
This Doctor Doesn’t Have a Drinking Problem, But She Ditched Alcohol — Here’s Why
By Movieguide® Contributor
A New York doctor explained how she is rebelling against societal norms by quitting alcohol even though she does not have a drinking problem.
“I’m quitting alcohol completely. I don’t have an alcohol addiction. I’m a social drinker. But I’m stopping completely,” the New York doctor told Fox News. “Why? Because physically, it does not serve any purpose. It kills my stomach. It kills my sleep. I just don’t feel good the next day. It’s not worth it. And second, because I feel that quitting drinking, it’s an act of revolution, it’s an act of rebellion.”
“[It’s a] rebellion against society telling you that you need alcohol to feel…to be funny, to have fun, to feel sexy, to go on a date, to go [out] with your friends, to tolerate your kids — ‘mommy juice’ culture. You know what, I’m rebelling against the notion that you need alcohol for all of the above,” she continued. “And I was very nervous to do this and take this leap and to share because here in New York, it is something very social. Alcohol is everywhere — in breakfast, in brunch, in lunch, in dinner, in friends, in doctor’s offices, everywhere.”
While alcohol continues to be a central part of our society, many, like this doctor, have begun working to remove it from their lives. Leading the charge are many celebrities who indulge in drinking as a part of their glamorous lifestyle, however, more and more people are waking up to the fact that oftentimes, it only makes their life worse.
READ MORE: LUCY HALE CELEBRATES SOBRIETY: ‘I WANT TO BE HERE’
Country singer Walker Hayes, for example, recently shared that although he has been sober for eight years, it has been a struggle because country music is built on songs about drinking. Instead, he wants to provide an alternative and help his fans understand that they don’t need alcohol in their lives.
“I am in an industry that can often condone that lifestyle,” Hayes said. “It’s about drinking. And so I’m not trying to combat it or battle it or rid country music of that, but I also want to show people and just normal guys like me that there is an alternative. We can address the problem.”
SPIDER-MAN star Tom Holland is another celebrity who chose to forgo alcohol after realizing that he had a drinking problem. Once he gave the practice up, he saw a major positive change in his life.
“I started sleeping better. I was handling stressful situations better. My relationship [with Zendaya] was better. My relationship with my family was better. My relationship with my work was better,” he said.
READ MORE: WHY SPIDER-MAN STAR TOM HOLLAND IS LOVING SOBRIETY
It’s imperative that parents speak to their children about alcohol and drug use, especially as it becomes more prevalent at parties and in media.
Movieguide® Publisher Dr. Ted Baehr, in The Culture-Wise Family, observed:
In fact, most audiences, including teenagers, want to avoid messages that manipulate or desensitize their feelings. A 2006 Los Angeles Times entertainment poll found that 58 percent of boys and 74 percent of girls age 12 to 17 are offended by sexual material.
The article about the poll quotes these words from 12-year-old Melina Erkan: “Sometimes in the music videos these days, the women they have dancing in the background, they dress really cheap, and women don’t really look like that and act like that… When I see that, I change the channel to something I like.”
Hannah Montes, a 21-year-old college student in Missouri, said, “I get tired of hearing all the cussing and the sexual innuendoes.”
The poll included 839 minors aged 12-17, 811 young adults aged 18-24, and also a number of parents. Results from this poll showed that 80 percent of the parents surveyed did not think alcohol or marijuana were usually available at the parties their teenagers attended, but half of the teenagers who attended at least one party a month said alcohol, drugs or both were present.
Children want to make wise choices, but many parents are uninformed about how to provide appropriate support