“Mommy juice” and the Potential Consequences when Moms Drink

Posted on by
Reply

What is it?

“Mommy’s juice” refers to a beer or liquor for a mom who is tired of dealing with her screaming kids. There have been memes, jokes between friends, movies, and ads dedicated to women and their love for alcohol. Sometimes it can feel like there’s no escaping the “mommy juice” joke. I personally came across a meme with a picture of a woman drinking wine captioned “Never give up on something you can not go a day without thinking about”. They are considered “Funny” but they have a considerable impact on alcohol and its use. Another example is the commercial advertisement reported by the New York Times in the spring of 2019, a liquor company that produces a Mad housewife wine offered a Mother’s Day promotion: a six-pack of wine called Mommy’s Little Helper.

                picture by google

 

The biggest switch

  The biggest recent change in alcohol commercial advertisement and memes is that its target has been women. With the aim of normalizing very high-risk alcohol drinking through the internet.  Liquor companies and internet users share memes and advertisements that sadly become viral and embed messages. 

                picture by google

Taking more than 1 drink a day is a high risk for women and cause a lot of health problems attributable to alcohol. Women metabolize alcohol differently from men. Therefore, women are more likely to become drunk quickly than men and health problems often progress more quickly in women than in men. 

Potential consequences.

These memes and commercial products related to alcohol drinking have contributed to a startling increase in the number of women who drink in the US. The increased alcohol consumption pattern in women is no laughing matter.

Another noticeable effect of “mommy juice” is the increase of Alcohol-related deaths among women in the United States (Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) 2017). The study found that from the year 2007 to 2017, the number of alcohol-related deaths in the U.S. increased by 85% among women while deaths attributable to alcohol among men rose by 35%. That’s about 50% difference!

A study by Agbio, R et al (2017)  found that women are more likely to turn to alcohol for a negative reinforcement effect like to decrease feeling bad, and temporary melt away some anxiety and stress, while men tend to use alcohol for its positive reinforcement — they drink to party, “get wasted,” and have fun. The alcohol companies use this weakness to push their product by convincing women that their products can fix their problems.

Lastly, women need to be aware that the alcohol industry is targeting them deliberately and they aim at encouraging high-risk drinking by using themes like “Mommy juice”, “mommy burnout”, “mommy needs her wine”  in order to sell these products. A call for action by local and federal authorities to combat this problem before it’s too late is needed. I think this is not given much attention by the media and public health as it should. Just like the tobacco industry, I would like to suggest that serious action be taken against the advertising strategies. 

Sources:

  1. Agabio, R., Pisanu, C., Gessa, G. L., & Franconi, F. (2017). Sex Differences in Alcohol Use Disorder. Current Medicinal Chemistry, 24(24). doi:10.2174/0929867323666161202092908 
  2. Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) 2017, Alcohol-related deaths Retrieved from  http://www.healthdata.org/policy-report/findings-global-burden-disease-study-2017  

 

Changing Cultural Norms on Women and Alcohol

Posted on by
Reply

“Wanna get drinks” “I had a bad day, I need a drink” “What restaurant has the best drink specials” “I need a drink so I can relax” WOW, realizing how I have used drinking as a gateway brings up the concern, where did these habits originate?  Now, I would never say that I have, or had, a drinking problem. Instead, I would classify it as being conditioned to think that drinking equates to happiness or bliss. Once I have a drink, all my worries will disappear for the moment, I will start to have fun, or I will begin to loosen up a little. I, along with many other women have started to not only drink for pleasure but also as a quick solution to everyday life challenges.  

Women drinking alcohol was once a cultural taboo. Now, it is almost expected for women to drink until intoxication. According to The Center for Disease Control and Prevention,excessive drinking by women includes binge drinking (four or more drinks within a two-hour period), heavy drinking (more than one drink per day), any drinking by pregnant women, and drinking by women under 21 years. As women become more progressive and independent, their responsibilities of handling career pressures, raising kids, and financial obligations can become overwhelming. Since alcohol is a depressant, studies show women are using alcohol to relax and alleviate their anxiety.

