More and more women in Britain are turning to alcohol to cope with pressure of being “supermum”, thus putting their children’s mental health at risk, a study has warned.
The study by Turning Point, Bottling It Up: The Next Generation, has claimed that 2.6 million children in the UK are living with a parent who drinks at hazardous levels.
The average alcohol consumption of parents was 30 units per day (10 times recommended limits) - 24 for mothers and 33 for fathers - the equivalent of three bottles of wine or up to 15 pints of beer, the Daily Mail reported. The study report said: “A key issue was that mothers often felt under pressure to be ‘perfect’ and that alcohol was a way of coping with the demands of motherhood.
“Some said a lack of support from their partners was a trigger for their drinking. Others were drinking at least three nights a week and consuming more than 70 units - the equivalent of nearly eight bottles of wine. Their drinking was often in secret when their children had gone to bed.”