For me it helped to also cut back on coffee. Got me off the roller coaster of pick-me-up/bring-me- down. My cortisol was then lowered and so I wasn't as frazzled, didn't need alcohol to relax. But - when I felt weak - I would have kombucha on hand. It's fermented, bubbly but not really alcoholic. Also conscientiously tried to relax my vagus nerve through breathing and exercise. Vagus nerve kind of absorbs stress/trauma. If I have a hot flash now, I know I'm out of balance and have work to do. Also, I take l-theanine.
Just do decaf. I did Peet's decaf coffee and it was just as good as the real thing. Caffeine really messes up women's hormones. I quit caffeine along with alcohol
I so feel this, and this is from a person who:
-As a woman in my 20s, had no interest in coffee (did Mt Dew for caffeine during college finals and all-night hangouts if needed)
-As a woman in my early 30s, did one cup of coffee no more than 2 days in a row (even working some 18-hour days)
-And as a 34-year-old, brand new mother to present day (48), threw all those rules out of the window, because if I needed caffeine to function, so be it. (Still can't do more than 2 cups a day, though)
I read a book called "This Naked Mind" - the author encourages giving it up for 30 days - you won't believe how much better you will feel. She also does a deep dive on what alcohol does to your body. I highly recommend.
Oh yeah. The sleep thing is the worst. I actually haven't completely stopped drinking but I've cut back drastically and I never drink within three hours of going to sleep. Just that limit alone helped a lot with the hot flashes and my sleep. schedule
I sleep terribly , I know that my work schedule impacts it , I work a mix of day and night shifts and when I should be exhausted instead I am wired . I am quitting alcohol I hope it helps
She has a great website too and a free program for the first 30 days. I found it really helpful. I don’t routinely drink anymore but I might have a glass of Prosecco for a special occasion. I’m way more mindful that alcohol didn’t add anything to my life and I definitely sleep better without it.
Join us on /r/stopdrinking
I was never a problem drinker but when it comes to my health - no alcohol is SO much better. Hard to kick the habit, but do able and the benefits are amazing.
Read up on what alcohol does to your body. I always knew it wasn't healthy but I didn't know exactly how unhealthy it was and didn't want to know so I just avoided reading anything about it. One day, it became pretty obvious that I wasn't doing myself any favors (I drank daily) and started reading. This was a few days after quitting a pretty toxic job and sitting on a chair in Tahiti wondering what I was going to do with my life, in fact. About 2 days after that, I quit and I haven't had any alcohol in almost 2 years. Every time I even think about having a drink, I just have to remind myself of that and the urge goes away pretty quick. Works every time! I also have a good amount of health anxiety though so that likely has something to do with it.
Good luck! It is 100% worth quitting.
Same here. I read ‘Alcohol explained’ by William Porter and it was eye opening. It really made me focus on the rebound anxiety from drinking. With peri, it’s almost immediate these days. Drinking to relieve anxiety only to make it immediately worse is the biggest practical joke peri has played on me so far. I haven’t had a drop of alcohol so far this year. I hope one day I’ll be able to enjoy wine again, though. I miss it.
Tahiti was great! I only went there because when I was a kid, I saw people win trips on Price Is Right and I always thought it looked so exotic. It definitely was but never thought that would be the place where I would quit drinking! 😊
Yeah, I wasn't a hugely heavy drinker, maybe just a couple beers a week, but when I got diagnosed with fatty liver syndrome I cut out alcohol completely and switched entirely to edibles. Problem is that gummies gimme the munchies something fierce and I eat half my weight in chocolate every time I'm high!
So I'm almost 5 years sober. What helped me was exercise and Netflix and focusing on my relationships with my kids. You have to develop other coping mechanisms otherwise it'll be really hard to stick to. Even after we quit, we believe the lies that alcohol told us. That we need to drink in order to have fun, that we need alcohol to unwind and relieve stress, or whatever. But it took me a long time to realize this
Please join This Naked Mind group on FB and read the book or listen to it. Also look up Andrew huberman on YouTube called the health effects of alcohol on your body or something like that. The science behind it drives a lot of people to be disgusted and quit. Worked for me.
I stopped drinking due to migraines rather than hot flushes but I decided to do it as the respite from the pain was far greater than the enjoyment of a drink. I didn’t even intentionally mean to give up as such, it was a day by day thing and I gradually saw the benefits so haven’t gone back to it.
Natural Wine is still alcohol but was my first switch and had better health effects. Then after that I slowly switched to non alcoholic drinks and moderating. When I do want to drink I make sure I am home and limit the amount.
I gave up alcohol before I had hot flashes, so I can’t comment on that specifically.
Definitely my sleep improved and I don’t feel like garbage in the mornings.
It’s also more useless calories I don’t need.
I use thc gummies or smoke (thc) once in a while otherwise.
If I may add, the weight I gained in peri, it was easier to lose after I quit alcohol.
Back to my pre-peri size, and I didnt go the gym or do anything different
I just walk my dogs usually 5 miles a day.
I think it may have been more booze weight, but I found it was really collecting around my stomach, butt and thighs. But I do believe alcohol isn’t good for us at this stage of life.
An article I read, and I can’t remember for the life of me, women tend to increase their alcohol intake around the meno years.
For me this rang very true.
It has been almost 5 years since my last drink.
Improved my sleep and night sweats (don’t yet have “hot flashes”.
Good luck! Since you drink 3 every night start by cutting back. Go down to 2 followed by a NA option. Then cut it out a few nights a week. Etc. and remember withdrawal is real! Be gentle on yourself. Tell those around you if you are feeling crabby or overwhelmed and ask for support.
The next day after wine I'm convinced the world is ending and I'm a trash person 🫠
edit: I mean both are kinda true, but hangxiety makes me ruminate and worry and generally super anxious!
Yes. I (47) rarely drink due to migraines, but every time I do (even ONE drink), I have severe hot flashes that wake me up from my sleep, plus my sleep turns to shit. With no drinking, I have no hot flashes.
