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Abstract

s on the rise — and women just so happen to be the wellness industry’s number one customer.</p><h1 id="c0d3">A Look at Women and Alcohol Use</h1><p id="8e6f">Women are drinking more alcohol and experiencing more alcohol-related health issues at an unprecedented and alarming rate. In fact, alcohol abuse in women is increasing more than in any other group.</p><p id="33cd">A 2017 study found that female alcohol use disorder in the U.S. increased by 83.7% between 2002 and 2013 and continues to escalate.[<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2647079"></a>] Based on these findings, the researchers declared increased alcohol use a “public health crisis.” Additionally, the CDC reports that:[<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/womens-health.htm#:~:text=In%202019%2C%204%25%20of%20women,had%20an%20alcohol%20use%20disorder."></a>]</p><ul><li>About 18% of women ages 18–44 binge drink.</li><li>In 2019, 4% of women overall and 8% of women ages 18–25 had an alcohol use disorder.</li><li>About 13% of adult women binge drink an average of four times per month, consuming five drinks per binge.</li><li>In 2019, 32% of female high school students consumed alcohol.</li></ul><p id="9e17">The CDC suggests that women consume no more than one drink per day. That’s equivalent to:</p><ul><li>12 ounces of beer (5% alcohol)</li><li>5 ounces of wine (12% alcohol)</li><li>1.5 ounces (a “shot”) of 80 proof distilled spirits or liquor (40% alcohol)</li></ul><p id="3bb9">Five ounces of wine is not much, friends. Drinking more than the upper limit can increase your risk of serious health issues, including heart disease, liver disease, cancer, high blood pressure, stroke, digestive problems, dementia, weakened immune system, and mental health disorders.[<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm#:~:text=Long%2DTerm%20Health%20Risks,liver%20disease%2C%20and%20digestive%20problems.&text=Cancer%20of%20the%20breast%2C%20mouth,liver%2C%20colon%2C%20and%20rectum."></a>]</p><p id="49c6">Additionally, research shows that women who drink have a higher risk of alcohol-related health issues than their male counterparts.[<a href="https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa46.htm#:~:text=Women%20achieve%20higher%20concentrations%20of,traffic%20crashes%20and%20interpersonal%20violence."></a>]</p><p id="4f90">To top it off, alcohol often comes with a slew of unpleasant side effects, including hangovers, anxiety, shame, relationship issues, out-of-character behavior, and cringey texts.</p><h1 id="4e8e">Alcohol Doesn’t Belong in the Wellness World</h1><p id="17b2">I imagine a lot of you are reading this and thinking, but what about women who don’t have a problem with alcohol? What’s the harm in attending an alcohol-centric wellness event? In my opinion, “alcohol-centric wellness event” is an oxymoron.</p><p id="e7f

Options

b">The problem isn’t necessarily the alcohol itself. If you can drink safely and moderately without negative effects and you enjoy doing so, by all means, you do you! Whether you choose to drink or not is your decision. My issue is with the presence of alcohol in wellness spaces. Alcohol has no business being at wellness events because alcohol is not a tool for wellness.</p><p id="4ada">Wellness events promote health and vitality, and as such, it’s deeply problematic that those same events are normalizing alcohol as a wellness practice and reinforcing a “you earned this” narrative.</p><p id="0c0a">Sure, a glass of wine might be fun and help you relax in the moment, but we know the risks of drinking alcohol outweigh the short-lived benefits. We know that alcohol abuse is steadily increasing. We know that alcohol is a psychoactive drug and, contrary to popular belief, research shows that no amount of alcohol is good for your health.[<a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/08/24/641618937/no-amount-of-alcohol-is-good-for-your-health-global-study-claims">*</a>]</p><p id="61fd">We can do better than perpetuating the idea that alcohol use is trendy, cute, and beneficial.</p><p id="32bd">If you want to drink, there are plenty of places to do so. Let the wellness retreats, yoga classes, and 5K’s stay true to what they were originally intended to be — spaces that encourage health, personal growth, and genuine connection.</p><h1 id="ec25">Getting to the Core of the Issue</h1><p id="e84f">The hard truth is the alcohol industry is making a <i>fortune</i> off of the use of alcohol to soothe the skyrocketing rates of anxiety and depression in women. This 1.49 trillion-dollar industry, which is predominately run by men and increasingly targeted at women, wants us to believe we need alcohol to survive our human experience.</p><p id="2822">Rather than providing alcohol at wellness events in the name of self-care, let’s focus on healing the parts of us that feel we need alcohol to have fun, let loose, enjoy activities, connect with others, handle stress, survive motherhood, and feel like we belong.</p><p id="e373">We are infinitely more capable than alcohol messaging gives us credit for. We have plenty of grit and strength within us and do not need alcohol to get through challenging times or enjoy life.</p><p id="d595">What we need is <a href="https://daralainemurray.com/">community</a>, support, <a href="https://daralainemurray.com/updates/the-self-care-conundrum-how-to-create-time-and-space-for-yourself-amidst-lifes-demandsnbsp">real self-care</a>, <a href="https://daralainemurray.com/updates/want-a-more-joyful-life">genuine joy,</a> and a reminder that we have everything we need within us.</p><figure id="57be"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*j3QcKxxqgwu2ePQlMwlhPw.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></article></body>

Alcohol Does Not Belong in Wellness Spaces

The other day I got an invite to attend a yoga event. My initial reaction was “Yes!”…until I read through the entire event description. The yoga class would be held in a wine garden and attendees would receive a complimentary glass of wine before and after the class.

