Is Wine Worth it?
- Violeta Puente-Duran
- Mar 10
- 3 min read
A couple of months ago my hubby and I went out for Italian and split a bottle of Chianti. The meal and wine were lovely but when we got home we finished a romantic drama Netflix series that had a sad ending and I bawled my eyes out.
After two and a half glasses of wine and some sad TV I, not surprisingly, didn’t sleep well that night. And if I had to choose a SINGLE reason for continuing to drink less it's sleep quality. Sleep is sacred to me.
So with reduced sleep and unbalanced neurochemicals, I had the major post-drinking blahs and blues the next day.
And it’s often during these unpleasant post-boozy states that we, not only decide to reflect on our entire life’s purpose, but we also ask ourselves if it’s even worth it.
Is wine worth it?
The answer to this question is so very personal to you. There is no right or wrong answer. At least not from me. I'm not the alcohol morality police. Far from it.
Drinking also doesn’t always have this effect. It really depends on your emotional state when you engage in the drinking, as well as and importantly, how much of it you consume, how quickly, your fed state, among others.
The question is also a little dramatic.
But drama aside, for me personally, yes, wine is worth it. Conditionally.
Wine is conditionally worth it (my conditions not set in stone):
Don't drink during emotionally low moods (mind you, my mood wasn’t low that day or anything, but I exposed myself to sadness which, with 2.5 glasses in my system, exacerbated feeling sad and blue)
To add to the above point, drinking for me is more celebratory anyway. I actually never have wine followed by sad TV watching. So for the second condition, if it isn’t celebrating something (like seeing friends), there’s a good chance it might not be worth it. But hey, there’s also always a reason to celebrate....and this can be a slippery slope.
If the wine is cheap (not sure if this is a direct effect of the cheap wine or if my mood just plummets when someone shows up with a cheap bottle)
If I’m relying on a good night’s sleep because I have an important day ahead, or say, a coaching session next morning, an interview, or anything that requires sharp cognition
The Darker Side of Drinking
A lot of the time when we have a bad experience with drinking, like a really bad hangover, we vow to never drink again. We promise ourselves drinking isn’t worth it. And that's because drinking in excess makes us feel horrible. From the physical side effects of drinking too much, to the mental and emotional, including feeling out of control with it.
Shame. Guilt. Regret.
Alcohol produces toxic byproducts in the body, causes dehydration, alters neurochemicals and hormones, and disrupts sleep.
Needles to say, drinking isn’t always fun, especially when the dependence is high, the not drinking feels difficult, or quality of life is compromised by drinking. A qualified therapist is likely the best support in this case.
And unlike food, alcohol isn’t necessary for survival. Consuming alcohol is optional. So if you wanted to quit, that is perfectly fine. And you don't need a "good reason" to do so. You don't need alcohol in your life. Period.
How Intuitive Drinking can help
In a nutshell, my intuitive drinking work helps you to start disrupting those habitual drinking patterns towards the occasional enjoyment of a drink.
In other words, Intuitive Drinking places alcohol on the back burner. It's a nice-to-have, but not mandatory.
And when you start to feel this way about drinking, it feels liberating.
Intuitive Drinking also asks: What really matters to you? And it helps you identify how drinking may help or hinder accessing this. For more Intuitive Drinking reflections read my Wine Lover's Intuitive Drinking guide.
The thing is, and the reason I do this work, is that many people who drink - even if too much at times - don’t necessarily want to or need to quit. But they still want to change something about their drinking, or simply, drink less.
This was my experience anyway.
And that's why, for me, wine is still worth it. Conditionally, of course.
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