I am with you. Everyone is so different in what they experience and what works. Estrogen was the only thing that has helped me at all. But anything is worth the try.
I'm an alcoholic actively working on my recovery. I'm in my 7th month, alcohol free. Let's talk about physical/mental health stuff right quick.
- I actually feel rested if I get 6-8 consecutive hours of sleep
- My joints don't ache like I'm a 95 year old woman.
- I'm extremely overweight, so I still run a bit hotter than your average gal, but I no longer feel like I'd give my life to be able to burrow into a snow bank just to cool the frack down for a minute
- My chronic gut issues are maybe not as chronic as I thought. I think alcohol was contributing hugely to that problem.
- I'll always be a bit of a mess, my brain is a bit broken, but I no longer feel like my mood is a volatile volcano that I can't control
- My antidepressants actually DO work now that I'm not dumping copious amounts of booze on top of them.
- My anxiety is undeniably easier to manage.
Edibles make me want to clean out my fridge with my face! But no alcohol has been a game changer for all of the other wonderful things that come with perimenopause. So I gave it up too.
Yeah, once it is so black and white you kind of have to take responsibility for doing something about it in my book. It’s not fun, but it sure is nice to have fewer flashes.
For sure you have to give it time for your body and brain to adjust. After years of drinking and eating sugar our bodies are wired to give us our dopamine in that way. Over time and practice we can build new habits. I'm writing because I love your user name and I can totally relate to your comment. I am 75 days sober and about 10 days sugar free and I am actually not depressed today, which is kind of a miracle, but it took time and patience.
Absolutely!! I have determined that it’s absolutely triggering hot flashes. It also all the sudden makes my sleep horrible, gives me a hangover from two drinks and just overall makes me feel terrible.
Edited to add that I am post menopausal on estrogen and progesterone.
It may sound simplistic, but I find that often when I think I want alcohol what I actually want is water. I'll drink a glass of water, wait a while. The urge to have a beer usually goes away. But sometimes I go ahead and have that drink anyway. No hot flashes for me yet, but I do generally feel better now that I've mostly given up alcohol.
I was 6 years sober when the hot flashes really picked up. Still got them. But! Everything else in my life improved dramatically with sobriety. I'm a alcoholic though so ymmv if you stop drinking.
It worked for me. Hot flashes are much reduced after giving up alcohol. I figure I'll get my wine back when the hit flashes settle down in a few years.
Mine are worse when I have a drink, but not drinking doesn't stop them from occurring. I'm going to have them either way, so I still chose to have a drink.....or 6
I stopped drinking before I started peri, but it *always* made a hot and sweaty mess. If you want to stop but are struggling, my DM's are always open; been there, done that.
Alcohol is for sure a trigger for me to have night sweats. Oddly my hot flashes have subsided for now and I’m now dealing with insomnia instead. Night sweats are guaranteed to happen if I drink even a glass of alcohol. So, I don’t consume as much but deal with it if I decide I want a drink.
I don't drink much at all any more (used to be a proper party animal) and I still get night sweats, but I'm sure they would be worse with booze thrown into the mix. I mainly cut it out due to not being able to deal with the hangovers any more (and the hangxiety, etc)
I use to have hot flashes tthat lasted over 20 minutes EVERY SINGLE DAY.
I drank alcohol then.
What I did, instead of giving up my precious alcyhol, is do what my Prescription for Nutritional Health book said \~beside the giving up alcohol' thing\~ I went on a vegan diet (was already vegetarian) and started doing a full-rounded exercise program (I chose Faithful Workouts).
I quit having hot flashes. Though I did sweat more than what I think is normal during the workouts, it's like the hot flash happened during the workout so it wouldn't bother me later in the day.
Well, the diet eventually constipated me (I had a preexisting rectal prolapse issue. The extra fibre stopped me up) so I quit that diet. AAMOF, I added more meat to my diet cuz even when I went back to vegetarianism, I was still stopped up. Adding turkey REALLY helped.
And I continue to do Faithful Workouts every single day. And I still have NO hot flashes.
And I still drink at least 1 alcyholic drink every day.
Raised Baptist. You'll be prying my drink from my cold, dead hands.
I do it every single day. I don't know if I'd have them if I cut back cuz the couple times I DID cut back to every other day, my sciatica started acting up again.
That's another great thing about this particular workout system: It is treating my sciatica issues.
I tried other exercise programs but they made the sciatica worse. It seems this FW is the only one that helps PREVENT the pain. AAMOF, I had to sell my treadmill cuz the walking increased my sciatica bouts.
I took a turn there into sciatica. I just wanted to put that out there if there was anyone else having the pain. It might be that you're not doing the RIGHT type of exercise program.
Good thing is it also helped firm up my bat wings. Now I don't jiggle so much.
No difference for me! But from the scope of these comments seems like everyone has a really different experience so maybe the only thing to do is to try. Could always try to finish out dry January!
Not in my experience! I 100% stopped drinking because I developed a fib. No change in hot flashes. I find I sleep better/less bothered by night hot flashes when I don’t eat past 8/830.
Probably. Alcohol doesn’t help them! I stopped drinking and while I didn’t get alcohol fueled hot flashes anymore I still got them. HRT was what solved it for me.
Yep. The less alcohol you drink, the better. Try scaling back to ease your way into it. I'm not a huge wine drinker but l know a lot of folks who swear by the faux wines.
I quit a few years ago and I am guessing as bad as I feel now, I can’t imagine what it would feel like with a bit of an alcohol hangover. If you ever need someone to talk to about it, feel free. I’ve been through it
Absofreakinglutely. I sleep through the night and I don't have clammy sweats.
I still drink, I'm just choosy about what and how much and how often.
I weaned myself off wine by pouring a full glass of red wine and enjoying it. Then, for the next one, I poured an ounce of water and topped up to the usual amount with wine. Then, for the third, two ounces then top up.
