Rethinking My Margaritas

By Lorie Kleiner Eckert | Oct 10th, 2019

For most of my adult life, I didn’t drink much alcohol. At a wedding, I might sip a glass of champagne, but that was it. And then I met my boyfriend, Big Irv, when I was 52. Suffice it to say that he liked to drink and while he didn’t exactly encourage me to follow suit, it was an easy thing to do.

Big Irv liked to dine leisurely at nice restaurants. He liked to “pick at an appetizer” as he had a couple of martinis and as we shared the stories of our day. And then after this happy time, this happy hour, we’d order our dinner. Before long, I started to have a drink too. As an intense person who lives mostly inside of my head, it was AMAZING to learn how unkinked my knotted-up brain could get with just one cocktail. Fifteen years later, even in the aftermath of Big Irv’s death, I find that I still like to have a drink or two each week. But here’s what astounds me: The idea of having a drink pops into mind regularly and I have to fight off the impulse. 

Recently I had a health scare, an “episode” that at the time looked like a stroke, but fortunately was not. When I did some research to see what steps I might take to lessen the likelihood of ever having one, I saw that drinking alcohol was not recommended. I tried to ignore that information, but within days of making the discovery, the “universe” sent me back-to-back messages on the topic of drinking. First, there was an email that referenced an article on WebMD about the increase in binge drinking among senior citizens. (Of 11,000 respondents, 10.6% had experienced binge drinking in the previous month.) Then I heard a podcast on Death, Sex, and Money called Bottled Up, where listeners of all ages told about their problems with alcohol. Now that the universe has gotten my attention, I’ve been doing some research. Here are two informative resources I’ve found. 

Kaiser Permanente’s article, Alcohol Use in Older Adults spells out the issues clearly:

• As we age, alcohol affects us differently than it did in our youth. Thanks to a decrease in muscle mass and an increase in body fat, our vital organs – such as the brain and heart – are more exposed to the toxic effects of alcohol. 
• Plus, it takes longer for the body to break down alcohol.  
• Alcohol worsens some health conditions like osteoporosis, diabetes, high blood pressure, and ulcers, conditions that seemed remote when we were young but worrisome as we age.
• Medications that we are taking (prescription, over the counter, and supplements) can become dangerous or even deadly when mixed with alcohol. This even applies to aspirin! Mixing it with booze increases the risk of stomach and intestinal bleeding. The more pills you take, the more at-risk you are.

Bottom line: It makes sense to reduce alcohol consumption as we age.

The other resource is for all age groups. It’s a website called Rethinking Drinking from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. It includes a 16-page PDF that’s rich in information. It defines “low-risk drinking” for women in this manner, while reminding us this in NOT no-risk drinking:

• No more than 3 drinks in any day
• No more than 7 drinks per week

The PDF goes on to define terms. A “standard” drink contains 0.6 fluid ounces or 14 grams of pure alcohol. To clarify they provide an illustrated definition of such a drink. As is the case with portion size in weight control, their definition of “one drink” is eye opening:

• 12 ounces of regular beer
• 8-9 ounces of malt liquor
• 5 ounces of table wine
• 3-4 ounces fortified wine (like sherry or port)
• 2-3 ounces of cordial, liqueur, or aperitif 
• 1.5 ounces of 80 proof liquor

Knowing this, I have to rethink my favorite drink, the margarita. Here is my recipe: 2 ounces tequila + 1½ ounces Cointreau + 8 ounces non-alcoholic margarita mix, all poured over ice. Thus, my ONE drink is really closer to TWO. And OMG, if I have two of them in the same night, I’m leaving the “low-risk drinking” group! 

As a person trying to avoid a stroke, this is not a good thing. Change is required. 

For others who are likewise looking to make a change in drinking habits the NIH/NIAA PDF offers these strategies for cutting down:

• Set a goal for weekly drinking
• Measure your drinks, count your drinks, and keep track of your daily intake
• Pace and space your drinking – no more than one drink per hour and make every other drink non-alcoholic
• Include food – do not drink on an empty stomach

And it offers these ideas for not drinking:

• Find alternatives to drinking
• Avoid triggers
• Have a plan for handling urges
• Know your “no” – if you are in a social setting and don’t want to drink, have a polite, convincing “no, thanks” ready
• Seek help if needed – contact information for addiction specialists, mutual-help groups, etc., is given

I know I’m lucky that my interest in alcohol is not an addiction, just a bit of a habit. And while I am not advocating complete abstinence for myself – or for others – I am advocating complete awareness. When we know the risks, we can make wise decisions. As I strive to be stroke-free, that’s what I plan to do. 

As for a specific game plan, here’s mine:

• When I am alone, I will not drink
• When I am with friends who do not drink, I will not drink
• When I am with friends who like to drink, I will have one drink, probably a glass of wine since a cocktail may be the equivalent of more than one drink
• When I am with friends who party, I will try having that one glass of wine, or maybe go for two
• And of course, I will forgive myself when I choose not to live up to these standards

Bottom line: It’s kind of hard to say goodbye to a pitcher of margaritas, but wonderful to say hello to a healthier – and hopefully longer – life.