If it’s wine o’clock you could have a problem

PROFESSIONALS who are using a “few glasses” of wine as their evening wind-down are putting themselves at risk of heart problems, liver disease and alcohol-induced dementia.

Doctors are warning that while a few glasses of wine with dinner might be seen as “culturally sophisticated”, the middle-class trend of “wine o’clock” is masking a form of chronic alcoholism.

And while most responsible drinking advertising is targeted to young people, there also is a growing concern about those in their 50s and 60s binge-drinking.

It comes as data reveals that 27.3 per cent of people aged 55-64 are consuming alcohol at levels that are posing a longterm risk to their health.

Australian Medical Association president Brad Frankum said there was a lack of awareness about the dangers of home drinking.

“The problem I see frequently is couples who share a bottle of wine between them every night,” Dr Frankum said.

Dr Frankum said two standard drinks a day was “the upper limit” and people of all ages should be having at least two drink-free days per week.

AMA national vice-president Dr Tony Bartone said: “Part of the problem is that drinking is culturally embedded as a way to wind down in the evenings and relax.

“But there are a large number of people who would be bordering on being chronic alcoholics and not knowing the case.”