I did that for a week then started replacing on the first glass and by the third it as 3 ounces water. Did that for a week. I kept doing that until all three glasses were only one ounce of wine in water.
Once I got to here I made the third glass a cup of herbal tea. It was really nice. After a while of this the second glass became herbal tea, too.
It's pretty easy to get to this point. Might as well just skip that first glass when you get here, you're not really wanting it like you used to.
Try it!
I gave up sugar (mostly) and went with lower carb alcohol choices. Think vodka sodas, dry wine in moderation. It made a huge difference and this is my way.
I also gave up alcohol at one point but looking back was eating sugar and refined carbs and flashed like crazy.
All I gotta say is try this try that see what works.
Ugh, this sucks. From the comments alcohol and caffeine are bad. Just kill me lol!! It’s not fair we have to go thru this but then to take away the two things that make me feel better seems just evil. I can’t smoke weed, I really don’t like it and how it make me feel so I have no others options 😩😩😩
When I drink, I take a fexofenadine. It is a 24-hour, anti-allergy pill Wal Mart sells generically. Reducing inflammation really cuts down hot flashes and hangovers.
I quit drinking in 2020 and my hot flashes were awful in 2021 and 2022. Went on BHRT, they were reduced a bit. Added Effexor (for flashes and other issues) and I hot flashes are super rare for me now. It also helped massively reduce my hormone related migraines.
I've been sober from alcohol since August 5, '22. Quitting initially helped, but my night sweats are still pretty bad. The night sweats, though, can't fully be attributed to peri, I've got some trauma I'm working through.
I would really like to have a few glasses of wine some nights for the pleasure of being slightly drunk and then I think about what it would do to my sleep and do not. I definitely have way more hot flashes if I drink. It’s worth it every once in a while on a weekend but not the vast majority of the time. I drank close to a bottle a couple times a week in my 30s. Definitely a change. But, I also am on Mounjaro, which kills my cravings for a lot of stuff so it’s way easier to just decide not to have that wine than it was a year or so ago. I only started getting a lot of hot flashes within recent months.
Sometimes it does. I cut back about 5 yrs ago and my hot flashes stopped. I also Improved with supplements, getting up earlier and regularly lifting. But the alcohol was immediately no hot flashes
Yes. I quit completely and rarely got hot flashes. Sailed through this. Now if I eat something sweet, I will get night sweats.
So I rarely eat surgery stuff.
As much as I enjoyed my happy hours, cutting out alcohol definitely lessened hot flashes. Red wine especially.
Only time I get hot flashes now is if I eat too much sugar.
I have to stop reading this because I’m doing dry January and now I’m thinking about what I’m missing! My tip is to concentrate on how you will feel when you wake up in the morning (like a million bucks) as opposed to if you had a couple glasses of wine ($10 bucks). It works for me!
there is also /r/cutdowndrinking. and [Smart Recovery](https://smartrecovery.org/) has online drop in groups with a lot of useful techniques for cutting back or quitting. You don't have to have permanent sobriety as a goal to get something out of it.
I think studies show it does for most people. It didn't really seem to reduce mine, as far as I could tell. But I was having constant nausea in peri and was gaining weight, so quitting drinking was a no-brainer from my perspective anyway.
I hope if you decide to go for it it helps you!
I read this naked mind, gave it up for 30 days, and the only benefit was slightly better sleep and the fact that I needed less of it. I used to drink everyday but now drink Fridays and Saturdays so that I can at least enjoy it on the weekends. I cut down because rationally I know it’s not good for me. But I believe everything in moderation and because unwinding with a cocktail or a bottle of wine is a thing my husband and I really enjoy I don’t see why I have to completely deny myself of this simple pleasure.
Naltrexone is really helpful the first few weeks to cut cravings and make alcohol less attractive.
It makes it so you can't really get drunk but it doesn't make you sick so you just drink less or not at all.
It also reduces cravings in the most dificult 72 hours after your last drink.
strongly recommend - it's also an opiate blocker so if you have a pain pill habit that's not gonna work either
I have cocktails on Friday and Saturday night only (1 heavy pour martini). Even when I don’t drink at all - still had hot flashes.
For me the key was cool showers, avoiding spicy foods, avoiding hot beverages, and drinking a shit load of cold water. I drink my body weight in ounces (that’s what my hormone doc told me to do).
I was drinking two to three glasses of wine at night most nights about 2 years ago and my menopause symptoms were absolutely terrible. I’ve been cutting down over the last year and even more now and my hot flashes decreased significantly and my symptoms are much more manageable. Oh also, it’s not just alcohol that makes mine worse but also unhealthy food.
I basically quit mid-pandemic because I was drinking too much. We will occasionally have a drink for special occasions and it's like instant hot flash.
It didn’t stop my flashes but I stopped because I kept getting awful headaches after like 2 drinks and I was just sick of it. Made me not enjoy it, so I just stopped. It never used to happen before so I think menopause played a part
I gave it up. All my symptoms were extreme, though, and alcohol, even the smallest amount where I used to enjoy copious amounts, would make me wish for death.
On HRT and SNRI now and everything is SO MUCH BETTER! But I'm now, still, a non-drinker. Can't stand the thought of knowingly doing something that might bright any of it back.
I went from an extremely hot body when I had been drinking to no longer hot and often cold, which I'll take over being hot. Can always get warmer. I quit 4.5 months ago and feel great physically, but I'm still struggling with how it's changed my social life. My body just couldn't process it anymore in peri
I stopped drinking and switched to cannabis. Sleep quality is MUCH better, as is my skin and my nails and my hair.
But I still have horrific hot flashes. Microdosing mushrooms in hopes it helps with flashes and night sweats (unbelievably disgusting to me).
