Mothers Drink Most Week Nights to Beat Stress

Drinking habits of parents, especially mothers, reached alarming levels, a new survey has found. It has been found that the stresses of parenthood are prompting millions of mothers to drink as much as a bottle of wine three or four nights a week at home.

The poll of 3,000 mothers by the Netmums website has revealed that 49% of mothers drank at home most week nights.

Of those who admitted drinking more than the Government guidelines of two to three units of alcohol a day, 81% said they did so to unwind and de-stress, and 86% said they thought they were drinking too much.

Siobhan Freegard, of Netmums, said: "The extent to which this research showed modern mums are drinking really surprised us. It shows many mums and dads are developing a 'bottle a night' habit without really thinking about the health consequences.”

As the summer holidays drawing to a close, and children and parents are returning to their respective works, experts urge parents not to turn to alcohol to relieve their whole-day stress.

"Getting used to juggling work and home life again after the summer break can be stressful for parents, but it's important not to allow yourself to slip back into the routine of relying on alcohol to help you unwind," Freegard said.

The Netmums Website’s survey backs another poll for the Government's Know Your Limits campaign that has found that 42% of men and women drink alcohol to relieve stress.

The survey of nearly 2,000 people, carried out by YouGov, found more than half or 51% of 25 to 44-year-olds drank due to stress, compared with just 30 per cent of those over 55. It found 42% of all drinkers drank to cope with stress.

The survey also found that men were more likely to drink through stress than women, with 45% of men saying they drank through stress compared with 40% of women.

Dr Sarah Jarvis, a GP who is involved in the joint Home Office and Department of Health Know Your Limits campaign, said: "If you're returning to work, turning to the bottle can actually increase your stress levels.”

“Try exercise or a nice warm bath to unwind instead. Regularly exceeding the guideline alcohol limits can increase your risk of several forms of cancerdefine, heart disease and stroke," Dr Jarvis advised.

"Parenting" and "stress" seem to go together. Whether you are a stay at home parent or a working parent, a single parent or a married parent, mother or father, parent of one child or several children, parenting can be very stressful. But, remaining cool, calm and full of energy can help get you through the day.