Have you heard of confirmation bias?

Have you heard of confirmation bias?

It's when messages and information from the outside confirm & reinforce our decisions. Is it any wonder that Mums drink when you see the marketing push that tell us, 'Mum = wine = it’s a joke, it’s stress relief, it’s a way to bond, it’s essential.'

Mums. It’s not you, it’s alcohol. Alcohol is an addictive depressant. It inhibits your brain's ability to stabilise your neurotransmitters so your brain begins to rely on it to relax rather than you being able AND capable of doing this yourself.

THERE IS NO SHAME IN YOUR STRUGGLE

Wine o’clock and Gin Mummies came out of the honest parenting movement. They came from Mums saying 'Enough!  This is real life, we are ragged from juggling career - motherhood - the house.' It came from calling BS the pressure to be it all and do it all perfectly.  BUT it also came from false beliefs about alcohol.

It came from loneliness and a need for belonging. It came from women like me, sending messages to friends with a glass of wine as my treat. 'Cheers we survived another day!'

Women struggling with problematic substance use is not new. Mums and gin is not new. In fact Gin was called Mother’s Ruin back in the 18thC.

Before women were encouraged & openly targeted by the alcohol industry they were self-medicating with another 'Mothers little helper ' Valium.

Mental illness is real. Shame is real, Mums have the best & most important job in the world, but where is the support?

Social media changed how marketing worked. Rather than brands having to go through the lengthy procedures of advertising standards. They could give a brand to someone on social media and they could sell it for them. Marketing changed from being pushed upon us to pulled in from us (Can you tell Mandy used to teach in a business school lols?)

This has created a dangerous culture of marketing which is unregulated & unethical. This led to not only actively promoting alcohol to women but a whole subcategory of marketing directly to Mums that is about drinking and not only drinking but drinking a lot to cope with motherhood.

So here are the facts: 

Alcohol is a depressant - Reports on maternal mental health say 70% of pregnant or new mums suffer from mild to serious mental health issues.

Commonly experienced issues included anxiety (36%) and post-natal depression (12%). 👇

Nearly two-thirds (63%) of new mums asked said that their self-esteem had decreased since becoming a parent, while fewer than one in 10 (9%) felt more confident following the birth of their child.

When asked, 89% of the women surveyed said they think the government needs to invest more money to help support new parents with their mental health. Almost one in four (23%) said they needed to do so urgently.

(Taken from the article BY BONNIE EVIE GIFFORD ON 18 FEBRUARY 2020 in @happiful)

The amazing @motherpukka has spoken out about her PND & Psychosis. She is not alone. So it’s a pretty f****** sick marketing ploy to prey on this vulnerable group don’t you think? To self medicate with an addictive depressant?

It’s NOT you, it’s alcohol.

YOU are worth more than surviving on wine & prime ffs. YOU are AMAZING. You are SO resilient, brave and smart.

That’s why we wrote Love Yourself Sober for Mums because self-care & sobriety are true weapons of the modern mother NOT booze.

You don’t need alcohol tarnishing your crown & bringing you down. YOU deserve more.

Love from two other mums X