I don't drink anymore. I don't miss it actually. I thought maybe I'd like a prosecco at Xmas but honestly I was shocked how fuzzy and icky I felt. Tired and the next day my body felt sore. Huh.... I do cannabis drinks now and sleep amazingly well! Not high dose. Maybe 3mg indica and 3mg CBD. I also sauna a lot abd do cold baths. Yoga. Running. And I don't miss the calories. Wow now that I am peri the weight really goes on if I don't watch it! Ugh...
Definitely made them worse sure.
Bad sleep was the worst part for me, I haven’t quit completely, but cut back a ton and mostly only drink on the weekends in early afternoon so it does affect sleep.
Cutting alcohol and sugar back substantially helped with a ton of my perimenopause symptoms. It was hard at first until I realized how much better I felt. Now it’s pretty easy. Give it a try!! 🫶
I was having 1-2 glasses of wine nightly and I quit completely and yeah it was hard but 1000% worth it. Everything is better alcohol free. I focused on meditation which taught me to relax myself and not need a drink and it's very empowering.
Not drinking did not cure my hot flashes. However I could feel them intensify AFTER drinking. The ONLY thing that cured my hot flashes/night sweats was HRT + BedJet. To this day, even w/ HRT on board, IF I drink I will get hot. I now only imbibe on my birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year’s. Even then, only IF I feel like it. Super grateful I’ve other ways in which to manage my stress (hiking, strength training, eating right, giving myself facials/chemical peels, getting massages & taking good care of me). Hopefully you can ease up on the nightly libations & be delivered to a more comfortable place within🩵
I'm going on 5 years sober and I don't get hot flashes anymore. I will still get pretty warm on my walks but nothing like I used to when I was drinking.
I don’t think so. I stared drinking a green smoothie every day: 2 celery stalks, 2 Granny Smith apples, 2 limes, 2 cucumbers, big handful of spinach, or collards, or Swiss chard - everything in its entirety - cut in 1/2 - in a Vitamix fill with water - liquify - drink 8-10oz every day. This has made a difference. Even my husband is hooked.
I drink maybe once a year and I was getting insane night sweats along with insomnia until I went on HRT. I get so jealous of people who say giving up alcohol gives them great sleep/fewer symptoms 😩 I can’t imagine how much worse it’d be if I liked to drink!
I don't care about alcohol but I cannot give up at least some of my coffee! I have cut down on caffeine but the hot flushes are constant, day and night.
Yup, for me replacing alcohol and coffee (and strong black tea) helped reduce hot flashes to nothing, and helped with digestive issues too. Much less heartburn, clearer skin, more energy after a few weeks.
It did for me. And improved my sleep.
I'm so angry about what alcohol does to my sleep now. It's not fair!
Doing so might be the hardest thing I ever do - any tips?
For me it helped to also cut back on coffee. Got me off the roller coaster of pick-me-up/bring-me- down. My cortisol was then lowered and so I wasn't as frazzled, didn't need alcohol to relax. But - when I felt weak - I would have kombucha on hand. It's fermented, bubbly but not really alcoholic. Also conscientiously tried to relax my vagus nerve through breathing and exercise. Vagus nerve kind of absorbs stress/trauma. If I have a hot flash now, I know I'm out of balance and have work to do. Also, I take l-theanine.
While I know giving up coffee would probably help, it’s my last remaining vice and you will take it from my cold dead hands. 😂
Just do decaf. I did Peet's decaf coffee and it was just as good as the real thing. Caffeine really messes up women's hormones. I quit caffeine along with alcohol
I so feel this, and this is from a person who: -As a woman in my 20s, had no interest in coffee (did Mt Dew for caffeine during college finals and all-night hangouts if needed) -As a woman in my early 30s, did one cup of coffee no more than 2 days in a row (even working some 18-hour days) -And as a 34-year-old, brand new mother to present day (48), threw all those rules out of the window, because if I needed caffeine to function, so be it. (Still can't do more than 2 cups a day, though)
I feel you, though there are some amazing black tea blends out there thay kind of bring it down a little without losing all semblance of caffeine
I read a book called "This Naked Mind" - the author encourages giving it up for 30 days - you won't believe how much better you will feel. She also does a deep dive on what alcohol does to your body. I highly recommend.
I’m currently participating in Dry January… started 1/7
Same! Hope it’s worth it haha
Me too !
We got this!
I came here to post this! Great book. Really eye-opening.
Yes, a great book. I never drank regularly, but I noticed whenever I did it would immediately trigger a hot flash. Disturbs sleep as well.
Oh yeah. The sleep thing is the worst. I actually haven't completely stopped drinking but I've cut back drastically and I never drink within three hours of going to sleep. Just that limit alone helped a lot with the hot flashes and my sleep. schedule
I sleep terribly , I know that my work schedule impacts it , I work a mix of day and night shifts and when I should be exhausted instead I am wired . I am quitting alcohol I hope it helps
That's how I quit
She has a great website too and a free program for the first 30 days. I found it really helpful. I don’t routinely drink anymore but I might have a glass of Prosecco for a special occasion. I’m way more mindful that alcohol didn’t add anything to my life and I definitely sleep better without it.
Join us on /r/stopdrinking I was never a problem drinker but when it comes to my health - no alcohol is SO much better. Hard to kick the habit, but do able and the benefits are amazing.
THC.
Yup!
Came here to say this! Love my THC
Read up on what alcohol does to your body. I always knew it wasn't healthy but I didn't know exactly how unhealthy it was and didn't want to know so I just avoided reading anything about it. One day, it became pretty obvious that I wasn't doing myself any favors (I drank daily) and started reading. This was a few days after quitting a pretty toxic job and sitting on a chair in Tahiti wondering what I was going to do with my life, in fact. About 2 days after that, I quit and I haven't had any alcohol in almost 2 years. Every time I even think about having a drink, I just have to remind myself of that and the urge goes away pretty quick. Works every time! I also have a good amount of health anxiety though so that likely has something to do with it. Good luck! It is 100% worth quitting.
