A nightly glass of wine is a welcome respite from the challenges of motherhood that working and stay-at-home moms face every day. In fact, society has come to understand that many mommies indulge in a little alcohol consumption for sanity’s sake. But this normalization of drinking alcohol as a parental vice has become a dangerous wine culture with very little discretion. Many moms have gone from occasional to regular drinkers among well-meaning peers who are doing the same thing. At a certain point, it becomes an addiction, which is why the motherhood drinking trend is so dangerous.
Wine Enters the Parenting Scene
Good moms being winos is a paradox that is commonplace. But these are otherwise wonderful parents who work hard to ensure their children have the best of everything. Unfortunately, alcohol has its way of sneaking into the scenario. A glass of wine saved for after the kids are asleep in bed suddenly joins you for bedtime stories. Helping the kids with homework seems easier with a little help from the bottle. Pretty soon, the coffee mug that jokes about containing wine really does contain wine, and wine culture promotes this as normal, expected behavior.
How Social Media Promotes Moms Addicted to Alcohol
One of the biggest normalizers of “drinking while momming” is the internet. Social media especially has become a forum for women who suffer from challenges associated with work, parenting, keeping house, and taking care of oneself. It is a balancing act for which moms receive very little appreciation or help, and social media offers a unique coping mechanism.
Proof that social media promotes women and wine can be found in pages entitled “Mommy Needs a Vodka” or “Mommies Who Need Wine.” These pages offer funny anecdotes about moms who really only need one thing to solve all of their problems: alcohol. They show images of women holding babies with a glass in their hands. They reference moms getting off work and indulging in spirits. In all of this messaging is an implication that it is everybody’s little secret. The hesitant mother has a hard time resisting temptation when she finds out that others are using alcohol to improve their lives.
The biggest lie that social media delivers is that moms are improving their lives by drinking. This is because moms aren’t inclined to post pictures of their late-night mishaps or morning hangovers. It is also because marketers have detected a target market in mothers that is ripe for the taking.
How Marketers Take Advantage of #winemom
Selling to mothers is a longstanding tradition of most marketers who recognize that having a female stamp of approval can be advantageous. This is why they use images of happy, successful mothers who drink. They also prey on moms who feel like they’ve lost their identity to motherhood. Drinking is shown as a way to rekindle and maintain friendships. Essentially, wine is a way for mothers to get their lives back, or at least that is the story marketing companies tell.
How Wine Culture Becomes Dangerous
Possibly the most dangerous thing about wine culture is that it offers an excuse. Your red eyes at work in the morning are understood by other red-eyed moms who share the same problem. Your hashtags pairing alcohol with motherhood are part of a social media club, and you are included. No mistake is too big because you can blame it on the booze. It was a one-time thing. But it becomes a regularity, and wine culture does damage.
As a person begins to drink regularly during bath time, story time, or after the kids are asleep, drinking alcohol becomes a habit. Eventually, the story cannot be read until the wine is poured. The bath cannot be started without the bubbly. Even the children begin to think alcohol is a normal part of their nightly routine with mom. Of course, the same thing can be said for dad if he is responsible for this duty. The dangers of wine culture are not restricted to one sex or one parent.
The excuse for drinking alcohol leads to excessive alcohol consumption. The normalization of drinking while parenting leads to excessive consumption. It doesn’t take long for wine culture to lead to addiction. No #winemom is proud when she realizes her kids are making memories of her reading stories with slurred speech. The family doesn’t benefit when mom loses her license to drunk driving…or worse. The horrible things that can happen once mom is addicted to alcohol are endless, and they will happen if mom doesn’t get help.
Seeking Addiction Treatment
Many mothers and women in general are reluctant to seek treatment for their alcohol addiction. They might even be reluctant to label it an addiction because of the negative stigmas associated with it. Seeking addiction treatment then becomes a hurdle that comes with admission and personal accountability. It is a big step to get treatment, but the cost of not getting treatment is too great to endure.
The difficulty in seeking treatment can only be helped by making the call to the treatment center. It hurts to make the call, but once you have made it, you’ll get some true relief. It is the type of relief you were seeking from that glass of wine, but it actually delivers.
At Covenant Hills addiction treatment program, we offer two modes of rehabilitation to help you find the path back to successful, sober living. One is a religious option, as we are a Christian organization. The other is our traditional option, so we can offer help to people from all backgrounds and beliefs.
Women and wine is an idea that has many moms stuck in a cycle of drinking to cope with problems that are eventually caused by drinking. It seems like a solution to your problems until it creates more problems. By this time, you might be having a hard time setting it down. And that is understandable. It is an addictive substance normalized by wine culture. That is why we are here to help get you back on the path to living a sober life you and your children will share for the wonderful gift that it is.
