Tips to go from near daily drinker to special occasion drinker

AmyA

Hi there. I had Stage 1A invasive DCIS, Hormone positive. Was diagnosed on April 29th and opted to do a double mastectomy and clean slate things. I was a very social drinker before diagnosis. I now drink less but it is still my tendency to want one glass of wine or so to relax at night. I had my first 6 month follow up with my cancer surgeon today who said that she recommends not drinking / max 1 drink a week. She specifically said, if you were to tell me that you had one or two glasses of wine a night to relax, I'd stop that immediately.

I'm not so much here to bemoan if she's right or wrong. I'd like to cut this down. Has anyone out there been a more avid, social drinker who stopped or curtailed a lot? How hard was it? What did you do (switch to tea, etc)? How long before it just wasn't a big deal?

Thank you.

-Amy

NineTwelve

I've been wondering the same thing. I cut back on my drinking by not keeping my favorite beverage at home, and by giving myself a two drink maximum when I do have alcohol. Also, I make sure I don't drink two days in a row. Non-alcoholic wines and beers are a decent substitute for the regular stuff, though they are not always available.

I would like to cut back even more, because there is proof that using alcohol helps cancer cell growth, especially for the hormone receptor positive types. As you can see from my diagnosis, I'm stage IV, and I've been a hearty social drinker for years. (I wonder if things would have gotten so bad if I had been a teetotaler.)

So, with that said, my suggestions are:

Substitute something else, maybe a cranberry juice and soda mix, or de-alcoholized beer or wine

Meditate (or medicate) for relaxation (seriously: if you are anxious or tense, maybe there is something you can take for that, like medical marijuana, if you live someplace where it's legal.)

Deep breaths, and remind yourself why you're doing this.

Socialize somewhere that doesn't serve alcohol.

And last: before I go out (or if I'm just restless at home), I find some kinds of reading very helpful in getting myself to slow down and chill out. Right now I'm reading "The Wisdom of No Escape and the Path of Loving-Kindness" by Pema Chodron. But any spiritual book could have value, if you're philosophically inclined that way.

Becky63

I am a certified alcohol and drug counselor & licensed social worker, retired. My parents & brother were alcoholic. I was able to drink alcohol socially without addiction. I like wine. Drank a glass nearly daily. Then, breast cancer. I'm ER & PR+. I just read the studies linking alcohol consumption & BC. I'm angry. Did I do this to myself? Geez, I never knew the link & I counseled women daily. I'm angry because it's another thing I have to give up because of this disease. I had a bilateral mastectomy. No f/u treatment. They said they got it all. Does that mean I can have a drink? I'm glad you opened this discussion. I feel the need to vent & learn more.

AmyA

Hi ladies!

You two both bring up the fact that had we never really drank would this have happened and the answer is who the F knows!?! Plenty of super-healthy non-drinkers get cancer too.

Becky, I thought the same as you. I went for the double to get everything out thinking I'm pretty set. She said that the likelihood of This cancer recurring is highly unlikely but the chance of getting a new breast cancer again is a possibility - in 30-40 years.

So, I am going to try to not drink at home if it's just me. But if I'm out with friends at a nice dinner, perhaps have A drink then.

NineTwelve

Right? It's there if you google it:

http://www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/alcohol

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh22-3/220...

Some scary stuff out there, and that's why I want to change the way I unwind. However, I don't think any of us can say we did this to ourselves. Lots of people with our same habits, and even people with similar genetics, didn't get cancer. It's mostly just bad luck, that we got it.

placid44

I have a very occasional nonalcoholic beer (it has .5 percent alcohol, max, or one-sixth of a regular beer), only,and that helps a lot.

Becky63

NineTwelve, thanks for the articles. I'm convinced that I can't enjoy a non- alcoholic drink again. I'd be thinking about how stupid I am for increasing my relapse risks. I also am more motivated to lose 40 pounds. Eating poorly is much like drinking. My fat produces estogen like by-products & I am ER+. Thank you for the info & motivation.

NineTwelve

I agree about the weight loss being even more critical than cutting alcohol. At least the alcohol can clear out of our systems, but our fat cells just hang out, making more estrogen!

In the three months after my diagnosis, I lost 15 pounds, and that has made me more motivated to take care of myself. Exercise and green vegetables are a must every day. But it's about changing in a slow and steady way. Not to deprive myself of treats, but to change my personal definition of a treat.

AmyA - So, are you making a plan to have only one alcoholic drink per week, or are you leaving it open?