Alcohol companies have caught up with this trend of women drinking to cope with stress whereas men drink for pleasure. These companies have started using marketing strategies to encourage women to keep drinking in excess. For example, the wine company, Skinny girl cocktail, whose target  audience is women, promises great tasting wine with less calories. They have several taglines including “Drink like a Lady” and “Every girl needs a great date night wine — even if that date night is with herself.” These taglines urge women to drink as much wine as possible even if it means drinking alone.

Not only has women drinking more alcohol changed the culturally dynamic but it has also raised awareness of the negative effects alcohol causes the body in comparison to men. The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism  states that women face higher risks of disease than men because women usually weigh less than men and women typically start to have alcohol-related problems at lower drinking levels than men. Excessive drinking by women causes a greater risk for breast cancer, liver cirrhosis and memory loss when compared to men. In addition, women who drink alcohol while pregnant are more likely to have a baby die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

It was not until recently that drinking dependence amongst women have become so normalized. Social media, entertainers and performers are used to promote alcohol products targeting women. Alcohol companies are making us believe that there is no problem with drinking excessively, and this is why so many women are unaware of their addiction or or alcohol harm. Society has replaced the view of “drinking in excess” with “mommy time”, “having fun” or “self care” There’s is still more research to be done to understand how alcohol use can impact women in the future.

 

Alcohol Memes and Women

Posted on by
Reply

If you’re on social media, then chances are you have seen a meme that relates to drinking alcohol. Have you ever thought about how many of these drinking memes relate to women? In particular, wine and women seem to go hand-in-hand everywhere, from memes to marketing tactics. For example, at a bar I used to work at, we started “Wine Wednesday” to specifically draw women into the bar. Look at the meme below, which mentions “wine o’clock”– a phrase I have heard women refer to a lot recently.

 

How are these messages influencing women and alcohol consumption? I believe it is normalizing the behavior, and it seems like there is humor surrounding dealing with life issues by drinking. This theme might make women less likely to cope with struggles in a healthy manor. I was shocked when I saw the meme below–“Never ask a woman drinking wine straight from the bottle how she’s doing”–by how direct these messages can be in encouraging poor behavior. 

 

       

 

One doctor says that these kinds of memes have created an easy way to “relax and reward” in a dangerous way. Instead of dealing with real life issues, such as anxiety, women may turn to alcohol in order to feel better. I also know plenty of women that use wine as a way to sleep at night and choose to consume it before going to bed. Wine is used to “unwind” and is seen as a positive reinforcement–a dangerous cycle women can fall into. A women with a drinking problem may be hard to spot due to the way we have normalized the consumption of wine. 

When looking into the relationship of wine and anxiety, I came across this website for a vineyard that has a page dedicated to how wine induces relaxation and stress relief. What’s the picture they chose for the article? A peaceful looking woman sniffing a glass of wine. The sad truth is that wine can actually exacerbate the feelings of anxiety and stress. This article outlines the effects of alcohol and anxiety. Alcohol is a depressant, and although it may give a euphoric feeling as your BAC rises, however, as your BAC falls, it can cause depressive feelings. Alcohol-induced anxiety is common, and using wine as a way to “unwind” at the end of a stressful day may be counteractive. 

This study looked gender differences and the coping mechanisms related to drinking alcohol. The study found that women with low depressive symptoms were more likely to drink as a coping mechanism. In other words, coping by drinking alcohol isn’t confined to those with deeper mental health issues. This is also concerning because it makes the problem hard to identify. 

More awareness is needed on the harm these memes and messages may be causing women. It seems like there is a huge movement recently to support mental health, and it doesn’t seem far-fetched to encourage people to think about the effect these messages may have on women’s mental health and coping habits. 