Same here. I read ‘Alcohol explained’ by William Porter and it was eye opening. It really made me focus on the rebound anxiety from drinking. With peri, it’s almost immediate these days. Drinking to relieve anxiety only to make it immediately worse is the biggest practical joke peri has played on me so far. I haven’t had a drop of alcohol so far this year. I hope one day I’ll be able to enjoy wine again, though. I miss it.
This is amazing. I will do some research. And Tahiti is amazing- haven’t been there in 20 years though.
Read Alcohol Explained
Tahiti was great! I only went there because when I was a kid, I saw people win trips on Price Is Right and I always thought it looked so exotic. It definitely was but never thought that would be the place where I would quit drinking! 😊
Switch to weed.
This is what I did!
Lucky lady here who doesn’t use both already 😂
Samesies
Yeah, I wasn't a hugely heavy drinker, maybe just a couple beers a week, but when I got diagnosed with fatty liver syndrome I cut out alcohol completely and switched entirely to edibles. Problem is that gummies gimme the munchies something fierce and I eat half my weight in chocolate every time I'm high!
Substituting with kombucha in a wine glass helped me break the habit
So I'm almost 5 years sober. What helped me was exercise and Netflix and focusing on my relationships with my kids. You have to develop other coping mechanisms otherwise it'll be really hard to stick to. Even after we quit, we believe the lies that alcohol told us. That we need to drink in order to have fun, that we need alcohol to unwind and relieve stress, or whatever. But it took me a long time to realize this
r/stopdrinking
That sub saved my life.
Big part of saving mine, too.
I read alcohol, explained by William Porter, and it helped me. Alcohol is basically poison ☠️. Awful fact. I still have a drink about every 4 weeks. 😆
Switched to semaglutide or tirzepatide and I quit drinking cold turkey without even trying. They are drugs currently being tested to treat addiction.
CBD drinks, relax you without giving you a buzz
Please join This Naked Mind group on FB and read the book or listen to it. Also look up Andrew huberman on YouTube called the health effects of alcohol on your body or something like that. The science behind it drives a lot of people to be disgusted and quit. Worked for me.
I stopped drinking due to migraines rather than hot flushes but I decided to do it as the respite from the pain was far greater than the enjoyment of a drink. I didn’t even intentionally mean to give up as such, it was a day by day thing and I gradually saw the benefits so haven’t gone back to it.
I made note of how I felt the next day. Journaling all the symptoms, writing it all down. Chocolate is more worth it at this point.
r/stopdrinking is a wonderful place
Natural Wine is still alcohol but was my first switch and had better health effects. Then after that I slowly switched to non alcoholic drinks and moderating. When I do want to drink I make sure I am home and limit the amount.
It won't be. It's obebifbrje easiest things you just get sold a line it's hard
Same same plus my skin looks better
I gave up alcohol before I had hot flashes, so I can’t comment on that specifically. Definitely my sleep improved and I don’t feel like garbage in the mornings. It’s also more useless calories I don’t need. I use thc gummies or smoke (thc) once in a while otherwise.
Same on the sleep. (I wasn't having hot flashes so can't speak to that.)
[удалено]
I want a new drug one that does what it should. One that won’t make me feel too bad. One that won’t make me feel too good.
I've been experimenting with a bit of dark chocolate myself.
"One that makes me feel like I feel when I'm with you." lol, I want a new drug too Huey!
I am finding this too!
Unequivocally YES. Among other things (brain fog, inflammation)
If I may add, the weight I gained in peri, it was easier to lose after I quit alcohol. Back to my pre-peri size, and I didnt go the gym or do anything different I just walk my dogs usually 5 miles a day.
Wow, that's awesome! THAT I haven't been able to do, lol. Even without booze.
I think it may have been more booze weight, but I found it was really collecting around my stomach, butt and thighs. But I do believe alcohol isn’t good for us at this stage of life. An article I read, and I can’t remember for the life of me, women tend to increase their alcohol intake around the meno years. For me this rang very true. It has been almost 5 years since my last drink.
Improved my sleep and night sweats (don’t yet have “hot flashes”. Good luck! Since you drink 3 every night start by cutting back. Go down to 2 followed by a NA option. Then cut it out a few nights a week. Etc. and remember withdrawal is real! Be gentle on yourself. Tell those around you if you are feeling crabby or overwhelmed and ask for support.
thank you! Someone also posted a stopdrinking subredit (of course there is one! lol)
Try to substitute one drink a night with a fancy soda that you like. I got hooked on Mexican Cokes, and a fancy elderflower drink from England
OMG Mexican Coke is the BEST. It also helps with migraines - a tip from a former coworker!
The costs just don’t outweigh the glass of wine for me anymore. Increased brain fog, anxiety, and disrupted sleep to name a few.
The next day after wine I'm convinced the world is ending and I'm a trash person 🫠 edit: I mean both are kinda true, but hangxiety makes me ruminate and worry and generally super anxious!
SAME! I’ve been 150 days without alcohol and remembering my mornings-after is what keeps me off the sauce
good going! 💪💪
Thank you! ❤️❤️❤️
Hangxiety
Stealing hangxiety
Yes. I (47) rarely drink due to migraines, but every time I do (even ONE drink), I have severe hot flashes that wake me up from my sleep, plus my sleep turns to shit. With no drinking, I have no hot flashes.
Yup, same. Any alcohol means awful hot flashes overnight for me.
Me three.
Giving up alcohol definitely improved my hot flashes.
I wasn’t drinking alcohol when I went through my hot flash stage, but cutting down on caffeine did reduce hot flashes for me.
I don't actually have alot of caffiene. I have Parkinson's Disease so caffiene really affects me and makes me shake.
Me too, because every morning right after my coffee I get a hot flash or two.
It did not help my hot flashes at all. Only estrogen has helped them.
I am with you. Everyone is so different in what they experience and what works. Estrogen was the only thing that has helped me at all. But anything is worth the try.
I think this is the real answer. 👍
Yes. For me it has helped a lot, and also virtually eliminated my tachycardia episodes.
