Alcohol and Parenthood: Some Honest Reflections
It seems like drinking alcohol has become especially normalized within parenthood. We see it everywhere on social media, in parent groups, and in jokes about “mommy juice” or needing a drink to get through the day. For many parents, alcohol has become a common way to cope with parenting stress and overwhelm.
And honestly, it makes sense. Parenthood is overwhelming. Many parents are carrying an immense mental load while juggling work, caregiving, household responsibilities, and emotional labor, often with very little support. For some, becoming a parent also brings up parts of their own childhood they did not expect to resurface. Old wounds, unmet needs, or patterns they promised themselves they would never repeat.
So it feels important to pause and gently ask a question. How are we using alcohol in this season of life?
Not from a place of judgment, but from curiosity and care.
Alcohol is often framed as a way to relax or “take the edge off.” In the moment, it can feel like relief. Over time, though, alcohol can quietly make many of the things parents are already struggling with feel heavier. It disrupts sleep quality, even if it helps you fall asleep faster. It can increase anxiety, irritability, and a lower mood the following day. It impacts hormones, energy levels, and the nervous system, all things that are already under strain for many parents.
When we’re already tired, emotionally stretched, and running on empty, alcohol can amplify the very symptoms we’re trying to soothe.
Alcohol can become a way to disconnect from overwhelm, resentment, sadness, or anger that doesn’t feel safe or manageable.
For many parents, alcohol can quietly take the place of regulation, rest, or emotional support, softening the alarm going off in the body that is trying to tell us something is needed.
There are other ways to regulate and unwind that do not leave you feeling more depleted the next day. Ways that build capacity instead of borrowing it. That might look like therapy, a place to slow down and understand what is actually driving the distress beneath the overwhelm. It might also look like gentle movement, slowing down enough to eat a nourishing meal, getting outside, or creating small moments of rest. Sometimes it is simply having a place where you do not have to hold it all together.
Sometimes the most important thing is slowing down enough to notice what our patterns are trying to tell us.
By Noelle Crowell, LMHC