And placid - I agree that non alcoholic beers really help. They do have a little alcohol in them, so you wouldn't want to hand one to someone who's in recovery, but I find that I can be satisfied with just one (sort of like having a soda). Unlike with regular beer, where one doesn't feel like enough.

flaviarose

I used to have a glass or two of wine each evening as I cooked dinner. I totally stopped with my diagnosis. I had some champagne on Christmas eve. I may have alcohol 3 or 4 times a year now. I don't have any tips or tricks. I just stopped doing it. Now I have a glass of water with lemon going when I am cooking. I really don't miss it or think about it that much. I feel better not drinking.

AmyA

Hi everyone. I actually tackled this pretty head on and it's not been too bad. No, NineTwelve, I haven't opted for one drink only. I'm playing it by ear. If I want one, I'll pour a glass of wine or order something out. I'm finding I only want to do this a couple of times a week and am often not finishing my beverage - just sipping.

One thing that I did do, however, that I have been finding fantastic... For me, I think my issue was less about the alcohol and more about the treat. I'm not very into sweets and stuff, so this had been my treat. I was out last week at a place and they had Black Walnut Bitters - it's awesome. I've been having 'mixed drinks' at home - seltzer, a little Zevia root beer and the bitters - delish. I am planning on buying other flavors so I can enjoy multiple unique, fulfilling beverages.

AmyA

Congrats to all of us, btw, for making great dietary and health changes. There are so many health risks and unknowns that will continue to pop up as long as we and loved ones live - ie: if we live another 50 years, chances are good that we'll get sick with something else. I do believe that keeping weight low is going to be a main key for staying healthy as long as possible.

CidneyI

Before BC, I too would have a glass of wine after work and drink whatever I wanted on the weekends. My oncologist told me to stop drinking which i have cut back about 90-95%. I no longer buy beer or wine to have at home and only drink if I go out socially on the weekends. Since I have cut back drinking AND stopped drinking coffee, I feel pretty darn good. I had acid reflux and I have noticed such improvement with it that I have been able to stop taking Nexium!

LARock

I'm in the same boat. Up to chemo, I'd have 1 - 2 glasses of wine a day. During chemo it tasted like turpentine and, since I don't drink anything else, I was off alcohol completely. Now that I'm five weeks post-chemo, the taste has come back but I've decided to drastically cut back. Not only because of the research showing how alcohol contributes to BC but also due to the fact that even one glass of wine plays havoc with my new-found hot flashes. I had a glass while out to dinner with DH last night for Valentines Day and I was having a hot flash at the bar. Not fun

Larkspur

It isn't fun to let go of our indulgences and guilty pleasures! I wish all of us luck in doing so.

In Jan. 2014, I resolved to lose 15 pounds. One of the things I did to reach that goal was give up my much-loved daily beer with dinner, except on weekends. The first week or so was a drag!--but I had to admit that I felt better the next day, as even that rather small amount of alcohol left me slightly groggy in the morning. I also cut way back on sweets, reserving them for weekends and special occasions.

It took some months, but I lost the weight and have kept it off. Then in December, my annual mammogram showed some changes. Long story short: I recently had surgery for Stage 1 breast cancer, and will probably start radiation therapy soon. All by way of saying that healthier lifestyles sure can't hurt, but randomness and luck, good and bad, play a role here also. (I think most of us know that, but I, at least, need to remind myself of it now and then.)

Becky63

@Larkspur-Thank you. I blame myself still. The if only's enter my thoughts daily.

LARock

Becky, I'm with you. I have no history of breast cancer in my family, am not overweight, am an avid runner and pretty healthy eater. Up until this happened, I'd have a glass or two of wine pretty much on a daily basis. From the research I've done, I have to believe that was a contributing factor.

NorthernCanuck

I've done my research and the 1 per week is bull-tweedy. For women it is 1 per day or 7 ti 10 per week. That is what I have found. However, check out the following attachment. It's a Breast Cancer risk calculator:

https://www.mycanceriq.ca/Cancers/Risk

You can do "What If" scenarios to determine the effect of different life decisions as follows:

1. Do it once entering the alcohol you do consume. Check your risk level.

2, Do it again, removing the alcohol entirely. Check your risk level.

3. Do it again, and put back in the alcohol and also click the daily multi-vitamin that pops up when you add in the alcohol. Check your risk level.

4. Compare your risk levels and determine what you want to do.

When I added the daily multi-vitamin my risk level went back to medium to low-risk.

However, when I added in the fact that I had ADH last year my risk level went to high whether I had alcohol or not.

Keep playing with it until you get a result you are OK with and make that your goal. If you want to reduce quantities, then check the results if you put in a lower amount under the alcohol. That is what I am doing.

Note that this is the risk calculator for women who have never had cancer. Do it anyway as it will allow you to try "What If I do this" to see effect and "What if I don't do this" to see HOW MUCH impact it has. But it will not be your true cancer risk since you've had cancer. But again, you can see how much impact making different life decisions can have on your risk. I hope that makes sense.

