Have you seen posts on social media that extol the virtues of grabbing a wine bottle to deal with the stress of motherhood? Wine mom culture is prevalent in media, especially if you are in any parenting group online. This culture creates many problems. This includes normalizing alcohol abuse, promoting alcohol as a self-medication method, and leading to alcohol dependence. At The Right Step Hill Country, we want you to help become more aware of the dangers of wine culture and offer assistance from our substance abuse treatment programs should you need additional help.
Normalizing Wine Mom Culture
Wine mom culture does not promote drinking in moderation, which is, at most, a glass of wine. Instead, it talks up drinking an entire bottle after a hard day taking care of children, working, cooking, cleaning, and other daily activities. Some people use that amount in a tongue in cheek fashion. However, others are completely serious about it and readily go through that amount.
Drinking that much every day puts mothers on a fast road towards alcohol dependency. It’s also difficult to be an effective parent under the influence of alcohol. This is especially true if an emergency happens after they’ve started drinking. The mother’s judgment, balance, and ability to communicate and drive are all compromised in this situation. That can lead to many serious issues, especially if you’re a single parent or you’re home alone with the kids.
The Right Step Hill Country is here to provide you with options for an individual therapy program and other treatment methods so you do not have to turn to alcohol in your daily life.
Promoting Self-Medication with Alcohol
One common refrain from wine mom culture is that drinking is a must-have stress reliever to deal with parenthood. Putting wine as a necessary component in stress relief can lead to many poor coping mechanisms. Rather than developing ways to decrease and deal with stress through alternative methods, they use a glass or bottle of wine.
The wine can have a detrimental effect on medication that you’re taking, resulting in greater or decreased effects. For example, if you take certain categories of medication for depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses, they frequently come with a warning to avoid drinking while you’re on them. Failing to heed this warning can lead to overdosing and other severe medical conditions.
At The Right Step Hill Country, we provide a mental health treatment center to help you overcome the mental health challenges in your life instead of turning to alcohol.
Positioning Alcohol Abuse as Self-care
You’ll also hear messages that encourage moms to drink to drink wine because “they deserve it” after a hard day of being a parent. It’s important for moms to get the time and opportunity to have self-care. However, centering it entirely around drinking can have a detrimental effect on your well-being. There are many other types of self-care available that can fit into a busy parenting schedule. Having a relaxing bath, reading a book, or even playing a video game are all examples of self-care that help you relax and destress.
Preying on Vulnerable Mothers
First-time mothers and single mothers are already in vulnerable positions. They have a lot more pressure on them than experienced moms and those who have parenting support from their partners or extended family. Post-pregnancy hormones increased stress due to the workload of juggling a newborn with work and other responsibilities. Additionally, feelings of isolation can all contribute to wine mom culture. First-time mothers may assume that the prevalence of wine drinking in mom groups and other parenting content is a normal thing, so they go along with the flow.
Acting as a Relapse Trigger for Sober Mothers
If you have gone through recovery and are sober, or are trying to get on the path of sobriety from a drug and alcohol detox center, participating in mom groups, blogs, and other parenting media is nearly impossible. You’ll see wine and other drinks plastered all over the place, and they can act as relapse triggers.
Being a mom is hard work and wine mom culture can make it worse. If you’re trying to break the cycle and need support in becoming and staying sober, contact us at 1.844.675.1628.