There comes a point in a lot of women's lives when wine starts behaving badly. Not dramatically. Just… badly. You haven't changed the wine, you haven't started knocking it back by the bottle, and you're still the same two-glasses-on-a-Friday person you've always been. And yet, somehow, one glass now leaves you hot, restless, and staring at the ceiling at 3 a.m., wondering what exactly you did to deserve this.
The next morning tends to file its own complaint. Let's just say the punishment rarely fits the crime anymore.
If you've caught yourself thinking "When exactly did wine and I stop getting along?", you're not imagining it, and you're certainly not alone. For a lot of women, alcohol simply starts to feel different somewhere in their forties and fifties. And here's the thought I keep circling back to, maybe the interesting question isn't how to claw back our old tolerance. Maybe it's whether we even want it, because if wine and I are breaking up… what are my options?
Quite a few, as it happens. And some of them are considerably more interesting than another glass of sparkling water. No offence to water, of course. We love water. We’re just not sure it counts as a Friday-night personality.
So, Why Does Wine Suddenly Hate Me?
First, some reassurance, in that wine doesn't actually hate you. (Although at 3:17 a.m., I'll grant you, it can feel deeply personal.)
The real story is that our bodies change as we get older. Body composition shifts, including the amount of water we've got on board to dilute alcohol, and the way we metabolise a drink changes right along with it.¹ Then layer perimenopause and menopause on top, with hormones doing their own unpredictable interpretive dance, and it's little wonder the glass of wine that used to feel like a treat now feels like a small tax.
A 2024 review published in Maturitas looked specifically at alcohol use in midlife and menopause, and found the relationship is a good deal messier than wine being simply "good" or "bad."² Which matters, because it cuts both ways. Not every restless night is the wine's fault. Not every hot flush is the wine's fault. And menopause doesn't flip some switch that leaves every woman suddenly unable to tolerate a Friday Shiraz.
But if you've noticed that drinking doesn't leave you feeling the way it used to, that's genuinely useful information. You don't have to sit there arguing with your own body about it. In my experience, it's usually right.
Maybe We're Just Getting Pickier
Here's the part that has nothing to do with metabolism at all. Somewhere in midlife, a lot of us simply stop being willing to pay for a lovely evening with a rotten morning. We've done the maths, and basically settled that particular bill enough times, thank you.
There's even a name for what's happening. It is sober curiosity. And no, it doesn't mean signing up to be sober for the rest of your natural life. It just means getting curious about the whole arrangement. Do I actually want this drink? Am I having it because I enjoy it, or because it's Friday and this is simply what my hand does at six o'clock?
Researchers have looked at exactly this shift in women aged 45 to 64. Reconsidering alcohol, easing off, without necessarily swearing it off altogether.³ And I love that there's no grand announcement required. No standing on a dining chair to declare Sauvignon Blanc your sworn enemy. You're simply allowed to decide that tonight, you fancy something else.
And the moment you give yourself that permission, a surprisingly interesting world opens up.
Which Brings Us to Cannabis
We find that running quietly alongside the sober-curious crowd is another one, the cannabis-curious. A 2025 study looked specifically at adult women who'd swapped alcohol for cannabis.⁴ Now, that doesn't prove cannabis is the better choice for everyone, and it's certainly not a memo instructing you to trade your wine glass for a gummy. What it tells us is something simpler, and honestly more interesting, women are exploring.
Let me be straight about what cannabis isn't, though, because the internet isn't always honest on this point. It isn't "healthy alcohol." It isn't a menopause treatment wearing a clever disguise. And it isn't automatically the right answer just because wine has stopped playing nicely. It's another option, a genuinely interesting one, and it rewards a bit of understanding before you dive in. Because "cannabis," it turns out, is not one single thing.
What Do You Actually Miss About Your Glass of Wine?
Worth a pause here, because the honest answer tends to surprise people.
Is it really the alcohol you'd miss? Or is it the moment? That little full stop at the end of the week. The nice glass, the ice, the slice of lemon. Something cold in your hand while you're cooking. That first sip that quietly announces: right, I'm off the clock now.
