Five Red Flags That Indicate You Should Stop Drinking Wine Right Away

Wine has long been seen as a healthy form of alcohol. The Mediterranean Diet, which has achieved great success, accepts it. Its antioxidants are thought to be advantageous for your heart health. Even Jesus drank it because it is so embedded in our culture.

However, due to the way the body responds to alcohol's chemical and addictive features, particularly wine, drinking can have certain detrimental impacts on one's health.

Alcoholic drinks include ethanol, an organic chemical substance derived from plant materials and created by the fermentation of carbohydrates. Ethanol is a widely used fuel for vehicles and some rockets, but it is also classified as a psychoactive drug since it alters perceptions of mood, consciousness, cognition, and behavior.

Following are some warning signals to watch out for if your body is having a negative reaction to drinking a glass of wine, or any alcohol for that matter, emotionally or physically. Then, read on to learn why even "light" drinking poses a risk to your heart health.

1 You're having a hard time breathing.

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology states that wine is a substantial asthma trigger. The study found that wine was the most common trigger for alcohol-induced asthma, which affected 33% of participants and had mild to moderately severe symptoms. While additional research is required, experts hypothesize that sulfites, a common preservative found in wine, may be the cause of wine-induced asthma. Salicylates, a chemical marker of grapes and wine, are also included in the paper as a potential contributor to wine-related allergy problems.

2 You're experiencing painful headaches.

Yes, "wine headaches" do exist, but they aren't caused by sulfites, despite what the general public seems to believe about this particular illness.

According to Harvard Health, some people lack an enzyme necessary for the small intestine to break down histamine. Red wine contains more of the histamine substance that is present in grape skins than white wine does. Alcohol can actually hinder the enzyme, increasing blood levels of histamine, widening blood vessels, and bringing severe headaches.

3 You feel dizzy.

Even if you've previously referred to it as "the spins," it should serve as a sufficient cautionary tale to make you reconsider taking another sip. Numerous studies have already demonstrated that drinking alcohol—not only wine—can make you feel lightheaded, especially if you've had too much to drink.

According to the American Addiction Centers, drinking can cause two types of dizziness: lightheadedness and vertigo. It's possible that you are experiencing the spins if drinking alcohol makes you queasy and makes you feel like you're going to fall out (lightheaded), or if you lose your equilibrium and feel as though your surroundings are moving around you without actually moving (vertigo).

4 Your skin is flush.

It is referred to as an alcohol flush reaction and mostly affects the face. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA), alcohol intolerance causes people to metabolize alcohol less effectively, which results in a flush, often known as red face. Hives, nausea, low blood pressure, deteriorating asthma, and migraine attacks might also be present along with a red face. Even an increased risk of cancer has been connected to it.

5 You're dependent

It may be necessary to speak with a physician or other medical expert regarding dependency if you discover that you need a glass of wine almost every single day.

According to the CDC, alcohol dependency is not always associated with binge drinking; it can even occur when there has been a history of binge drinking. With "a strong appetite for alcohol, ongoing usage despite frequent drinking difficulties, and an inability to manage alcohol use," alcohol dependency is classified as a chronic medical illness.

According to the NIAAA, there is a high risk of having an alcohol use disorder for any woman who consumes more than three drinks per day or seven drinks per week, or for any man who consumes four drinks per day or 14 drinks per week. Heavy alcohol usage is defined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) as binge drinking five or more days in a row.

Even when compared to opioids, alcohol is deemed to be the most dangerous substance by studies. You can speak with a doctor or look for treatment through SAMSHA if this is something you are having trouble with.