Why Women Drink (not me, of course)

**Note:  I have switched page layout themes for my blog so……if you actually visit my blog page (as opposed to reading the posts and responding via your email notifications), the page is very different.  You can click on comments at the bottom of each post and you will also have the option of being notified if you want emailed about follow up comments.  I recommend clicking on the box for follow-ups…….don’t want you to miss out on anything. I’m gonna customize my blog page……….I just need to find a 3rd grader to show me how.  This has been a public service announcement.  Now, back to the blog post:

Today is a milestone.  I have been sick for 3 weeks and still not 100%.  I am relegated to several more months of jaw pain as I undergo a total dental reconstruction (my oral odyssey will be explained in a future post, so brush up on your dental terminology).  I have not had a sip of wine since Vegas…..just too rundown and sick to even think about having a glass of wine (HA!  a glass?  who am I kidding?  I can suck down a bottle in one sitting).  But – I am feeling slightly better and have returned to sipping my beloved wine.  Oh dear semi-dry merlot!……..how I have missed you!  Between the wine and the mega doses of ibuprofen I take every day, I am hoping to mitigate this jaw pain and be able to wind down at night and do the things that I love (like reading, painting, blogging, and getting on Kevin’s nerves).  Don’t worry – I’m really taking it pretty easy on the wine……..however – I have ratcheted up my efforts to get on Kevin’s nerves.

But, I wanted to tell you that I watched a pretty interesting episode on the Katie Couric show this summer titled, “Why Women Drink.” The “expert” on the show was Gabrielle Glaser and she has written a book titled, “Her Best -Kept Secret: Inside the Private Lives of Women Who Drink.”  Quite frankly, I don’t know why Katie didn’t invite me on the show, cuz I could’ve provided a lot of first hand information.  And I am totally shocked that Gabrielle Glaser didn’t interview me for her book.  Obviously, she doesn’t read my blog!

I am so buying this book

I can kinda relate to the whole topic of Women Who Drink.  Mothers are usually the primary care givers of their children in addition to working whatever part-time jobs they can while working around their offsprings’ schedules.  The jobs we take during our kid’s childhoods are menial with minimum pay and ungodly hours.  After caring for children all day, we go to jobs at night when our husbands are home.  We function at a high level from 6 AM – midnight just to make ends meet so we can afford dance classes, ice hockey expenses, and technology devices for the entire family.  In addition – many women are caught in that true “sandwich generation” of being a caretaker for their children AND for their parents.  Huggies vs. Depends.  It’s no wonder it all comes crashing down and women feel the need to find something that will dull the pressure.  (Hang on a minute…..I have to get some more wine).

Oh look……she’s having another as well!

I am going to read Glaser’s book even though I wasn’t interviewed for it.  I won’t hold a grudge, although I could’ve written the damn thing.  Actually – in her book, Glaser goes into a lot of good points.  She discusses the fact that women who attend AA meetings which are comprised of mostly men, become easy prey for these men.  Already in a vulnerable position of needing support, women often feel pressured (sexually and socially) by the men in the group.  Glaser offers some awesome alternative programs for women needing help for alcoholism.  How do I know this if I haven’t read the book yet?  That’s what Goodreads is for, people!  Actually, I just paid attention when Glaser talked about her book on the Katie Couric show (which is saying something because I have the attention span of a gnat).

But – the most interesting aspect of the book for me is the “why” component of women drinking.  I’ve always wanted to belong , so I take great comfort in the fact that me and a million other women find some solace in having a glass (or 2) of an alcoholic beverage.  It is our refuge.  It is the sigh of relief when all obligations have been fulfilled……..the kids in bed, the parents settled, the husband happy and watching Say Yes to the Dress (Atlanta or Kleinfeld’s in Manhattan……they’re both gripping programs).

The fact that so many women do unwind with alcohol is a growing phenomenon in this country.  What does it say about women and pressures in today’s society?  I don’t know…….I just love the deliciousness of wine and the buzz is a bonus!

DISCLAIMER:  My husband has been more than an equal partner in raising our family……..and he did it all without drinking any alcohol!  He is an enigma.  Kevin got up  in the middle of the night every time I nursed a child.  He changed more diapers than I did.  He worked extra jobs to help provide additional income.  He seldom drinks any alcohol.  I am a shithead for having a glass of wine…….I really have no excuse for drinking anything but water.  Kevin did WAY more than me.  I need to reevaluate this whole post while I finish this glass of wine.