More often than not, we're far less attached to the alcohol than we are to the ritual we've wrapped around it.
Which is exactly why cannabis beverages are such an interesting category. They don't ask you to give up the ritual at all. You can still open something lovely, pour it into a proper glass, take yourself outside, put your feet up, and inform everyone in the house that they are to solve their own problems for the next twenty minutes. The ceremony stays completely intact. It's just the contents of the glass that change.
And there are far more of these about in South Africa than most people realise. Cannamart carries infused craft sodas, alongside a range of other cannabis and functional drinks.
One caveat, and it's an important one, notice I said understand these, not immediately drink three of them in quick succession. Cannabis beverages are not ordinary cooldrinks. Some contain THC, which can be intoxicating. So read the label, look at the cannabinoids, check how much is in a serving, and know exactly what's in your glass before you get too comfortable.
But What If I Don't Want a Cannabis Drink?
Also completely fair. One of the things that makes cannabis feel confusing at the start is simply how many shapes it comes in. An oil and a gummy might both contain cannabis-derived cannabinoids, but they're not the same experience. Neither is a capsule, or a vape.
And this, I think, is where cannabis shopping ought to begin, not with whatever everyone else swears by, but with what makes sense for you.
| Format | What I'd Want to Know |
|---|---|
| Cannabis beverages | Do I enjoy the ritual of having a drink? What cannabinoids are in it, and how much is in a serving? |
| Oils | Do I want more flexibility around serving size? What concentration am I actually buying? |
| Gummies & edibles | Am I happy to wait for an oral product to take effect rather than assuming after twenty minutes that "nothing is happening"? |
| Capsules | Would I prefer something familiar and discreet, with a defined amount per capsule? |
| Flower & vapes | Am I comfortable with inhalation, and with an experience that generally begins more quickly than swallowed formats? |
There's no winner in that table. There's just the format that fits your life.
And Then There's CBD Versus THC
If you're curious but still a little lost in the alphabet soup, start here.
CBD (cannabidiol) isn't generally considered intoxicating the way THC is. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) can be, it can affect coordination, perception, judgement and reaction time. Some products lean mostly on CBD, some on THC, and plenty contain a combination of cannabinoids.
So before you buy something because the bottle is gorgeous, or because your friend Brenda has been evangelising about it at book club, turn it around and read what's genuinely inside. A few honest questions to ask yourself:
- What cannabinoids does it contain?
- How much is there per serving?
- How many servings are in the product?
- How is it actually meant to be used?
- How long might this format take to be felt?
- Could it make me feel intoxicated?
- Am I on any medication, or managing a health condition, that I should run past my healthcare professional first?
None of this is meant to make cannabis complicated. Honestly, it's the opposite, a little information makes the whole thing far less intimidating.
What About Cannabis for Menopause?
We should talk about this one head-on, because women are already asking.
Surveys and emerging research show midlife women reaching for cannabis for all sorts of reasons such as sleep, stress, discomfort and other things that happen to overlap with menopause.⁵ ⁶ But there's a meaningful gap between "women are using cannabis for this" and "cannabis has been proven to treat this." Those are not the same sentence, however much we might like them to be.
As things stand, the evidence simply isn't strong enough to call cannabis a proven treatment for menopause, or for hot flushes, or for insomnia. And personally? I don't think we need to dress it up as a miracle cure to have a good conversation about it. It's interesting enough exactly as it is. Women are questioning alcohol, old habits, and looking at new ways to relax, socialise and look after themselves. Cannabis is becoming part of that conversation, so let's just talk about it properly and honestly.
So… What Are My Options?
If you and wine are currently "taking some space," there's no single correct replacement, and anyone who tells you otherwise is probably selling something.
You might fall rather hard for an alcohol-free wine. You might discover you make a frankly excellent mocktail. You might wander into botanical or functional drinks, get curious about cannabis beverages, or decide an oil or a capsule is more your speed. You might still have a proper glass of wine now and then. Or you might make a cup of tea and be in bed by nine, an option that, I have to say, gets more appealing with every passing year.
