Be Well: How “Mommy Juice” Culture Gives Rise to Alcohol Normalization

Alcohol use is rising among women of all ages, and even more so during COVID seclusion.

Whether they were in-person or now on Zoom, have you noticed that all women’s gatherings—even children’s birthday parties and fitness events—now include alcohol? The normalizing of everyday alcohol consumption has happened slowly and somewhat sneakily, but it has definitely happened.

If you’ve noticed, and it doesn’t quite sit right with you—or your body—you’re not alone. What does this mean for women’s health?

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism (NIAAA), 1) more women are drinking, 2) they’re drinking at increasing rates, and 3) it’s worrisome because alcohol affects women more profoundly than it does men. For instance, women are more likely to experience hangovers, blacking out, and liver inflammation from excessive alcohol consumption.

So, what defines excessive?

Paul Ratté, ND, of Northwestern Health Sciences University, notes that many of his female patients think that two drinks per day is moderate drinking. “But for women, it’s one drink per day, or seven drinks per week. Anything more than that is technically excessive and increases your risk for adverse health effects.”

Read the full article from Mpls.St.Paul Magazine’s Be Well online.