"Alcohol is biggest lifestyle risk"

[marthaNH]

It is really hard to face this one down. I think you are very wise. I am almost 15 years older than you are now, and my drinking followed a similar pattern in my 40s until I hit a period of serious grief and misery -- then it went through the roof for a few years. Didn't actually help, and wound up giving me another problem. I did stop, and life changed in ways that were mostly good. So many people limit their drinking now that socially it is less of an issue than it used to be. If you can moderate like this, it may not suck so much after you get used to it. It's not easy to honestly assess your own situation when it involves alcohol, but you sound pretty honest to me! Good luck with it. PM me if you ever want to.

[cdamaden]

Hi Jordansmom - good for you! If alcohol was used as part of relaxation, you can also look at substituting with other activities like meditation, sauna, hot tub, exercise, journaling, connecting (reconnecting) with friends and family. Best of luck,
Chris

[Brian4]

I look at this question – and most other lifestyle choice matters – differently from many of you. I'm actually not too worried about Alzheimer's per se, since I think it will very likely be cured before I would be expected to get it (10–25 years from now).

But that doesn't mean I'm not terrified that I'm an epsilon-4 carrier. But what I'm worried about is not things I do now that could, later, cause me to get Alzheimer's (or any other form of rapidly developing dementia), but rather what I do now that, RIGHT NOW, permanently damages my cognition, even if very slightly.

That might seem weird, but I really, really hate the fact that now, in my mid-fifties, I'm duller than I was in my younger years, and I'm more worried about being even duller – even if slightly – next year than I am about getting Alzheimer's in fifteen years.

So, about drinking. The decision about drinking is about whether or not to put a neurotoxin into my system that could make me wake up a tiny (only TINY, but still) bit stupider.

Since I love drinking, I've looked into this carefully. I concluded that one whiskey a few times a month is fine, for two reasons:

1. There is likely a threshold effect, even for epsilon-4s. Our defective apoE molecules can probably deal with a very small level of ethanol fairly well. (In other words, one drink would very likely cause much, much less damage than half the damage caused by two drinks.)

2. If there is damage, it's so tiny that it's less important than the joy of having a whiskey with buddies!

My love of drinking notwithstanding, I would love it if I had a social world that had healthier bonding rituals. I tried switching to afternoon coffee get-togethers, but it wasn't the same....

Brian

[Nequals1Guy]

I get Sh*$faced a few times a year to remind me not to drink.


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[Nords]

Today is the first day of the new regime, and it is going to suck royally, but I'm determined.

Everyone's different, but your mind may care more for alcohol than your body. It's not always a physical reaction, and the psychological power of advertising is amazing.

I lost five pounds, started sleeping better, and felt more alert. I have lots more room in the refrigerator and the pantry. When I'm at financial conferences which hand out the "free drink" tickets, other attendees are always happy to accept mine. I have a lot more fun at parties and other social occasions with other people who've been drinking.

I'm rarely asked, and I just say "My drinking days are behind me." Nobody seems surprised that a U.S. Navy veteran has stopped drinking. One close friend wondered whether there was a health problem, and he knows the full answer, but nobody else knows or cares.

As happy as my body has been, for the first couple years my mind would say "Have a beer!" whenever I saw a beer commercial or smelled spicy food. At holidays I seemed to want wine with the meal. That advertising association withered after the first year.

A few months ago I was coming home from the beach, and I ran across a police sobriety checkpoint. It was very well organized and impossible to avoid on the one road away from that beach. There was a long line of vehicles pulled over by the side of the road with patrol officers working their way down the queue.
The officer at the front of the checkpoint asked "Have you been drinking alcohol today?"
I answered "No, my last alcohol drink was 27 February 2011."
He said "Yes, I understand, drive on."

They know why people remember their last drink, and that comprehension must save them some time when they're running a checkpoint.

[marthaNH]

Yup! Mine was on the last day of winter, 2002.

[aurora]

Long-time winelover here. But after finding out my APOE4 status a couple of days ago, I'm done. I love wine, but I love my brain more. Sitting here drinking a glass of pomegranate juice in a wine glass right now. It's nice, and I understand that pomegranate juice may help stave off AD. Cheers!

[Plumster]

Jordansmom,

I have found that Ariel's dealcoholized cabernet sauvignon is quite good. It's not the real thing, but a good substitute, in my opinion. https://www.arielvineyards.com/wines/ca ... ignon.html

[bikerman]

I have always enjoyed a beer or two per day, or glass of wine or two. However, Bredesen recommends only one glass of red wine per day, or less. I assume beer is a no no because of the grain/gluten content. But red wine has no grain/gluten, and is also low in glycemic index. Does anyone know the rationale for Bredesen's recommendation?

Bikerman

[Plumster]

Grape juice and red wine are rich with anti-oxidants. I assume this is why Bredesen recommends it (sparingly)

See also Greger on the most anti-oxidant rich drinks:
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/better-than-green-tea/