Want to Stop Drinking Wine every day?
I did too.
You know you’ve seen it in your Facebook feed. The red faces, droopy eyes, sloppy smiles, and a raised glass. You see it and wonder if you’d be drinking if you were at that party or outing. For most suburban moms, our Facebook feeds are filled with wine. Right?
You want to stop, just not sure if you can. How do you not give in to the pressure? It amazes me that I’m almost 50 and there is still peer pressure, but there is. How can Moms can stop drinking wine if there is wine everywhere?
Moms and Alcohol
I participated in the “Cosmopolitan trend” of the 1990s and 2000s. Drank more than my fair share of vodka during those years. But this wine trend seems to have more staying power and feels more prevalent.
While I didn’t have kids back then, I don’t see myself getting out the shaker and whipping up a Cosmo while I fix the kids dinner. But boy-oh-boy, I’ve certainly poured many glasses of wine doing that same chore.
Think of the mom-friendly wine events that are constantly on our Facebook feeds:
- wine tastings
- wine pairings-cheese, cupcakes, chocolate, Easter candy (yep, saw it)
- wine and painting
- wine and pottery
- wine and playdates (yes, really)
- girls night out with lots of wine
- wine and bird watching
- wine festivals
- wine fundraisers to support any and every charity you can imagine
Need I go on? Ok, I will.
And keep in mind, this is just shirts. Don’t forget the dish towels, purses, tchotchkes to put around your house, beach towels, jewelry, hair things, hats and visors, glasses, mugs, decanters and more. If you want a wine-mom meme on something, you don’t have to look very hard to find it.
Everywhere, it’s everywhere.
In the suburban Mom culture, wine is everywhere.
So what can you do? You want to stop or cut back on drinking wine. Hey, the reasons why are yours and yours alone. (ok, maybe your family too) But you don’t owe that explanation to anyone. I don’t care to know if you think you have a drinking problem or not. That’s up to you. But if you want to quit and are finding it hard because it’s all around you, then this is for you.
Please note, I am not a doctor nor do I play one on the internet. There are some real and fatal risks to quitting alcohol if your body is truly addicted to it. Ugly stuff like seizures and death. If you think that you are addicted, please seek help. (and beyond a blog post!)
I was just a casual drinker who stopped drinking. For me, it was about my personal health, my weight gain in my 40s, my family history, and other things.
Because I’ve heard from many of you. Many who were encouraged and happy to know they weren’t alone. Many who aren’t physically addicted, but having trouble stopping because of their environment.
Despite having nothing to do with IEPs, my posts about my drinking are some of the most read posts here. So let’s get started.
Just a reminder: I’m not a doctor and I don’t play one on the internet. I was not chemically addicted to alcohol. Mine was behavioral. A true chemical dependency on alcohol requires medical supervision. Please seek help if you need it.
How to Stop Drinking, for Moms.
- Let’s go back to what I just said. First, this audience is 96% female and 95% of them have kids. This is a mom-blog, through and through. And I hear from you. Many have thanked me for speaking up about it because they felt so similar. So that is Tip 1. Know that you are not alone even if feels that way.
- Calculate the costs. Sit down with your bank statements from the past 90 days. Add up all your alcohol purchases. What do you think? How is that for an incentive?
- Now, think of something that costs half that amount. In 90 days, put half into savings. The other half-buy yourself/family a healthy splurge.
- Ask your spouse or a friend to join you for support. If they won’t, you can do this on your own.
- Consider changing your habits or environment until you are secure in this. It might mean turning down social invitations until you are more confident in saying no. When I’m doing something that normally would have had a glass of wine attached to it, it’s hard. I still want that wine sometimes, but have a weight loss goal. And money goal.
- Read articles about the health benefits of not drinking alcohol. Remind yourself why you’re doing this. I have some book recommendations below. And, This Naked Mind also has a podcast which helps.
- Think of your kids. No, really. I’m not trying to make you feel guilty. But I don’t have great childhood memories because there was always this fog of alcohol around everything we did as a family. I don’t want that for my kids. What memories are you leaving? Ask your kids how they feel about it. One reader said she was surprised when her 10-year-old admonished her with “Hey! you said you were going to stop drinking wine!” She didn’t realize how much it was bothering her.
- Leave the house. For me, a huge deterrent is having to drive. I do not drink and drive. So if I’m not home, I won’t drink. Now I run more errands in the evening. When going out, offer to be the designated driver.
- Find a replacement. For me, it’s been an herbal tea. Granted, when it was 80 degrees out, wasn’t that enjoyable. So I’m not sure what I’ll do in the summer. But for now, a nice cup of herbal tea in the evening is nice.
- Discover or re-discover a hobby. What have you given up since having kids? I’m focusing on my health and spending time at the health club. I’m also reading more at night. But find something that ignites interest in you and pursue it.
- Have a canned response ready. You’re still going to be asked. So have a response ready. Anything from a simple “No, thank you” to “I’m cutting carbs.” Whatever works.
- Be you. You are an individual and you can do this. For whatever reason, you’ve decided that you want to stop. And you can, regardless of what is going on around you.
More on Wine and Alcohol:
How Mommy Drinking Culture Has Normalized Alcoholism for Women in America
Alcohol is killing more people, and younger. The biggest increases are among women
Good luck, and I love hearing from you!
