So what are we to think when we see articles defending wine (like this one written by a renowned wine writer)?? Some of her argument — and that of others I've seen — centers on the World Health Organization report that stated that there is no safe level of alcohol. Critics of the WHO position either don't want wine to be lumped in with other alcohol, or they question the backgrounds and agenda of the members of the WHO committee, or they point to bits of science that might show a benefit of alcohol. I've said before that these critics generally miss the point.

The clients who come to me and who I see in the enormous online communities are not worried about the World Health Organization report. They are instead just not feeling well. Alcohol has become a very bossy habit and they are experiencing symptoms they no longer want to tolerate, and it is "moderate" drinking that landed them in the place of dependency! Even IF we could argue that the drug alcohol has some tiny health benefits (which would be more than negated by all the health harms anyway), it is just much too hard to properly dose this drug for the majority of people, myself included. A client of mine had an old friend, a doctor, commend her on being 2-years alcohol free. He lamented to her that he wished he could do the same. Doctors can’t dose this drug properly either! That should be all we need to know.

I don't think it's a great strategy for the wine industry to take such a defensive stance. Especially as the number of women dying from alcohol-related deaths is increasing as are breast cancer rates, especially for younger women. And overall drinking kept increasing as the pandemic deepened and beyond.

I’m not anti-alcohol, just pro-options. So I think a more productive stance would be for wineries and wine writers to talk about non-alcoholic alternatives of all kinds, and especially wines. For wineries to have visible, attractive non-alcoholic options in their tasting rooms. When I was a winery owner, we occasionally used slogans like rosé all day, and we were at times overly generous in our pours. And I really apologize for that. If given the chance now, I’d look for other ways to extend gracious and memorable hospitality, without over-serving or normalizing over-consumption (starting with my own).

I make an effort to give shout-outs to the wineries offering non-alcoholic alternatives, I encourage those who feel comfortable with it to visit Wine Country for all its other attributes, flavors and beauty. And I champion platforms for people in the drinks industry, such as A Balanced Glass or the sober-support community for the hospitality industry called Ben’s Friends.

It’s easy to get swept away by the poetic language of someone waxing philosophic about wine, like this recent writer in the NY Times. But it’s a great opportunity to read between their lines, and remember your own wisdom and say, yeah, but that’s him not me! I can’t know what his definition of thriving is, nor what medications (blood pressure, cholesterol, acid reflux?) are in his medicine cabinet. Nor can I know if he is worried at all about his longterm brain function. But I do know that I will never again listen to a man talk about why he wants to defend the glory of wine. It’s inconvenient but true that alcohol hits women’s bodies harder, particularly as we age, because we have less muscle mass and less of the enzyme that breaks down alcohol. I would like to have known that years ago.

The greatest freedom of all comes when there is no scientific paper on Earth that could change our mind…when we’re not looking for outside evidence or comparing our drinking or our selves to anyone. We’re no longer asking, could I drink like that person? Or would my doctor say this amount is ok? We’re only asking, how do I feel right now? And would I feel better with less or none?

Tell me in the comments what you think!