Wine down: How alcohol affects your body after 40

Since the start of the pandemic drinking at home has become the norm but how much are you drinking and what is it doing to your health? Jen Stevens finds out

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If one thing has been put in the spotlight in recent months, it is the amount of alcohol that women are now consuming at home. A wine-down culture has emerged among women who feel they “deserve” a large glass of something at the end of a busy day or week. But those drinks quickly add up and the effect they have on health is not good.

Drinkaware conducts an annual survey that provides an overview of attitudes and behaviours towards alcohol. Over the past two years, the Drinkaware Barometer has specifically explored the impact of the pandemic on drinking patterns, behaviours, and attitudes. The 2021 Barometer found that 54% of 35–49-year-olds were drinking on at least a weekly basis, with 23% reporting having binge drank in the past 30 days. It also found that there was a higher incidence of women that reported drinking more alcohol during the initial lockdown phase at 28%, versus 22% of men.