Obviously like most, alcohol is a huge trigger for me, but I've been reading a couple of things that say white wine is doable... Is there a consensus of sorts on this, or am I reaching?

Mase

If alcohol is a trigger, why chance it?  Just wait until your cycle is over. 

We have never "voted" on the question here but I have regularly reported on a European study which said:

distilled spirits, red wine, beer, are a killer; white wine appears to not trigger attacks.

Not much data, to be sure, but all we have....

i have heard of people saying they are ok with vodka, but not beer, red wine, other hard liquor. id say give it a try if u have O2 nearby.

i become a sober guy during the weeks i am having an attack. it keeps me honest i guess.

I'm chronic & when in a high cycle I go on the dry, in the low cycle I can drink stout, white wine & scotch, yet if I have one beer or red wine I will start shadowing heavily within 20 minutes.
I've never been able to figure why; stout is basically a beer & the difference between red & white wine is the colour.

Cheers
Barry

Thanks for the input all... much appreciated!

Maybe I'll test it at home with a couple sips with o2 nearby and see what happens.

Wouldn't be a big deal, but have to go out socially with people for work etc, and it gets a little old when people start looking at you as if you're a recovering alcoholic.  And I don't wanna get into the whole "well, ya see, I have these headaches...,"

Thanks again,
Mase

Don't give me the "has" to do the social drinking with co-workers thing. 

I have regional Reps come into town all the time and I've yet to accept the social dinner and drinks invitations while they are in town.  Yes, they write it off as a business expense, but I have other demands on my time out side of my work hours, so I gracefully decline, stating that I have prior commitments.

Good luck with that.

For me, it's alcohol in any shape or form.  Won't touch it during a cycle.   One swallow is enough to trigger an attack.  :P

YMMV.

Best,

George

Barry_T_Coles wrote on Feb 5^th, 2010 at 8:55pm:

I've never been able to figure why; stout is basically a beer & the difference between red & white wine is the colour.

Alcohol is metabolized quicker and more efficiently with sugars -  stout is given body with lots of starch and sugar.  Many  stouts also contain licorice root extract, which has some action similar to corticosteroids. And because stouts are full bodied, they often get more hops than piss colored weak or mild beers. Hops are loaded with active chemicals, some of which hit the melatonin receptors:
START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

Red wine does contain more color, and these colors (anthocyanins) have powerful effects on blood vessels, causing initial dilation and release of nitric oxides (=>trigger!!). In a normal person, red wine is much healthier for the heart and blood vessels than other types of alcohol; clusterheads-in-cycle are abnormally sensitive to what is otherwise beneficial (as well as being susceptible to intense exercise and heat, which do the same thing to blood vessels).  Red wines also contain lots of colorless polyphenols in much higher amounts than whites. Reds are commonly oaked (increasing tanin levels), while whites are seldom oaked.

Ok, I'm gonna jump right in here about the social drinking thingy. Been doing that for years... and I've probably set a record for "mixes", coffee, cokes, etc.

And I spend LOTS of time in BARS socially. I just don't DRINK much and I've NEVER made excuses (about headaches or anything else) about NOT wanting a drink.

I have a friend I attend a lot of social functions with and we have a running joke about him being the "designated drinker". But I always have just as much fun as he does and I remember it.

Don't get me wrong. I DO take a drink when I WANT one - I just NEVER feel obligated to take one.

Anyhow that's my 2 cents on that...

:-*

I agree completely with Barb. You don't have to make excuses- what you drink is what you drink and not anyone elses business. There are a lot of people that go out on a regular basis and don't imbibe. Good luck to you!

Quote:

and it gets a little old when people start looking at you as if you're a recovering alcoholic.

Is there some sort of shame or stigma that comes with that title?
I see it as a sign of courage, strength and pride.

If you're worrying about what other people think of you, your head is in the wrong place.

Each of us encounters only a handful of people throughout the course of our lives that make us want to be a better human being. We hang onto those relationships for dear life. Screw the rest of them.

YOU'RE the one who has to look at that mug in the mirror every day.

Quote:

people start looking at you as if you're a recovering alcoholic.

And the problem with that is what? I've been sober  for 15 years And I'm not sure what the "LOOK" is your refering to.

Here's a completely different take on it. Like Barry I can get away with stout (Guiness) and some of the purer beers. Red wine, for some daft reason, is usually ok but let me touch a glass of white......

Wayne wrote on Feb 15^th, 2010 at 1:16am:

Here's a completely different take on it. Like Barry I can get away with stout (Guiness) and some of the purer beers. Red wine, for some daft reason, is usually ok but let me touch a glass of white......

Well one thing is for sure the demon isn't fussy when it comes to choices of the finer things in life  :-X
Cheers & bottoms up
Barry

I'm so dopey on Topamax that I can't wait for the weekend... I feel so much better when I'm hanging out with my friends in a bar and they've all had a few beers! ;D

Brew wrote on Feb 7^th, 2010 at 10:21am:

If you're worrying about what other people think of you, your head is in the wrong place. Each of us encounters only a handful of people throughout the course of our lives that make us want to be a better human being. We hang onto those relationships for dear life. Screw the rest of them. YOU'RE the one who has to look at that mug in the mirror every day.

What Bill said 8-)

-Dennis-