Goop Got It All Wrong

There’s this… trend, I suppose we could call it. A habit, practice, whatever- there’s this THING I’ve been seeing health and wellness accounts do when the weekend starts to roll around. How often do you see text graphics floating through your feed with quotes about booze paired with a lovely life sentiment? Come Friday it’s almost every other post. This weekend Gwyneth Paltrow’s beloved wellness website, Goop, posted this photo on their instagram.

Goop, a women’s health website, is suggesting alcohol makes life a little more interesting. Goop, a publication that supports mental wellness is promoting the mentality of a man who struggled his whole life with booze and ultimately died at age 44 because of it. Yes, he was a brilliant author- only, despite his alcoholism.

I’ve asked myself why does this bother me so much. I’ve had multiple conversations with drinkers and non-drinkers alike about this topic. Drinkers like to say this is my own projection, that it’s my issue because of my relationship with alcohol. You know what? I disagree. My issue lies with societies projection. As I write I am 397 days sober. I have completely changed my relationship with booze and detoxed A LOT of the mentalities that come with it. I am in a totally okay place with people around me consuming alcohol in moderation. We still have alcohol in the house, I literally have zero interest anyway. I don’t mind if my friends have wine around me, heck I will even still go out to a bar occasionally- granted the reason has to be real, real good. What I’m saying is that because I personally had a problem, it does not mean I have a problem with anyone having a healthy relationship with booze.

I do have a problem with platforms who boast and pride themselves as beacons of health promoting a lifestyle that does not encourage that healthy relationship with alcohol. I am SO tired of seeing these social outlets laughing about hangovers, asking readers for best tips because they are “dying.” It’s not cute, not at all. At what point do we stop laughing about binge drinking and poor choices? Upon reflection of Goop’s post I asked myself “what capacity would I be comfortable with?” What if they had posted something like…

“Melinda and I like to reflect on our greatest accomplishments over a bold glass of Cabernet.” -Bill Gates

… Okay, Bill didn’t say that. You see what I’m trying to illustrate though right? A wildly successful entrepreneur talking about reveling in his success with his partner over a single glass of fermented grapes. THAT is the kind of quote I think I would be okay with on a platform like Goop’s. Those quotes don’t exist for a reason though. Upon a quick Google search it appears Bill doesn’t actually enjoy drinking, in fact Steve Jobs, Warren Buffet, David Bowie- all teetotalers. Even Elon Musk has said that Diet Coke is his beverage of choice, however he does enjoy an alcoholic beverage from time to time. Anyway, perhaps “success and alcohol” is a post for another day.

Even I was once guilty of promoting the same mentality. If you find my personal account there are still remnants of Wine Wednesday’s and Thirsty Thursday’s. To me, those are sad posts. Those are posts that equated drinking with being one of the cool kids, that I needed to show the world I was thirsty on a Thursday so my friends could relate and comment with a “Yas girl” or “Cheers!” … but why? Why did I do this to myself and my friends? Why do we do this as a society?

The problem is we don’t know any other way. We’ve been promoting this drinking culture and lifestyle for SO long now that any alternative seems uncomfortable and hard. Even the mere suggestion puts people on high defense. It’s easy to get on board with a Sunday Funday at a brewery getting bombed with your girlfriends, it’s easy to ask someone if they want to go for a drink, instead of out for meaningful conversation. Drinking is easy. Drinking is a mentality that is comfortable to people. Even the things that don’t make you feel good are comforting because they are familiar. What’s uncomfortable is exploring the alternative. It’s uncomfortable to sit with your feelings, your emotions, to detox your own thought patterns and lifestyle choices, but I think it’s something everyone should try.

I dare you. I dare you to be a teetotaler for a week. A month. A year even. Change the way you look a booze. Change the way you operate around alcohol. Change those “rose colored glasses of life” to a less tainted lens. Even if you have never ever once in your life felt like alcohol was ever an issue. I promise you, even you will be surprised with what you discover.

Wanna talk about it? Me too. Comment, DM, email, whatever- lets have a conversation.

Until next time,

Linds

PS: Thank you Nicole, Hailey, Kelley, Laurie, and Mia for entertaining these conversations with me, I dedicate this post to you all.