Alcohol + Unplanned Pregnancy
Oh Alcohol, Here you are again, causing so many issues for us humans yet standing on the sidelines with that smirk on your face knowing that you will never be held responsible.
According to the CDC, Alcohol.org, and other studies alcohol is big component of sexual violence, rape, and unwanted pregnancies. For starters, it is reported that approximately one half of all sexual assaults are committed by men who have been using a dangerous and addictive drug…..alcohol. In addition, one half of all sexual assault victims report that they were drinking alcohol at the time of the assault. It is stated that men use alcohol to excuse sexual assault perpetration and that alcohol impacts men’s perception of their dates’ behaviors. Ethanol (the poison part of our drinks) has a negative influence on brain structures which can lead to violent behavior, sexual assault, increased sexual desire, emotional instability, and aggression. Finally, drinking can impair judgment regarding contraception making women forget to take birth control or take it irregularly and/or lack of concern regarding use of condoms. So, basically this drug that we love so much, results in a lot of unwanted sex, some of which can lead to unwanted pregnancy.
And that’s not all.
Let’s talk about how much we glamorize alcohol as being the cure all for parenting woes. Let’s say that a mom is forced to follow through with an unwanted pregnancy. Instead of providing her with support, health care, mental health services, and an abundance of care….we offer her booze. We make t-shirts and jokes and we soak every single child related event with alcohol. We provide it at kids birthday parties, Disney World, school functions, church gatherings, and more and when a mother gets hooked on the drug that is responsible for rewiring our brains to advance addiction, we call her a “drunk” and a “no good mom.” Then, instead of pouring our love and energy into helping her child who is unkempt, disruptive, and complicated-we have nothing left to spare. Our resources have been depleted. There are too many children in need and not enough providers to help them. We’ve lowered salaries, cut funding, and emptied the bank and often times these children and their mothers live in the throes of trauma.
There’s More.
A long time I knew a woman. She was an amazing mother and person overall. She had a teenage pregnancy and even though I didn’t meet her until her child and she were older I could tell that she had lived with stigma. I lost touch with her completely and years later I learned that she had died due to liver failure from drinking too much. I was in shock that someone so young could die from drinking. I assumed that drinking too much was her fault. I was still drinking at the time, safely staying in my category of “not alcoholic” having no idea what alcohol was or how it affects people. The truth is, once alcohol grabs hold of you it’s nearly impossible to let go and there just isn’t enough information and resources for people to get the help that they need. I can’t help but wonder if the stigma of her pregnancy created mental health issues. Was she victim to the memes that told her “The Most Expensive Part of Having Kids is All The Wine You Have to Drink,” and “Technically You’re Not Drinking Alone if Your Kids Are Home.” Maybe she turned to drinking for the same reasons most of us do, ease stress, help us sleep, numb away the pain, but the promises failed her and now she is no longer with us.
I could write paragraph after paragraph explaining the role that alcohol plays in important issues like unplanned pregnancy, mothers with alcoholism, women with depression, sexual violence, and more. I can’t unsee how relevant it is when it comes to decision making and law making. Why is it that some groups are in favor of laws like abortion bans but not in favor of informed consent by demanding proper labeling on alcohol bottles?
I’m not saying that alcohol prevention will end unplanned pregnancies. I’m not saying ban alcohol. I am saying question everything. We may think that we can choose a side and then vote for a politician that aligns with our values and we are done. Unfortunately, that’s not how this works. We vote with our wallets and our behaviors and unfortunately those don’t always reflect how we truly feel in our hearts. It is not black and white and there is always more to the story.
You don’t have to become sober to have a broader view of the role alcohol plays in most of our problems. You can have your wine and choose not to wear the funny wine promoting t-shirt or to make judgments about alcoholic women. You can go to a brewery and support a local business while also advocating for proper labeling on alcohol bottles. (You might even see me there getting a taco or drinking a craft cream ale (soooo good)). You can help spread alcohol awareness and unfollow those accounts of women who promote drinking to cope. You can refuse to engage in the promotion of drugs. And finally, you can stop judging women and mothers for their choices and instead provide support, love, and hope showing them that we care enough about their lives to demand safety and well being.