The point was never to swap one rigid rule for another. It's to notice what actually makes you feel good, get a handle on the choices in front of you, and make your decisions from there.
Maybe This Isn't a Break-Up After All
We do tend to talk about midlife as one long inventory of things women are losing. Our hormones, tolerance, patience, or the ability to stay asleep without launching the duvet off and hauling it back on seventeen times a night.
But there's something quietly landing on the other side of the ledger, too, we know ourselves better now. And we're a good deal less willing to keep doing things simply because we've always done them.
If wine doesn't feel good anymore, you don't owe it your loyalty. If you're curious about cannabis, you're allowed to ask questions. And if cannabis isn't for you at all, that's perfectly fine as well. Maybe you're not giving up your Friday-night ritual. Maybe you're simply changing what's in the glass. And if that means waking up on Saturday morning feeling a little more like yourself again? That sounds like a rather good option to explore.
Curious About What's Out There?
If cannabis has quietly wandered onto your hmm, maybe I should look into this list, start with learning rather than a hard product recommendation.
Have a proper browse through Cannamart's cannabis beverages, oils, gummies and edibles, capsules and other formats. Compare the cannabinoid content, the serving information, and how the different formats are meant to be used. You don't need to know exactly what you're after yet, that's rather the whole point of exploring.
Get curious. Get informed. Then choose.
Curious about alternatives to alcohol? Compare cannabis beverages, oils, gummies, and other beginner-friendly formats to understand which options best match the experience you’re looking for.Frequently Asked Questions
Why does wine affect me differently during perimenopause or menopause?
Our bodies and our alcohol metabolism change as we age, and perimenopause and menopause add hormonal shifts on top of that. Plenty of women notice alcohol feels different at this stage of life, though experiences vary a great deal from woman to woman.
What can I drink instead of wine?
There's a whole spread to explore. Alcohol-free wines, botanical drinks, mocktails and cannabis beverages, to name a few. Just remember that a cannabis drink containing THC can still be intoxicating, even with no alcohol in it at all.
Can cannabis replace alcohol?
Some women deliberately use cannabis in place of alcohol, and researchers are starting to study that choice.⁴ That doesn't automatically make cannabis a healthier or safer swap for everyone, though. It depends on the person, the product and the reason.
Why are cannabis beverages interesting as an alcohol alternative?
For a lot of people, half the appeal of wine is the evening ritual rather than the alcohol itself. A cannabis beverage keeps the lovely experience of having a drink, while its effects and cannabinoid content can be quite different from both wine and an ordinary alcohol-free option.
What is the best cannabis format for a beginner?
There isn't one "best" format. Compare beverages, oils, gummies, capsules and inhaled products based on cannabinoid content, serving size, how quickly they take effect, how long they last, convenience, and whether intoxication is possible.
What's the difference between CBD and THC?
CBD isn't generally considered intoxicating in the way THC is. THC can cause intoxication and affect perception, coordination and reaction time. Always check the cannabinoid content of the specific product rather than assuming every cannabis product behaves the same way.
Does cannabis treat menopause?
Current evidence isn't strong enough to call cannabis a proven treatment for menopause. Women may report using it for concerns that overlap with menopause, but consumer use isn't the same thing as proof that something works clinically.
References
- University Hospitals. Does Menopause Change the Way You Metabolize Alcohol? 2024.
- Shihab S, Islam N, Kanani D, Marks L, Vegunta S. Alcohol use at midlife and in menopause: a narrative review. Maturitas. 2024;189:108092. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2024.108092.
- Lunnay B, Nicholls E, Pennay A, et al. Sober Curiosity: A Qualitative Study Exploring Women's Preparedness to Reduce Alcohol by Social Class. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022;19(22):14788.
- Attonito J, Mueller JE, Villalba K. Predictors of Replacing Alcohol With Cannabis Among Adult Women. Cureus. 2025;17(10):e95821.
- The Menopause Society. Research presented at the 2023 Annual Meeting examining cannabis use among midlife women.
- University of Alberta Folio. Women are turning to cannabis to treat menopause symptoms, study suggests. 2023.
Disclaimer: This blog supports responsible cannabis use. The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.
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