Do You Need “Mommy Juice”?

Since at least 2008, the term “mommy juice” has been used in popular culture for wine drinking as a “relief” from the stress and demands of parenting, work, and running a household. What’s amazing is that a “humorous” and “cute” term is being used for something that has the potential to become a serious problem for women. The memes, jokes, and movies making the case that “mommy needs her wine” is normalizing alcohol addiction for women.

I grew up in an era where everyone on television smoked. But now on every show I stream, everyone is drinking — especially women drinking wine. The prevalence of the “mommy juice” culture is no laughing matter. Rates of drinking and alcohol addiction are on the rise among women. A 2017 study put high-risk drinking among women at a 58 percent increase in the last decade alone. Furthermore, a 2018 report on CNN said that alcohol harms us from the very first drink. There is no “safe” level of alcohol consumption and no amount of alcohol is good for your health.

More importantly, this is an activity that the Bible does not support on any level. All that the Bible says about drinking alcohol condemns the practice. Solomon said, “Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it swirls around smoothly; At the last it bites like a serpent, And stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, And your heart will utter perverse things” (Proverbs 23:31-33). Why did he prohibit looking? Because it leads to the first drink. He might as well have said, “Don’t drink!”

Solomon also said, “Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler, And whoever is led astray by it is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1). It was forbidden for kings because they might forget the law and pervert justice under its influence (Proverbs 31:4-5). Why do you think that drinking alcohol will be any better your life? Proverbs 31:6-7 indicates that while alcohol may anesthetize someone from their reality, it doesn’t take away reality. There are better coping mechanisms than alcohol for moms (and dads) troubled by everyday life.

Peter condemned all three stages of drinking alcohol: drunkenness, reveling, and taking the first drink in 1 Peter 4:3. Paul said that we are not to be drunk with wine (Ephesians 5:18), and that a drunkard cannot enter the kingdom of heaven (Galatians 5:21). Where are the scriptures that say that alcohol consumption produces any good in your life or for your eternal well-being?

Children look up to their parents; they watch what they are doing. Even if a parent is saying a child shouldn’t drink, if that child is watching their parent drink every night, it’s going to have an impact. Children who are in homes where parents drink in excess are more likely to grow into adults who drink in excess themselves. I wish parents would understand that what a parent does is the most powerful message — more powerful than even anything their peers do. Moms, your light shines brightest among the ones who look up to you the most. God expects you to uphold holiness (Matthew 5:14-16; Philippians 2:15).

The “mommy juice” culture is from Satan, and it’s a subtle device to entrap women into a sin which may require an incredible amount of self-will from which to pull out — if they can pull out at all. As a mom, I know you have stress and anxiety, and your life gets overwhelming at times. But please don’t drink to try to calm yourself. Other righteous choices can undoubtedly be made.

Kyle Campbell

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