Credit: Julia Dzafic/Lemon Stripes
Anyone else surprised that they’re kind of loving Dry January? Even for those of us that have no intention of skipping the Sauvignon Blanc or margs come February, the last 2 weeks have felt good—and it has us thinking. For years, we’ve been sold Mommy Wine Culture..the idea that motherhood is hard and wine takes the edge off. And both of those things are indeed true. The problem is that wine or other substances can be a Band-Aid for pretty much any problem a person might have. But specifically, here are 3 reasons we’re enjoying Dry January, and why it’s helping us reevaluate the Mommy Wine Culture (and why that doesn’t necessarily mean we don’t pour a glass next week):
- Parenting Without Being Hungover Is 100 Percent Easier. Parenting is hard, under ideal circumstances. The whining, the crying, the negotiating, the keeping tiny humans (or teenagers…) alive…it’s the hardest job in the world. Doing that with a headache, fatigue or nausea? That’s literally hell on Earth. Dry January gives us permission to skip any hangovers for an entire month…and that’s a great thing. And come February, we plan to be more cognizant of how much we’re drinking…because we all know that the difference between 1 glass or two glasses (especially post-kids, or post-35ish) can be the difference between being present and being in pain. After a 5-day hangover (ouch!) Anne Hathaway famously said she was going to be sober until her kids were out of the house — and we get it.
- We Love The Ease of Saying “I’m Doing Dry January”. Of course, you can always skip a drink, even without being pregnant/in a 12-step program/breastfeeding…if your friends would judge you for it, we beg of you – start to make some new friends. But, even if your friends aren’t peer pressuring you to have that drink, the habit can be preventing you from consciously making a choice. You put the kids to bed, turn on Yellowstone and pour a glass of Cab…but is that really what you want in that moment? Or would a glass of ice water with lemon, a tea, a seltzer hit the spot even better? Cheers to choices!
- It Forces Us to Develop Better Coping Mechanisms. If anyone else is finding this month that you’re taking the time to practice better self-care…whether it’s working out, going to bed earlier, eating healthier foods, or getting back into meditation/therapy/etc., you’re not alone. The funny thing about giving up alcohol or other substances, is it forces you to find healthier ways to cope with the mental and physical assault that parenting can feel like. And we should be doing all those things, all the time.
So let’s be real here – many of us plan on introducing alcohol back into our lives in February…and that’s fine. What we hope is that Dry January helps us all revaluate how and why we drink (and how Mommy Wine Culture plays into that).