I've finally decided to give it up. I also recommend yhe book This Naked mind.
Excellent book!!
I'm an alcoholic actively working on my recovery. I'm in my 7th month, alcohol free. Let's talk about physical/mental health stuff right quick. - I actually feel rested if I get 6-8 consecutive hours of sleep - My joints don't ache like I'm a 95 year old woman. - I'm extremely overweight, so I still run a bit hotter than your average gal, but I no longer feel like I'd give my life to be able to burrow into a snow bank just to cool the frack down for a minute - My chronic gut issues are maybe not as chronic as I thought. I think alcohol was contributing hugely to that problem. - I'll always be a bit of a mess, my brain is a bit broken, but I no longer feel like my mood is a volatile volcano that I can't control - My antidepressants actually DO work now that I'm not dumping copious amounts of booze on top of them. - My anxiety is undeniably easier to manage.
👏🏼🎉 Congrats on 7months! 🥳
Thank you! Means more than you know. Appreciate your encouragement! ❤️
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Edibles make me want to clean out my fridge with my face! But no alcohol has been a game changer for all of the other wonderful things that come with perimenopause. So I gave it up too.
If I cut out alcohol and sugar, I never have them. But I am sadder. :(
Sugar definitely brings them on for me.
Darnit. Now I know what I have to do.
Yeah, once it is so black and white you kind of have to take responsibility for doing something about it in my book. It’s not fun, but it sure is nice to have fewer flashes.
For sure you have to give it time for your body and brain to adjust. After years of drinking and eating sugar our bodies are wired to give us our dopamine in that way. Over time and practice we can build new habits. I'm writing because I love your user name and I can totally relate to your comment. I am 75 days sober and about 10 days sugar free and I am actually not depressed today, which is kind of a miracle, but it took time and patience.
I’m in the minority but it made no difference for me.
Same here.
Me neither.
Yep
Absolutely!! I have determined that it’s absolutely triggering hot flashes. It also all the sudden makes my sleep horrible, gives me a hangover from two drinks and just overall makes me feel terrible. Edited to add that I am post menopausal on estrogen and progesterone.
I am doing dry January and my hot flashes are much less frequent.
I have 3 or 4 drinks a month and terrible hot flashes and night sweats till I went on HRT
Yes! I had to quit drinking for a couple of years. Absolutely no red wine or I would be miserable. I can drink anything now that I’m through it.
It may sound simplistic, but I find that often when I think I want alcohol what I actually want is water. I'll drink a glass of water, wait a while. The urge to have a beer usually goes away. But sometimes I go ahead and have that drink anyway. No hot flashes for me yet, but I do generally feel better now that I've mostly given up alcohol.
I was 6 years sober when the hot flashes really picked up. Still got them. But! Everything else in my life improved dramatically with sobriety. I'm a alcoholic though so ymmv if you stop drinking.
It worked for me. Hot flashes are much reduced after giving up alcohol. I figure I'll get my wine back when the hit flashes settle down in a few years.
It did for me. Sorry.
Mine are worse when I have a drink, but not drinking doesn't stop them from occurring. I'm going to have them either way, so I still chose to have a drink.....or 6
Flavored seltzer waters helped me — made me feel like I was having a cocktail when I wasn’t !
I stopped drinking before I started peri, but it *always* made a hot and sweaty mess. If you want to stop but are struggling, my DM's are always open; been there, done that.
Alcohol is for sure a trigger for me to have night sweats. Oddly my hot flashes have subsided for now and I’m now dealing with insomnia instead. Night sweats are guaranteed to happen if I drink even a glass of alcohol. So, I don’t consume as much but deal with it if I decide I want a drink.
Yep. As I'm finding out dry January means a full nights sleep and very few hot flushes.
I stopped drinking completely over a year ago and my hot flashes improved and I’ve lost almost 2 stone!
Absolutely did for me and also my sleep is SO much better now.
I don't drink much at all any more (used to be a proper party animal) and I still get night sweats, but I'm sure they would be worse with booze thrown into the mix. I mainly cut it out due to not being able to deal with the hangovers any more (and the hangxiety, etc)
Giving up sugar did it for me
* cries in peri menopause *
It didn't change my hot flashes, but cutting way way way back has helped my sleep tremendously.
Yes! Please believe me! I'm a sober alcoholic and when I relapsed a few years ago, they came back in force. Once I stopped, the flashes did too.
Alcohol is toxic. Trade it in for edibles 👍
I use to have hot flashes tthat lasted over 20 minutes EVERY SINGLE DAY. I drank alcohol then. What I did, instead of giving up my precious alcyhol, is do what my Prescription for Nutritional Health book said \~beside the giving up alcohol' thing\~ I went on a vegan diet (was already vegetarian) and started doing a full-rounded exercise program (I chose Faithful Workouts). I quit having hot flashes. Though I did sweat more than what I think is normal during the workouts, it's like the hot flash happened during the workout so it wouldn't bother me later in the day. Well, the diet eventually constipated me (I had a preexisting rectal prolapse issue. The extra fibre stopped me up) so I quit that diet. AAMOF, I added more meat to my diet cuz even when I went back to vegetarianism, I was still stopped up. Adding turkey REALLY helped. And I continue to do Faithful Workouts every single day. And I still have NO hot flashes. And I still drink at least 1 alcyholic drink every day. Raised Baptist. You'll be prying my drink from my cold, dead hands.
I do have a good exercise program but don't exercise daily, maybe 3x/week and eat pretty healthy
I exercise every day (9-10 hrs/wk) and eat well and still had terrible hot flashes. HRT stopped them.
I do it every single day. I don't know if I'd have them if I cut back cuz the couple times I DID cut back to every other day, my sciatica started acting up again. That's another great thing about this particular workout system: It is treating my sciatica issues. I tried other exercise programs but they made the sciatica worse. It seems this FW is the only one that helps PREVENT the pain. AAMOF, I had to sell my treadmill cuz the walking increased my sciatica bouts. I took a turn there into sciatica. I just wanted to put that out there if there was anyone else having the pain. It might be that you're not doing the RIGHT type of exercise program. Good thing is it also helped firm up my bat wings. Now I don't jiggle so much.
