Is Wine O’Clock part of your daily routine?

GUEST POST: Whether you’ve had a stressful day at work or from looking after the children, the first thing you want to do when you get some me time is unwind and relax.

Retreating into the kitchen after putting the children to bed for that much needed ‘first glass’ or popping in to the pub straight after work has become a routine way of ‘self-medicating’ against the stresses and strains of everyday life.

The latest government statistics show that behind the closed doors of Britain’s middle-class homes, drinking has reached an all-time high. What’s more, middle-class women are twice as likely to be heavy and regular drinkers as any other class or sector of society.

Almost one in five women drinks to excess — and the number drinking more than the recommended number of units has grown by a fifth over the past decade, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics.

By contrast, men’s drinking habits have remained constant over the past ten years.

Ladies, we have tough stressful lives and I know that just pouring the wine into the glass gives us a small feeling of calm. So, after a long hard day try the following seven secrets to help you break the habit:

1. Make sure  you have some gorgeous flavoured mineral water in a  beautiful bottle (not a cheap plastic one – a bottle you really love), chilled and ready to go. Pour yourself a long drink in your favourite wine glass, add ice and a slice and savour that feeling of being refreshed.

2. If that doesn’t hit the spot, try the same trick with slim line tonic. This is a great if you are out with friends and feel pressurized to drink. They’ll assume you’re having a G & T. WLS patients who are not recommended a fizzy drink can stir this vigorously for a time with a straw or spoon to get rid of the gas for the occasional drink. If drinking tonic at home, open the bottle to release some gas, re-cap, shake well, open again and repeat to remove as much gassy air as possible.

3. If you want to break the habit of post work drinks, pack your trainers in your handbag, put your best foot forward and starting walking part of the way home.  This is a wonderful way of de-stressing!

4.  Home alone all day and want to break the boredom? Start a DIY project – it will keep you busy and you’ll have something to show for it at the end!

5. Sounds obvious, but avoid having wine in the house, only buy it if you have a special occasion coming up.

6. Have an alcohol amnesty Monday to Thursday and make the bottle of wine you open on Friday last until Sunday.

7. If you are drinking, try and start an hour later in the evening and drink from long, tall glasses, not short wide glasses. Research suggests you’ll drink less! 

And finally, remember that a glass of wine contains the same calories as a piece of chocolate. But in reality, it’s not just the calories in the wine that are affecting our waist lines, it’s the lack of self-control that follows. One glass is fine, but after two or three, those tempting treats that you’ve been avoiding will suddenly appear a lot more tempting. Your resolve will go and in just a few minutes you’ll undo all the hard work you’ve put into your diet.

We hope all this hasn’t spoilt your fun! As with all things, little and often is the best way forward when it comes to wine!

---