Ugh. Hard pass.

I’m sober myself, but my sobriety wasn’t the main reason I cringed in response to this event. Rather, I was alarmed by the deeply problematic messaging that alcohol is associated with health, wellness, and vitality.

As someone who works in the wellness sector, I feel that it’s my duty, along with other wellness professionals, to clap back at this messaging: Alcohol does not belong in wellness spaces. Period.

I understand this might be a hot take for some, but I hope you’ll hear me out.

A Culture Obsessed with Health and Alcohol

Culturally, we are obsessed with health and wellness. We read labels, shun processed foods, buy organic, go gluten-free, use natural skin care products, worry about fluoride in our water, practice yoga, meditate, drink out of BPA-free water bottles, journal, juice, cleanse, and collect crystals. Yet we drink alcohol.

Do you know what alcohol actually is? Chemically known as ethanol, alcohol is a neurotoxic, psychoactive drug. It’s used as an antiseptic in medical wipes and anti-bacterial formulas because it kills organisms by denaturing their proteins. It’s also used in paints, tinctures, markers, perfumes, and engine fuel.[*]

In other words, many health-conscious folks who won’t touch a non-organic veggie with a ten-foot pole are drinking, by choice, the same substance used to make engine fuel.

Alcohol has become so ingrained in our culture that it’s infiltrated every corner of society — even wellness events. It’s now commonplace to receive a complimentary pint of beer after a 5K. Wellness events with names like Vino & Vinyasa and Pilates & Pints are popping up left and right. Wellness retreats proudly advertise their organic wine offerings.

How can this be? How can an event that preaches wellness and serves only the cleanest organic food also promote drinking a neurotoxic, psychoactive drug that kills living organisms?

In my opinion, pairing alcohol with wellness is a huge mistake. As wellness professionals, we must be more thoughtful in the messages we choose to send through our events. Why? There are several reasons. First of all, alcohol abuse in women is on the rise — and women just so happen to be the wellness industry’s number one customer.

A Look at Women and Alcohol Use

Women are drinking more alcohol and experiencing more alcohol-related health issues at an unprecedented and alarming rate. In fact, alcohol abuse in women is increasing more than in any other group.

A 2017 study found that female alcohol use disorder in the U.S. increased by 83.7% between 2002 and 2013 and continues to escalate.[*] Based on these findings, the researchers declared increased alcohol use a “public health crisis.” Additionally, the CDC reports that:[*]

About 18% of women ages 18–44 binge drink.
In 2019, 4% of women overall and 8% of women ages 18–25 had an alcohol use disorder.
About 13% of adult women binge drink an average of four times per month, consuming five drinks per binge.
In 2019, 32% of female high school students consumed alcohol.

The CDC suggests that women consume no more than one drink per day. That’s equivalent to:

12 ounces of beer (5% alcohol)
5 ounces of wine (12% alcohol)
1.5 ounces (a “shot”) of 80 proof distilled spirits or liquor (40% alcohol)

Five ounces of wine is not much, friends. Drinking more than the upper limit can increase your risk of serious health issues, including heart disease, liver disease, cancer, high blood pressure, stroke, digestive problems, dementia, weakened immune system, and mental health disorders.[*]

Additionally, research shows that women who drink have a higher risk of alcohol-related health issues than their male counterparts.[*]

To top it off, alcohol often comes with a slew of unpleasant side effects, including hangovers, anxiety, shame, relationship issues, out-of-character behavior, and cringey texts.

Alcohol Doesn’t Belong in the Wellness World

I imagine a lot of you are reading this and thinking, but what about women who don’t have a problem with alcohol? What’s the harm in attending an alcohol-centric wellness event? In my opinion, “alcohol-centric wellness event” is an oxymoron.

The problem isn’t necessarily the alcohol itself. If you can drink safely and moderately without negative effects and you enjoy doing so, by all means, you do you! Whether you choose to drink or not is your decision. My issue is with the presence of alcohol in wellness spaces. Alcohol has no business being at wellness events because alcohol is not a tool for wellness.

Wellness events promote health and vitality, and as such, it’s deeply problematic that those same events are normalizing alcohol as a wellness practice and reinforcing a “you earned this” narrative.

Sure, a glass of wine might be fun and help you relax in the moment, but we know the risks of drinking alcohol outweigh the short-lived benefits. We know that alcohol abuse is steadily increasing. We know that alcohol is a psychoactive drug and, contrary to popular belief, research shows that no amount of alcohol is good for your health.[*]

We can do better than perpetuating the idea that alcohol use is trendy, cute, and beneficial.

If you want to drink, there are plenty of places to do so. Let the wellness retreats, yoga classes, and 5K’s stay true to what they were originally intended to be — spaces that encourage health, personal growth, and genuine connection.

Getting to the Core of the Issue

The hard truth is the alcohol industry is making a fortune off of the use of alcohol to soothe the skyrocketing rates of anxiety and depression in women. This 1.49 trillion-dollar industry, which is predominately run by men and increasingly targeted at women, wants us to believe we need alcohol to survive our human experience.

Rather than providing alcohol at wellness events in the name of self-care, let’s focus on healing the parts of us that feel we need alcohol to have fun, let loose, enjoy activities, connect with others, handle stress, survive motherhood, and feel like we belong.

We are infinitely more capable than alcohol messaging gives us credit for. We have plenty of grit and strength within us and do not need alcohol to get through challenging times or enjoy life.

What we need is community, support, real self-care, genuine joy, and a reminder that we have everything we need within us.