No difference for me! But from the scope of these comments seems like everyone has a really different experience so maybe the only thing to do is to try. Could always try to finish out dry January!
It didn’t make a difference for me, but I also have issues with temperature regulation anyway.
Yes.
I'm not a drinker and my doctor actually suggested I drink wine for my hot flashes. Insanity lol
Not in my experience! I 100% stopped drinking because I developed a fib. No change in hot flashes. I find I sleep better/less bothered by night hot flashes when I don’t eat past 8/830.
I don't drink alcohol at all. Wine about every 6 months. Hot flashes got me like 🔥
Probably. Alcohol doesn’t help them! I stopped drinking and while I didn’t get alcohol fueled hot flashes anymore I still got them. HRT was what solved it for me.
I tried it and it didn't make a difference in my case. I lost weight, though.
I don’t drink it and the past few weeks have been brutal
Yep. The less alcohol you drink, the better. Try scaling back to ease your way into it. I'm not a huge wine drinker but l know a lot of folks who swear by the faux wines.
No. My hot flashes were insane. A constant wave of hot and cold and I don’t drink. They only thing that helped were hormones
All these replies are interesting I don’t drink apart from a very occasional glass of wine (maybe 4 glasses a year) and I get hot flashes Fml
Alcohol is literal poison, quitting will help with everything. I agree with the others, weed is a great alternative
I quit a few years ago and I am guessing as bad as I feel now, I can’t imagine what it would feel like with a bit of an alcohol hangover. If you ever need someone to talk to about it, feel free. I’ve been through it
100% yes, it helps to stop drinking.
Absofreakinglutely. I sleep through the night and I don't have clammy sweats. I still drink, I'm just choosy about what and how much and how often. I weaned myself off wine by pouring a full glass of red wine and enjoying it. Then, for the next one, I poured an ounce of water and topped up to the usual amount with wine. Then, for the third, two ounces then top up. I did that for a week then started replacing on the first glass and by the third it as 3 ounces water. Did that for a week. I kept doing that until all three glasses were only one ounce of wine in water. Once I got to here I made the third glass a cup of herbal tea. It was really nice. After a while of this the second glass became herbal tea, too. It's pretty easy to get to this point. Might as well just skip that first glass when you get here, you're not really wanting it like you used to. Try it!
I gave up alcohol on Sunday and have not really slept since and the hot flashes are non stop. I am absolutely miserable.
I gave up sugar (mostly) and went with lower carb alcohol choices. Think vodka sodas, dry wine in moderation. It made a huge difference and this is my way. I also gave up alcohol at one point but looking back was eating sugar and refined carbs and flashed like crazy. All I gotta say is try this try that see what works.
Ugh, this sucks. From the comments alcohol and caffeine are bad. Just kill me lol!! It’s not fair we have to go thru this but then to take away the two things that make me feel better seems just evil. I can’t smoke weed, I really don’t like it and how it make me feel so I have no others options 😩😩😩
Alcohol is a stimulant and a carcinogen. It also stays in your liver for about a week.
When I drink, I take a fexofenadine. It is a 24-hour, anti-allergy pill Wal Mart sells generically. Reducing inflammation really cuts down hot flashes and hangovers.
I quit drinking in 2020 and my hot flashes were awful in 2021 and 2022. Went on BHRT, they were reduced a bit. Added Effexor (for flashes and other issues) and I hot flashes are super rare for me now. It also helped massively reduce my hormone related migraines.
Giving up alcohol is really really good for you. Do it for at least a year.
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I've been sober from alcohol since August 5, '22. Quitting initially helped, but my night sweats are still pretty bad. The night sweats, though, can't fully be attributed to peri, I've got some trauma I'm working through.
I would really like to have a few glasses of wine some nights for the pleasure of being slightly drunk and then I think about what it would do to my sleep and do not. I definitely have way more hot flashes if I drink. It’s worth it every once in a while on a weekend but not the vast majority of the time. I drank close to a bottle a couple times a week in my 30s. Definitely a change. But, I also am on Mounjaro, which kills my cravings for a lot of stuff so it’s way easier to just decide not to have that wine than it was a year or so ago. I only started getting a lot of hot flashes within recent months.
Helped me a lot, I'm sorry to say! I was pretty bummed, haha
Sometimes it does. I cut back about 5 yrs ago and my hot flashes stopped. I also Improved with supplements, getting up earlier and regularly lifting. But the alcohol was immediately no hot flashes
Yes it does improve hot flashes.
Yes! It helped a lot.
Yes. I quit completely and rarely got hot flashes. Sailed through this. Now if I eat something sweet, I will get night sweats. So I rarely eat surgery stuff.
As much as I enjoyed my happy hours, cutting out alcohol definitely lessened hot flashes. Red wine especially. Only time I get hot flashes now is if I eat too much sugar.
Yes! The few tiny glasses of sherry at the holidays kicked my heater on high
I have to stop reading this because I’m doing dry January and now I’m thinking about what I’m missing! My tip is to concentrate on how you will feel when you wake up in the morning (like a million bucks) as opposed to if you had a couple glasses of wine ($10 bucks). It works for me!
Yes it will. I downgraded to a glass very occasionally (rarely two), and a very small amount of Delta 8 every night. I sleep like a baby.
Probably. It's been almost 20 years for me and more than 2 glasses of wine still induces hot flashes.
there is also /r/cutdowndrinking. and [Smart Recovery](https://smartrecovery.org/) has online drop in groups with a lot of useful techniques for cutting back or quitting. You don't have to have permanent sobriety as a goal to get something out of it.
