Mommy Wine Culture
The Mommy Wine Culture has become a prominent thing. Moms are using wine as a reward for being a mom and dealing with the accompanying struggles. They’ll pour alcohol into their cups, go to sporting games for their kids, and use it to relax. It seems all fun and games until it becomes a way of life and something you can’t live without.
The problem with the Mommy Wine Culture is it sets an example that alcohol can solve your problems. They believe a few glasses of wine will solve that problem if they can’t sleep. If their kids are too much, a few glasses of wine will take the edge off. Alcohol is used as a cure-all for everything.
It’s also becoming harder to spot when a mom is developing an addiction to alcohol. If it is so normalized in their group of friends, how would any of them know when enough is enough? They won’t because all they will be doing is enabling each other to drink more.
Glasses of wine are being sold that say, “Mommy Fuel” or “Mommy’s Sippy Cup,” further enabling this behavior. There are even socks designed so on the bottom, they read, “If you can read this, bring me some wine.” These advertisements encourage people to drink more, and even though they can be funny, set a bad example. Unfortunately, wine and other alcoholic beverages have become so normalized you may not realize you are sending the wrong message.
Being a mother is challenging and a lot of work. But the image you are setting is that being a mom is so unbearable that you need alcohol to cope with the messes, tantrums, and lack of sleep that accompanies having a kid. Having a kid can be overwhelming. You stress if they get sick, hurt, go to a friend’s house for the first time, watch them play a sport, anything. Kids are bundles of unknowns waiting to happen. You’re setting the example that life is too much, and drinking is the only way to deal with it. Not only that, but you are inadvertently teaching them that wine will solve their problems.
Interestingly, the common reasons these moms are coming up with for drinking, contradict themselves. If they are drinking to fall asleep, alcohol disturbs sleep patterns and doesn’t give good quality rest. Alcohol is also known to worsen anxiety., not get rid of it. So, the problems these moms are trying to solve with alcohol don’t get better but get worse.
Sitting at home and struggling to get through the day with a bottle of wine is no way to live. But, there is hope out there. All you have to do is reach out for help. It may seem humiliating to admit you have a problem with alcohol, but the truth is if you need help, you shouldn’t feel humiliated. The first step is admitting you have a problem; the next is reaching out for help. The last thing anyone wants is to make their child feel like they may be the cause of any stress. Getting help and fixing yourself is the best thing you can do. Reach out before it’s too late.
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