09 Aug Wine O Clock
If you were ever exposed to the London or Dublin way of life, you’d be familiar with what the locals call ‘Beer O’clock’. This much longed for hour of the day is usually preceded by the words “What’s everyone still doing at the office?” and followed by one mad rush to the closest pub.
Minutes past five o’clock, bars and pubs fill up with hoards of men in suits, and a few women, happily chatting and downing their first of many beers.
Traditionally, women have been less prominent during this social hour, mostly because they tend to have to rush home to prepare dinner, help the kids with their homework and keep their domestic life from coming down in pieces.
Over the years however, women seem to have managed to carve out an hour or so out of their hectic day – those glorious minutes when the boss is not breathing down their necks, the kids are not tagging at their skirts, husbands are not demanding attention, and they’re not too tired to keep their eyes open. The Daily Mail has dubbed this precious time window as “the relaxing tipple at the end of the day that signals the start of ‘me time’.” Most of us now refer to it as, Wine O Clock!
But is this just a deserved break, something that men have been claiming for decades on end, or could Wine O Clock be the start of an addictive habit?
Anthony Girard, a Social worker with ample experience in the realms of alcoholism, is not too sure that this is just a harmless habit. “There is no doubt that there has been an increase in women who are becoming more comfortable with a glass in their hand,” says Anthony.
“The gender gap in this area of consumption has been decreasing over the past 60 years, probably since the end of the Second World War. During the war, women went out to work and as a result more women today are holding positions that demand more of them than before. Marriages and family commitments come much later than they used to, and women tend to “unwind” in very much the same way as men do.
In addition, the European Union brought with it the phenomenon of the Wine Bars, and it has become not only acceptable for a woman to enter a bar, but even fashionable and a sine qua non in many societies. Wine has become the tipple of modern society, and modern women merged into this society like a glove. No more does the female home-maker/manager/company director feel obliged to be discreet and the need to hide her wines in the shopping trolley; today she can feel comfortable ‘picking and choosing’ from the thousands of wines stacked attractively on the many shelves of the modern supermarkets.”
Dr. Claire Cassar is a lawyer who works full time in the high flying busy world of telecoms. “Drinking wine is a way of life and a cultural habit” she says. “There are very few instances that I can think of when I would choose any another drink over wine and I drink a glass or two a few times a week especially in winter. It’s simply a habit that I choose not to live without; it’s a passion, a culture and a discovery, especially whenever I open a coveted bottle. It’s certainly not an addiction since I can go for days without it if I had to. It is however a part of my life that I cherish. To me wine is consonant with relaxation and that is why I only choose to consume it in certain surroundings, with certain people, and on specific occasions. What I am certainly looking forward to this summer is a sunset to the lull of my boat with a nice glass of chilled white in hand.”
Dr. Claire Cassar thinks that the issue is too complex to equate with alcoholism. “It is more deeply rooted in that women nowadays work fulltime or have careers which are much more demanding than being the perfect housewives as was the case way back in the 1950s. For this reason they too require ways in which to unwind and snap out of the job mind-set and into a more tranquil one. Wine is certainly a good formula for this.”
According to Psychologist Dr. Anna Grech, the situation for women is slightly more dangerous however, because “when compared to men, women have traditionally been seen as having a more rapid course from use to dependence. One reason could be that there are gender differences how alcohol is tolerated by the female body. For example, when women and men drink at the same rate, women continue to be at a higher risk than men for certain medical consequences of alcohol use, including liver, brain, and heart damage. We know that some of this risk is due to the fact that women absorb and metabolize alcohol differently than men. In general, women have less body water so they achieve higher concentrations of alcohol in the blood after drinking equivalent amounts of alcohol.
Also, although the prevalence of alcohol dependence is higher for men, women on the other hand are twice as much more likely to get depression than men are. Alcohol is a depressant; it slows down the function of the central nervous system, so, in terms of co-morbidity, women who are prone to depression and abuse of alcohol are seven times more likely to trigger off a depressive episode and/or exhibit signs of alcohol dependency than women who are not prone to depression (Psychiatric Times, 2006).
Mireille Muscat is an engineer. She spends nine hours a day battling in the commercial rat race. Her preferred drink is also without a doubt wine. “Whenever I go out, I enjoy it much less if the place does not have a decent wine menu,” she says. “The good thing is that it has become a huge trend in Malta so, even small pubs have a mid-range offering now. The worst is when you go abroad, on holiday, where the norm is not to have wine, like skiing in Germany or Austria. It’s all about beer and schnapps there and it’s hard to find a decent glass of wine.
I generally drink a glass or two, with dinner and when in company. If I am alone, I either drink nothing at all, or maybe have half a glass. Whilst I enjoy it, I can definitely do without it every day, though the weekend might be more difficult to handle. I have a special ritual for the rare occasion when I decide to cook. It consists of going to the supermarket for the cooking ingredients, and a very good bottle of wine. I go back home, turn on the chill out music, and start with the wine… oh, and the cooking. I’m not that much of a cook so my food definitely tastes better after a couple of glasses, but I have to say that what makes wine much better is company and the right dose of gossip which is quickly transformed into some grand philosophy.”
Dr. Claire Cassar started enjoying and appreciating wine 14 years ago when she visited the Loire Valley in France and a number of Cremant de Loire vineyards and wine cellars. “Subsequently I visited various parts of Italy and also had the opportunity to visit vineyards for Brunello in Montalcino, Chianti in Greve and other areas like Frascati for whites. Eventually I started my own modest collection and took an interest in new world wines. In fact, some of my favourite reds are South African Pinotage or New Zealand Pinot Noir particularly the ones from Martinborough. Since then it has been a constant discovery from Spanish Ribera del Duero to some Cannonau from Sardegna. Wine has grown on me as a passion and has been quite a contributing factor to my choice in places to travel to. I don’t see that this will ever stop.”