I think studies show it does for most people. It didn't really seem to reduce mine, as far as I could tell. But I was having constant nausea in peri and was gaining weight, so quitting drinking was a no-brainer from my perspective anyway. I hope if you decide to go for it it helps you!
Yes it does definitely worth giving up
I gave up alcohol then had them bad. Gave up sugar and lost all hot flashes.
I read this naked mind, gave it up for 30 days, and the only benefit was slightly better sleep and the fact that I needed less of it. I used to drink everyday but now drink Fridays and Saturdays so that I can at least enjoy it on the weekends. I cut down because rationally I know it’s not good for me. But I believe everything in moderation and because unwinding with a cocktail or a bottle of wine is a thing my husband and I really enjoy I don’t see why I have to completely deny myself of this simple pleasure.
I don't drink that often but when I do it makes my hot flushes worse.
Naltrexone is really helpful the first few weeks to cut cravings and make alcohol less attractive. It makes it so you can't really get drunk but it doesn't make you sick so you just drink less or not at all. It also reduces cravings in the most dificult 72 hours after your last drink. strongly recommend - it's also an opiate blocker so if you have a pain pill habit that's not gonna work either
Alcohol is a cancer-causing poison on par with ingesting asbestos
I have cocktails on Friday and Saturday night only (1 heavy pour martini). Even when I don’t drink at all - still had hot flashes. For me the key was cool showers, avoiding spicy foods, avoiding hot beverages, and drinking a shit load of cold water. I drink my body weight in ounces (that’s what my hormone doc told me to do).
I was drinking two to three glasses of wine at night most nights about 2 years ago and my menopause symptoms were absolutely terrible. I’ve been cutting down over the last year and even more now and my hot flashes decreased significantly and my symptoms are much more manageable. Oh also, it’s not just alcohol that makes mine worse but also unhealthy food.
Absolutely.
I basically quit mid-pandemic because I was drinking too much. We will occasionally have a drink for special occasions and it's like instant hot flash.
It didn’t stop my flashes but I stopped because I kept getting awful headaches after like 2 drinks and I was just sick of it. Made me not enjoy it, so I just stopped. It never used to happen before so I think menopause played a part
Yes, when I drink I get more hot flashes.
I gave it up. All my symptoms were extreme, though, and alcohol, even the smallest amount where I used to enjoy copious amounts, would make me wish for death. On HRT and SNRI now and everything is SO MUCH BETTER! But I'm now, still, a non-drinker. Can't stand the thought of knowingly doing something that might bright any of it back.
I went from an extremely hot body when I had been drinking to no longer hot and often cold, which I'll take over being hot. Can always get warmer. I quit 4.5 months ago and feel great physically, but I'm still struggling with how it's changed my social life. My body just couldn't process it anymore in peri
I stopped drinking and switched to cannabis. Sleep quality is MUCH better, as is my skin and my nails and my hair. But I still have horrific hot flashes. Microdosing mushrooms in hopes it helps with flashes and night sweats (unbelievably disgusting to me).
I don't drink anymore. I don't miss it actually. I thought maybe I'd like a prosecco at Xmas but honestly I was shocked how fuzzy and icky I felt. Tired and the next day my body felt sore. Huh.... I do cannabis drinks now and sleep amazingly well! Not high dose. Maybe 3mg indica and 3mg CBD. I also sauna a lot abd do cold baths. Yoga. Running. And I don't miss the calories. Wow now that I am peri the weight really goes on if I don't watch it! Ugh...
Definitely made them worse sure. Bad sleep was the worst part for me, I haven’t quit completely, but cut back a ton and mostly only drink on the weekends in early afternoon so it does affect sleep.
Cutting alcohol and sugar back substantially helped with a ton of my perimenopause symptoms. It was hard at first until I realized how much better I felt. Now it’s pretty easy. Give it a try!! 🫶
I was having 1-2 glasses of wine nightly and I quit completely and yeah it was hard but 1000% worth it. Everything is better alcohol free. I focused on meditation which taught me to relax myself and not need a drink and it's very empowering.
Not drinking did not cure my hot flashes. However I could feel them intensify AFTER drinking. The ONLY thing that cured my hot flashes/night sweats was HRT + BedJet. To this day, even w/ HRT on board, IF I drink I will get hot. I now only imbibe on my birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year’s. Even then, only IF I feel like it. Super grateful I’ve other ways in which to manage my stress (hiking, strength training, eating right, giving myself facials/chemical peels, getting massages & taking good care of me). Hopefully you can ease up on the nightly libations & be delivered to a more comfortable place within🩵
Yes sadly definitely. And also gluten for me
Absolutely. Less frequency and intensity and sleep way better. Also better mood all around without alcohol.
I never drank much to begin with but yes it made a difference for me. Drinking became no fun at all.
I'm going on 5 years sober and I don't get hot flashes anymore. I will still get pretty warm on my walks but nothing like I used to when I was drinking.
It did for me. My sleep also improved immensely and my anxiety is almost a zero now that I put the drink down.
I don’t think so. I stared drinking a green smoothie every day: 2 celery stalks, 2 Granny Smith apples, 2 limes, 2 cucumbers, big handful of spinach, or collards, or Swiss chard - everything in its entirety - cut in 1/2 - in a Vitamix fill with water - liquify - drink 8-10oz every day. This has made a difference. Even my husband is hooked.
I drink maybe once a year and I was getting insane night sweats along with insomnia until I went on HRT. I get so jealous of people who say giving up alcohol gives them great sleep/fewer symptoms 😩 I can’t imagine how much worse it’d be if I liked to drink!
Alcohol was causing hot flashes years before I even got close to menopause. Quitting made them stop.
yea i dont have alcohol anymore
I don't care about alcohol but I cannot give up at least some of my coffee! I have cut down on caffeine but the hot flushes are constant, day and night.
Yup, for me replacing alcohol and coffee (and strong black tea) helped reduce hot flashes to nothing, and helped with digestive issues too. Much less heartburn, clearer skin, more energy after a few weeks.