Nobody can deny that bringing up small children can be extremely stressful. Experts have warned that reaching for a drink to cope with parenting could lead to problems further down the line. A study at the West Chester University in the US concluded that there was a light-heartedness around wine mum culture, where women joke about having three glasses of wine after a long hard day with a toddler for example.
The study was led by Dr Erin Hill and was centred around mums from both the UK and USA. Dr Hill commented that ‘ It helps women to bond, to feel camaraderie and social support when they might feel isolated or that they are not coping. But the potential negative effects of drinking too much alcohol are a risk and should not be overlooked’.
Researchers recruited 466 mothers and gave them a description of ‘Wine Mum’ culture – which means using alcohol to get through the day. The women were given a questionnaire about their drinking habits. Many of the mums were part of social media groups and shared their jokes regarding needing a drink to cope. Those who said they drank like a ‘wine mum’ were found to have a higher level of problematic drinking which included binge drinking, memory loss after drinking and feeling remorseful afterwards.
The research also concluded that this group of mums also had issues around food, such as skipping meals to avoid extra calories after drinking wine, or eating less so that they could feel the effects of alcohol faster after a stressful day.
Dr Hill said that ‘ The wine mum stereotype in popular culture may play a role in mothers’ decisions about alcohol use’ adding : ‘More research is needed, but it is possible drinking “ like a wine mum” may be related to problems with coping. Women really need to be self-aware about how much they are drinking’