Despite the warning signs, Anthony Girard understands the need to unwind. “The home-maker will perform her work meticulously throughout the day; collect the kids from school and prepare whatever there is to prepare with devotion and care; however, cometh the hour, cometh the reward; she will sit comfortably with her favourite magazine and a lovely, chilled Chilean in the summer months or a fine Bordeaux in the cooler winter evenings. Just as her male counterpart may stop off at the ‘Club’ for a pint or a stiff Scotch, so the female career woman will tend to finish off her daily business with her colleagues at the nearest ‘respectable’ Wine Bar.
But habitual drinking will eventually damage any organism – male or female – and it is a fact that more and more modern women are realizing that one glass is never enough and five are never too many. More women are seeking help for a drink problem that has gradually got out of hand; more women are attending self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous than ever before; indeed, on several occasions, I am told that there are more women in the AA rooms than men!”
Claire Carey and Serah Stringer are both career women with heavy work responsibilities and ambitious career targets. Claire has recently changed her ways and now considers herself a lightweight. “I really don’t drink much anymore, but the idea of a glass of wine still communicates relaxation mode. As a general rule, I never did like drinking on my own, as I prefer to sit down with my partner or with friends and chill over a glass of wine. I really do not think that the ritual of a daily glass of wine is a dangerous one – on the contrary it is an extremely pleasant way to unwind and draw a line between one’s working day and one’s relax mode. People make a fuss these days because in reality, the man’s unwinding process with hard liquor was a dangerous “pastime” that could often lead to addictions, and as usual, territories that are being invaded by women that were previously male domains are always a threat to our “stronger” sex!”
Serah Stringer does not consider wine as her most favourite drink of choice. “It tends to be a combination of who I’m with and where I am,” she says. “I don’t generally drink if I’m alone, and wine is generally reserved for a girls’ meeting up after work with a sprinkle of gossip thrown in for good measure, perhaps twice to four times a week – a bottle a time,” she adds jokingly.
“I’m not worried that it could turn into an addiction because I could easily drink cider, beer, coffee, dark rum and coke instead and I think that the fuss is based on the fact that this trend challenges the norm. Men have had it so that the pub is their domain and the old “ball and chain” is brought along on a Saturday night for kicks and to keep her quite on the “you never take me out” front for years. Bless them, they have had to handle a lot of change in the last thirty years – almost the undoing of centuries of behaviour that has been unravelled in just a few decades so I do not blame them for fighting to keep one of their last strongholds. More than a case of double standards I would say it’s a case of change that is in the process of being accepted.”
Maureen Gatt is a career woman and a mother. She enjoys a glass of wine before dinner or whilst cooking. “We never drink after dinner and unless we have guests we very rarely drink during. I’d say that it’s more of a relaxing ritual whilst cooking. I relax and enjoy sipping wine whilst chopping up ingredients for whatever concoction I’m making. I do not do this every day especially if dinner is a hurried affair, or if we are going out afterwards, but it happens about three times a week on average.
Wine is my favourite and I would choose it over anything else even at a bar. Luckily nowadays it is quite popular at every social occasion. Having said that I could live without it, and I do check that it does not develop into an addiction because every addiction starts with a bit, and turns into a lot.
Although my son is 11 years old, we don’t feel that we have to hide the fact that we’re having a glass of wine. We do not drink a lot and I do not think it’s a bad habit. I do not feel crazy, unhappy or anxious if I do not have a glass of wine, so I do not consider myself dependent on it.
But Dr. Anna Grech says that “alcohol dependency is complex, and the reasons why somebody becomes dependent can vary from one individual to another. The ‘old’ idea of an alcoholic being portrayed as the person you see hanging out at pubs, or walking drunkenly in the streets has changed. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), alcohol dependency is classified by ‘a maladaptive pattern of alcohol use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by 3 or more of the following occurring within a 12-month period:
1. Over time you need to drink more to get the same effect as before and the usual amounts drank cease to have the same effect (development of tolerance).
2. You experience palpitations, shakes, sleep problems, feeling of restlessness or anxiety if you try to cut down or quit
3. You often drinking more than one planned to drink
4. You have frequent thoughts of cutting down but not actually managing
5. You spend a great deal of time thinking about alcohol or recovering from its effects
6. You give up or slow down on other activities because of alcohol
7. You continue to drink despite knowledge of having physical, psychological or social problems due to alcohol.
These are all factors that make a huge difference when considering the phenomenon of Wine O’Clock and its potential dangers.
These are key questions that a person can ask in terms of whether or not that drinking at “Wine O’Clock” has become a problem or not. Typical questions that tap on the warning signs are:
1. Are there any other ways you de-stress after a long hard day?
2. Has it become such a routine that if you don’t drink, the urge to have a drink is still lurking at the back of your mind?
3. Does it take the place of other things you could be doing?
4. Have you noticed that the amount you are drinking is increasing slowly but surely? Was it just one glass a day last year but now it’s half a bottle a day?
5. Are those close to you commenting about your drinking behaviour?
6. Do you wake up feeling sluggish (not necessarily hung over) in the morning because of your drinking?
7. Do you have an underlying psychological condition like depression or anxiety or even suffer from periods of feeling down or highly stressed?
8. Is there a history of alcoholism? drug dependency? or depression in the family?
This article was first published in Pink Magazine – July 2011 – for the original feature click here