Reflections on Mommy Juice

Posted on by
Reply

While I was looking at memes for our class on Alcohol and Women, I was shocked by how many memes reference “mommy juice”. This was a new concept to me. “Mommy juice” is the reference to mother’s drinking alcohol to get through their busy days being a mom. It is used as a coping mechanism for their stress. It is frustrating to see how common “mommy juice” is because this is making it acceptable and even may be persuading mothers to drink when they otherwise would not. Deidra Roach, medical project officer for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, explains “that up until the mid-20th century, it was considered socially unacceptable for women to drink in public, especially to the point of intoxication. So, women were simply less likely to do so”.  Now, with the changing social norms, drinking in public at all different events such as “girl’s wine nights” has become not only acceptable but the norm. Since it is the norm to drink on more occasions and more frequently, it is becoming harder and harder for people to avoid alcohol at any event.

I also find it very interesting that I did not notice these ads and memes before we discussed the idea of “mommy juice” during class. I think part of the reason I was not aware of this concept was because I am not a mother, so I did not notice these ads when I came across them. Also, since these ads are not geared towards me and they also do not catch my attention when I come across them, I am more likely to just keep scrolling or keep shopping instead of paying attention to these ads or items. Also, something I have found frightening about our online environment is that ads will display based on other items you have previously searched for, or clicked on. As an example, when I search for alcohol memes for this class and then later scroll on my Instagram, I now see more alcohol related ads. This shows that ads and memes sometimes display on your feed based on our previous individual searches or posts. Since I am not searching on baby websites or typical mother websites, they are not popping up on my screen. This is a great concern that advertisers pick their audience and prey on their vulnerabilities.

I think we should educate vulnerably populations on “mommy juice” and all the negative consequences that arise when we normalize drinking. Some consequences may be fatigue, and therefore moms may be unable to take care of  the child. It is important that mothers are not encouraged to drink and this can be avoided by not displaying numerous advertisements persuading mothers to drink or making mothers feel like drinking is okay, especially when taking care of their children. Alcohol is never a good coping mechanism and if mothers are educated on the negative effect, then they may be less likely to use alcohol to cope. Also, if these “mommy juice” memes, in ads, on clothing and other products were not displayed everywhere, it would prevent mothers who do not drink from starting to use alcohol to cope.

(Somewhere in, 2013).

 

The Biological Differences in How Women and Men Experience Alcohol Use

Posted on by
Reply

New research has shown that men and women experience drinking alcohol differently. These findings are a reason to pause and reflect on our drinking habits and norms and to ask ourselves why we drink, how much do we drink and when are we drinking the most. Additionally, advertising firms are quick to exploit our weaknesses in pursuit of profit. There is a surprising parallel between the sharp increase in women’s alcohol use (especially high-risk drinking) and the rise of Skinny Girl brand and Mommy’s Night Out wines and others that are specifically targeting the female drinker [1]. While the occasional drink imbibed responsibly in a social environment is not the target of this blog, it might surprise you to learn of the following biological differences of alcohol use among men and women that could be contributing to potentially harmful drinking-related outcomes.

  1. Women and men drink for different reasons.

Depression and other poor mental health outcomes have long been linked to alcohol use and substance abuse[2]. New research suggests that a driving factor for women to consume alcohol is a negative reinforcement where women are trying to hide or mask an underlying stressor. There is a body of evidence that posits that adolescent girls are twice as more likely as their adolescent boy counterparts to experience depression. Adolescent girls who experience stress-related activities might be more likely to turn to alcohol and drugs in early adulthood to cope[3]. Other research has shown that the association between substance abuse and depression is more pronounced in adolescent girls than adolescent boys [4]. While the exact interaction between women’s mental health and alcohol use is still being explored, evidence suggests that women are more likely to drink if they experience some combination of depression, stress and or anxiety or sexual trauma or sexual abuse [5, 6]. These are examples of negative reinforcement, and they are the primary drivers motivating women to drink.  While men, on average, are more likely to be motivated to drink associated with higher thrill-seeking behaviors, lower inhibitions, and other behaviors that can be categorized as positive reinforcements.

