According to Elle, the song draws inspiration from Adele's divorce from her ex-husband, Simon Konecki. Speaking to Oprah Winfrey during a recent CBS sit-down interview, the singer revealed that she "stopped drinking" while writing her latest record in order to properly cope with the breakup of her marriage. "That's one great way of really sort of getting to know yourself, is just drinking water and being sober as anything," she told Winfrey, while also sharing that alcohol "took my dad from me."

During a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the Academy Award-winner revealed further details of the song's true meaning, explaining that "I Drink Wine" is a self-reflection on how she wasn't able to let anyone in until she had worked through her own issues. "I took everything so personally at that period of time in my life, so the lyric 'I hope I learn to get over myself' is like [me saying] 'Once I've done that, then maybe I can let you love me," she told the publication. 

"So I hope I learn to get over myself / Stop tryin' to be somebody else / So we can love each other for free / Everybody wants somethin', you just want me," Adele sings in the song's chorus (via Genius).