I couldn’t believe it when I saw them: wine bottles with names like “The Kids are Finally Asleep” and “Friday at 5.01pm.”
(Yes, those are actual wine names, printed right there on the label.)
It got me thinking: how are you supposed to know if your drinking is a problem, when wine is literally being marketed as the solution to life’s everyday stresses?
It’s a topic close to my heart, because when I was struggling with alcohol, the constant normalisation of heavy drinking made it so much harder to trust what I was feeling inside.
Can you relate? Let’s talk about how to ignore the wine o’clock jokes so you can figure out what’s right for you.
Key points
The humour is part of the problem
I know it sounds like I’m having a sense of humour failure here, but seriously – when alcohol is marketed as a lighthearted solution to life’s stresses, it’s tough to recognise when drinking has become a serious issue. The jokes and memes normalise daily drinking to such an extent that questioning your own habits can feel like you’re overreacting, even when something deep down doesn’t feel right.
Your instincts are valid
If you’re spending significant time thinking about drinking, pay attention to that. Just think about the amount of time you spend planning your drinking, negotiating with yourself, googling it, worrying about it or regretting your drinking. That’s your brain showing you something important. Anything that occupies your mind frequently deserves attention, regardless of what society deems “normal.”
You don’t need to follow the wine o’clock crowd
I know it can be hard to go against the grain – but you’ve done it before. Consider the other areas in life where you’ve made choices that go against mainstream marketing. Whether it’s avoiding ultra-processed foods, choosing a plant-based diet, or any other decision where you saw through the hype… you’ve proven you can be independent and make choices based on what’s right for you, not what’s popular. The same can happen here, with alcohol.
Feeling lost? I can help.
If the wine o’clock jokes are starting to wear thin and you find yourself in the grey zone – i.e. somewhere between “normal” drinking and having a serious problem – you’re not alone. Register now for The Sober School Reset. It’s a gentle mini course for women who aren’t ready to quit drinking, but know they want something to change. If you’re stuck in the cycle of “I’ll be good” or “I’ll cut down soon”, but nothing’s shifting and you’re feeling worried… The Sober School Reset will be a great next step.
6 responses
There is Hello Kitty wine
It’s scary isn’t it? The marketers are appealing to a younger and younger audience and that doesn’t bode well for their future health and wellbeing when it’s so normalised and portrayed as a rite of passage into adulthood.
For a long time I’ve noticed the feminization of wine labels. Originally (and still used on many traditional winemakers’ labels) the labels were more heraldic – masculine, important, with gravitas. Now the images are floral, animals, historic themes, cartoons, colourful and frivolous. This is speaking to the fact that nowadays most wine (for domestic consumption) is purchased by women. Often the label previously described food matching. Now the label and advertising images describe the perfecting setting or occasion: sundowner, wedding, ladies lunch, summer afternoon (and yes – day drinking is perfectly acceptable if you’re drinking this product). I’m sure there’s a PhD study looking at the changes in labeling with the increase in alcohol abuse by women over the last 20-30 years!
Hi Anna, You could well be right. In years to come the labelling may well have gone the same way as tobacco!
When I was still fooled by the marketing around boozing aimed at making it a laugh and painting drinkers as “legends”, I remember buying a wine with a label on the bottle that sort of challenged you to read it. The catch phrase was something like “if you can read the wine’s backstory, that’s a good sign – It means you can keep drinking”. Sucker that I was at the time, I smirked to myself before taking it to the counter and bought it. 5 or so years later, strugglong with the work of turning back the tide on a case of Fatty Liver disease despite being sober for many, many months, I don’t find that label so funny now
Hi Rose, It’s crazy what the marketers can get away with. Not funny at all.