from other family members or friends.
• Black-out drinking or a drastic change in demeanor while drinking, such as consistently becoming angry, belligerent, or violent.
• Intrusive thoughts about drinking that interfere with daily activities.
• Keeping a large store of wine on hand as a “backup plan” to keep from running out during a drinking session.

Weight Gain and its Complications

Drinking too much wine can offset healthy weight maintenance goals in many ways, which may lead to heart problems that have been linked to being overweight or obese. The calories ingested when you drink wine add up without filling you up, because alcohol contains only “empty calories.” Drinking 300 calories of white wine, or roughly 3 glasses, will leave you feeling just as hungry as you were before you drank it.

Drinking just one glass of wine per day over the recommended maintenance level of 2,000 calories per day has the potential to add 13 pounds of fat to your body within a year. Drinking too much wine can lower your willpower to eat healthy foods, because alcohol tends to decrease inhibitions. After consuming too much wine, you may find yourself snacking on things you might not otherwise choose to eat. [4]

Other Health Conditions

Drinking too much wine on any given occasion can lead to alcohol poisoning, which can be deadly. According to the Mayo Clinic, chronically drinking too much alcohol in any form can cause health conditions such as:

• Pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas that is characterized by pain and tenderness to the touch in the abdomen, nausea, vomiting, and unexplained weight loss, and may become life threatening.
• The risk of sudden death related to existing heart problems that may be exacerbated by excessive alcohol use.
• Stroke
• High blood pressure that may lead to long-term hypertension.
• Cirrhosis of the liver
• Damage to the heart muscle
• Certain cancers such as breast cancer, and cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and liver.
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). If you are drinking while pregnant, the alcohol you consume may cause FAS, which can result in a lifetime of health problems for your child. [5]

Related post: The 5 Types of Alcoholics

Reach Out When You Need Help

If you have trouble cutting back on your wine consumption or believe that you may have developed a psychological attachment to wine and need additional support to help you stop drinking, please call Nova Recovery Center at (512) 605-2955 or contact us online today.

References:

1. Alcohol Questions and Answers | CDC
2. Facts about moderate drinking | CDC
3. 10 Examples of Gendered Alcohol Marketing
4. Health Risks of Drinking Too Much White Wine
5. Alcohol use: Weighing risks and benefits: Mayo Clinic