Drinking and PMS
December 11, 2012 12:22 PM   Subscribe

Does anybody else find that they consume more alcohol during PMS? More months than not, I drink a lot on what turns out to be the day right before my period starts. (I do realize that this a precarious time to drink and am going to start charting so I have a better idea of when to expect it.) I am curious a) if other women do this, and b) if anybody knows of any possible biological reason for this.
posted by mermaidcafe to Health & Fitness (14 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
I used to do this exact same thing before I quit drinking.
posted by erst at 12:32 PM on December 11, 2012


I tend to crave/eat carbs in the few days before, which could be related. Don't drink enough these days to report specifics there...
posted by acm at 12:36 PM on December 11, 2012


Yes, for me it's more "craving sugar" which isn't unconnected, physiologically.
posted by Sidhedevil at 12:38 PM on December 11, 2012


I hardly drink at all, but I've been noticing that I do tend to crave a glass or two of sherry in the days right before my period. I'd assumed it was a stress-response or mood self-medication thing: feeling "on edge"--> craving something that'll "take the edge off."
posted by Bardolph at 1:18 PM on December 11, 2012


Um, yes. Eponysterical, I know.
posted by selfmedicating at 1:55 PM on December 11, 2012 [2 favorites]


I WANT to drink more but I deliberately drink less.
posted by elizardbits at 2:02 PM on December 11, 2012 [1 favorite]


Back in the days when I both drank and had periods I remember getting drunker on way less than usual just before my period, and craving salty foods.
posted by mareli at 2:13 PM on December 11, 2012


I feel more impulsive the day before/the first day of my period. A few cycles ago, I found myself running out to get tattooed on a whim (luckily it was a tattoo I'd been wanting for awhile). When I got back, let's just say that I was bleeding out of two places, if you know what I mean.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 2:17 PM on December 11, 2012


Not any more but I used to, and also it was always beer I wanted. I've heard that beer is a source of vitamin B ( not a great one though, I'm sure!) so I wonder if it had anything to do with that.
posted by KateViolet at 2:21 PM on December 11, 2012


I do tend to crave more of something just before or right at the beginning of my period - sometimes it's alcohol or salty foods, sometimes it's OMG MUST HAVE STEAK NOW. I always assumed the meat craving meant I needed to up my iron intake, and indeed now that I eat a lot of iron-rich vegetables my periodic (heh) meat cravings have lessened. Is it a particular type of drink you crave, like beer or sweet drinks?
posted by bedhead at 2:30 PM on December 11, 2012


Response by poster: Good question, bedhead. I usually crave vodka. Mixed with various kind of fruit juices, but almost always vodka. It's possible that it's just another craving like a lot of PMS ones, I suppose, and could also be linked to impulsivity or somehow, hormonally not having your usual checks and balances in place for some reason. There aren't really any foods I crave when I'm PMS'ing. I just want booze.

For the record, I'm usually a mild-to-moderate social drinker, usually beer, and it seems the only time I get drunk anymore is this time I'm talking about.
posted by mermaidcafe at 2:50 PM on December 11, 2012


Oh, God, yes.
posted by The corpse in the library at 3:09 PM on December 11, 2012


I have no idea but you better believe I'm going to be setting myself up to find out, now... :)

Seconding the periodic red-meat cravings, though. It gets ridiculous sometimes.
posted by like_a_friend at 5:45 PM on December 11, 2012


I crave sweet French pastries (chocolate or almond croissants, puff pastry, cream puffs). Otherwise, I don't crave sweets and prefer a savory ham-and-cheese croissant any other time. It's notable because the impulse to get them NOW is so strong and it reaches a feverish peak the day before my period arrives. It's a very obvious pattern for me.
posted by honey badger at 9:16 PM on December 11, 2012


« Older Exploring Africa's Rivers by Steamship   |   Do we need a lease? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.