Good luck!

SoCalLisa

I switched to a good non alcoholic beer. I like Claushaler Amber in a frosted beer mug I keep in the freezer. Don't get O'doules or a yucky one. I'm almost a year 15 year survivor now.

proudtospin

I like the idea of drinking your beer in a frosty mug, I drink my cran juice/seltzer in a wine glass~~~

Lj061197

I have read the links regarding alcolol and breast cancer. I have no family history on either side. I drank in my 20's (I'm 48 now),I hardly drink but socially maybe 4 drinks a momth. I have two half sisters in their late 50's they drink heavily they never had BC. I am a healthy weight get minimum 30 mites per day 6 day a week excerise ant eat healthy. I think if it's going to happen to it doesn't matter what we do.

Heidihill

Northern Canuck, thanks for the link to that risk calculator. I put in my data for the year before I was diagnosed and yup, it said higher than average risk. Now my risk is average, if you don't count the cancer. Of course I don't blame myself because lots of things were beyond my control (including risk factors not included in the calculator, like dense breasts, exposure to endocrine disrupters, etc.), and I do believe there are benefits to a certain amount of beer or wine. But I will definitely try the Clausthaler in a frosted mug, Socal Lisa.

NorthernCanuck

You're welcome Heidihill. It really helped me wrap my brain around whatever life style changes I'm making. Definitely less alcohol but not a teetotaler. Better nutrition, and more exercise (walking).

Thanks for your comments Lj061197. It helps to know these types of facts.

Moderators

Hi all!

There are some good tips here from Dr. Marisa Weiss's Think Pink, Live Green blog on this topic:

Breast Cancer and Alcohol: Why and How to Make a Toast

Alcohol and Cancer: You Can't Drink to Your Health

Adjusting to the New Alcohol Research: How I Do It

We hope this helps!

--The Mods

Heidihill

Thanks, Mods!

We just bought a new freezer, which means I'll have room for a beer mug. I am going for a 10% reduction in risk or lower than average risk on the calculator with a Clausthaler day, or maybe even two days!

SummerAngel

I've been looking at this as well. I'm not a heavy drinker but have always enjoyed a beer or glass of wine. So much so that for about two years before my diagnosis I was making my own beer, investing a lot of time and money in homebrewing equipment. After diagnosis I stopped drinking completely, afraid I was "feeding" the cancer with alcohol. I'm not as concerned now as I was, in the last couple of weeks I've moved back to drinking one to four glasses of beer or wine per week, typically a glass of wine with dinner.

I found these interesting studies about post-diagnosis drinking:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23150063 "Regular alcohol consumption was not associated with breast cancer recurrence and total mortality overall, yet recurrence risk was only elevated in postmenopausal women."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23569314 "Women consuming moderate levels of alcohol, either before or after diagnosis, experienced better cardiovascular and overall survival than nondrinkers."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20805458 "Consuming three to four alcoholic drinks or more per week after a breast cancer diagnosis may increase risk of breast cancer recurrence, particularly among postmenopausal and overweight/obese women, yet the cardioprotective effects of alcohol on non-breast cancer death were suggested."

It seems that drinking increases recurrence risk for postmenopausal and overweight women, but moderate drinking also decreases cardio-related death (and in one study, death by any cause) by quite a bit.

Scarlett152

I am somewhat confused by these studies. If I was premenopausal before diagnosis, but put into menopause by chemo and zoladex injections, do I fall into the post menopausal no drinking allowed club?? Doing tamoxifen for next 6 months and then switching to an AI.

lilybird

I too am confused about the studies. Are all alcohol drinks created equally? Is a glass of wine with 14% alcohol the same as a beer with 4% alcohol? I was premenopausal before my diagnosis, but put into menopause by my Hormonal Therapy "Tamoxifen". No chemo or radiation. I had an oncotype test and it came back at 16% risk of developing cancer again. I really like my beer and social life.

Racy

bumping for 39andhip.

SelenaWolf

I was never a heavy drinker, but developed breast cancer anyway. I still drink, but I watch my intake and try to keep it down to approximately three drinks a week. Some weeks I don't have any, some weeks I may have four and on holidays I don't keep track at all. I'm on holiday, damn it!

Everyone has to come to some sort of decision they are comfortable with. I'm fully aware of the studies and what they mean, but I also enjoy my quality of life and an excellent, chilled Gewurstraminer is still served at my table.

momoschki

I admit this is an issue that drives me crazy. As someone now classified as high risk, I'm much more conscious of my alcohol intake than before. It's been nearly 5 years and I still struggle. If I don't have a glass of wine with dinner, I feel deprived and resentful-- but if I do, then I feel guilty and scared. Ugh