Breaking away from the Mommy Wine Culture …advice from a StepMom

Before I quit drinking, I fed into, what I now know as, the "mommy wine culture"...the culture of our alcohol driven society that encourages us that not only as women do we deserve the wine...we need it. You see the memes about “mommy’s sippy cup”, yes that is the “mommy wine culture.”

I am a proud stepmom of three, now adult stepkids. I have been married to my wonderful husband for 15 years.  Believing in the “mommy wine culture” felt good.  It felt that I was not alone. Parenting is hard. Marriage is hard. Being a StepMom is hard. The funny memes making fun of drinking to cope…felt relatable. Instagram and social media feeds us that alcohol is not only normal…it is good. 

What I find fascinating is that we all want the quick fix. We want all of the products and typically will do all of the things. The number one thing that we should be talking about is to quit drinking alcohol! But it is not discussed in our alcohol driven society. 

I get asked…a lot…how did I do it?  Before I started this journey, I thought it was Alcoholics Anonymous or nothing.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with AA, but I just hoped there was another way for me. I have now learned there are so many beautiful options, if you just open your mind to learn. Everyone’s journey to becoming alcohol free is different.  But for me…the answer to how I quit is three things…mindset, community and books.  

First, you can do anything you set your mind to.  You cannot go in halfway.  There is always a birthday, celebration, wedding…no excuses….no drinking.  Mindset! 

Community. I went from my social media being filled with “mommy wine culture” memes to the opposite.  I compare my cleaning up my social media to breaking up with an ex-boyfriend.  I erased it all.  Anything that looked like alcohol, made funny jokes of alcohol, anyone one that reminded me of alcohol…deleted. Reference #1 Mindset. After I started filling my soul with alcohol free related posts, it was like learning a different language.  I absorbed it all like a sponge.  I met new friends via social media and was able to lean into a whole community of like-minded individuals who understood me and why I was breaking up with “mommy wine culture”. It was empowering.  

Books.  The books about alcohol free, or sobriety, are often referred to as “quit lit”.  There are so many wonderful authors and options. Books were so helpful to navigate my journey.  They are empowering and educational.  

I am now at a point in my journey where I don’t want to drink. I am going on two years! I want to encourage you, you can quit drinking in a society that is obsessed with alcohol.  In a society where the “mommy wine culture” is accepted and encouraged. Remember…you can do anything you set your mind to.  Sorry “mommy wine culture” you are out of style.  We deserve better.