Drinking wine, celebrating success, socialising and venting about the challenges, joys and triumphs within our daily lives may have become the norm now, but these topics should also be honestly taking into consideration the pros and cons.
The Vent is providing a platform for people to listen in while friends share their opinions, thoughts and a dynamic range of stories that will intrigue you and may encourage friendship groups to have these hard conversations, being brave and vulnerable. With an insightful and funny banter about them, this first topic is perhaps something that is going to kickstart some deep conversations and remind you that you are not alone in the struggles that they are facing.
“When we are vulnerable, we grow together and having the hard conversations are what The Vent is all about,” says Madeleine, a member of The Vent. Pop over to www.thevent.co.za … here’s a taste of what you’ll find.
How much wine is too much wine? Busy mom’s introspective views on the balance between juggling life and being conscious of emotional health.
A mom and entrepreneur has taken a brave leap of faith and reached out to say that the last 18 months have been horrific. In all honesty, having at least three glasses of wine each night is the norm. She usually reached for this the moment she got home because she was exhausted. There was comfort in a bottle of wine, on most days. After our recent podcast recording on The VENT, Madelein Hendricks came to realise that although we are not all experiencing the same thing, drinking has become a coping mechanism for many households around the world, as we live through lockdown stress and the uncertainty of what comes next. Madelein justifies this by saying to herself, “I’ve earned it—after all, its only wine, and I never get drunk.” This is the lie that she tells herself and she believes that many other moms have similar conversations with themselves.
When asked how many glasses of wine is acceptable, the group of moms provided a unique mixture of answers and opinions. Both Keri Morrison and Michelle Austin thought that one glass a day was acceptable, while Angie Wells explained that a glass of wine with her finance during the week was the norm, but that weekends called for socialising and that’s where the volume of the alcohol would be consumed.
This highlights an important topic – has “I need a glass of wine” become the go to invitation for our friends to drop what we are doing, as that friend needs us to be there for them? It’s a phrase that we all know and use often in our lives as a cry for help and an excuse to be around our friends, perhaps even opening opportunities to not deal with the real world.
Our research reveals that many women wrestle with the same nagging questions: Is alcohol affecting my health? How do I know if I have a problem? Will I feel better if I stop? Problem is, there may be as many answers to these questions as there are people who ask them.
According to a RAND Corporation study, during the pandemic, women have increased their heavy drinking days by 41% compared to before the pandemic. Additional research has shown that the psychological stress related to COVID-19 was associated with greater drinking for women, but not men.
What is an alcoholic?
Alcoholism, now known as alcohol use disorder, is a condition in which a person has a desire or physical need to consume alcohol, even though it has a negative impact on their life.
But Dr`s say wine is good for you, so, what is the fuss about?
When you ask the question, everyone knows that idiom, but are we conveniently forgetting that we are only talking about red wine here?
Red wine, in moderation, has long been thought of as heart healthy. The alcohol and certain substances in red wine called antioxidants may help prevent coronary artery disease, the condition that leads to heart attacks.
Is it really frowned upon to drink alone?
Keri Morrison explains during the podcast conversation that even though she is married to an Irishman that it is expected to drink a lot, but she very seldom finds herself drinking alone. For the others it is quite the norm to have a glass of wine or muscadel every night before bed just to take the edge off the stress of the day.
If I’m worried that I might be drinking too much, what do I do?
We hoped that there would be a quiz that we could present along the lines of “Am I an alcoholic?” but sadly this is not the answer. We believe that deep inside of us we know the answer to this question. Here at The Vent we want to encourage anyone who suspects that they might be drinking too much, to have this conversation amongst their friends as a starting point to building a foundation around this sensitive subject. We believe it can shed some light on your own intake but also possibly be a helping hand to a friend. When we are vulnerable, we grow together and having the hard conversations are what The Vent is all about.
Details: www.thevent.co.za or AA South Africa at www.aasouthafrica.org.za