  1. Women and men react differently to alcohol consumption.

On average, men tend to have lower levels of reaction to alcohol consumption compared to women. Studies on women and men’s alcohol behavior suggestion that since men tend to exhibit low alcohol reactivity that they may consume more alcohol to feel its effects and gradually this behavior, if sustained can lead to a higher tolerance and possibly dependence [6].  Women appear to react much quicker to the effects of alcohol. Also, studies comparing the effects of drinking in women and men found that women display greater deficiencies in motor and cognitive skills compared to men when both the women and men had the same amount to drink. This same study also showed that as the participant’s continued to drink over several days that the men developed a tolerance and reacted less strongly to the alcohol whereas the women’s negative reaction and increased sensitivity to alcohol became even more pronounced [7]. 

  1. Women face higher alcohol-related health risks than men.

Women who consume more than one alcoholic beverage a day are at risk for numerous health issues compared to men whose drinking patterns exceed moderate levels. For example, when compared to men, women are more likely to have inflamed livers, have increased risk of heart disease, and have an increased risk of breast cancer. Additionally, while there are several differing opinions and advice on how much alcohol a woman should consume when pregnant, the ruling advice is for pregnant women to avoid alcohol entirely while pregnant or even if they suspect they are pregnant to protect the developing fetus. Some of the biological reasons that women experience more significant health risks than men are due to the fact that on average, women’s body weight is lower compared to men, pound for pound women’s bodies contain less water than men, so women’s blood alcohol level is affected quicker, and estrogen levels influence how women’s livers process alcohol differently than men [8].  

In the US and many other countries around the world, it is the social and cultural norm to drink especially at certain functions or social events like weddings, sporting events, and festivals to name a few. While drinking is often deeply rooted in our norms, it never hurts to have health-related information to guide our decisions and occasionally serve as a barometer for when a fun activity turns into a hazard. Women should be aware of the additional risks that drinking poses for them not necessarily to abstain from alcohol together but to continue to drink responsibly if they so choose.

 

  1. Grant, B.F., et al., Prevalence of 12-Month Alcohol Use, High-Risk Drinking, and DSM-IV Alcohol Use Disorder in the United States, 2001-2002 to 2012-2013: Results From the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related ConditionsPrevalence of Alcohol Use, High-Risk Drinking, and DSM-IV Alcohol Use DisorderPrevalence of Alcohol Use, High-Risk Drinking, and DSM-IV Alcohol Use Disorder. JAMA Psychiatry, 2017. 74(9): p. 911-923.
  2. Ramsey, S.E., P.A. Engler, and M.D. Stein, Alcohol Use Among Depressed Patients: The Need for Assessment and Intervention. Professional psychology, research and practice, 2005. 36(2): p. 203-207.
  3. Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Gender Differences in Depression. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2001. 10(5): p. 173-176.
  4. Hallfors, D.D., et al., Which Comes First in Adolescence—Sex and Drugs or Depression? American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2005. 29(3): p. 163-170.
  5. Poulin, C., et al., Gender differences in the association between substance use and elevated depressive symptoms in a general adolescent population. Addiction, 2005. 100(4): p. 525-35.
  6. Champion, H.L., et al., Adolescent sexual victimization, use of alcohol and other substances, and other health risk behaviors. J Adolesc Health, 2004. 35(4): p. 321-8.
  7. Dougherty, D.M., J.M. Bjork, and R.H. Bennett, Effects of alcohol on rotary pursuit performance: A gender comparison. The Psychological Record, 1998. 48(3): p. 393-405.
  8. NIAA. Women. 2019; Available from: https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/special-populations-co-occurring-disorders/women.