‘I smoke weed after putting my kids to bed – it’s no worse than a glass of wine’

Plenty of moms enjoy a glass of wine or two to wind down and relax at night. In today’s culture, they are even, in a way, celebrated for it. Marijuana though? This gets a much more mixed reaction. This mom smokes weed after her kids go to bed. She says it’s her “glass of wine” and makes her a better mom. Now, she’s using her Instagram to break down the stigma against the drug. (1)

‘I Smoke Weed After Putting My Kids to Bed’

26-year-old Instagram star Caitlin Fladager lives in Vancouver, Canada, with her high-school-sweetheart-turned-husband Noah. Together, the pair have two children: Jack and Adriana. (2)

On her platform, Caitlin has been very open about her severe anxiety. It used to make her pick at her skin, be impatient with her children, and pick unnecessary fights with her husband. She tried several things, including antidepressants and mood stabilizers. Ultimately she found smoking marijuana, which is legal in Canada, is what works best for her. (2)

She speaks openly about her habit and will even suggest it to others who might be struggling, including other parents. While some are open to it, she has received many questions and a few criticisms. She decided to use her Instagram to dispel the myths by essentially saying ‘I smoke weed,’ and it doesn’t make me a bad mom. (1)

“I have never been the most patient with my two kids,” she wrote on her Instagram. “Weed makes me a better mom, as I get a good night sleep after I smoke. I wake up well rested, and with a more clear mind.” (3)

Caitlin used marijuana to calm her nerves, gain weight (she was dangerously underweight previously), and get a proper night’s sleep. She is healthy and happier, and it is rubbing off on her family. (2)

She Smokes Weed To Calm, Not To Get High

Caitlin says that when you tell people you smoke weed, they automatically assume that you are smoking enough to get high. They question your ability to be a good parent and take good care of your kids. (2)

While she only smokes after her kids have gone to bed, she has, on a rare occasion, smoked while they were awake. Anxiety doesn’t run on any schedule, including her children’s bedtime routine. (2)

“When I smoke while my kids are up, which is rare, but it has happened, it is to calm myself. Not to get high, or to lay on the couch all day.” she writes. “It has helped me immensely with being a more patient mother, it has helped me gain the weight I needed to, and it has helped my insomniac self get some well-needed sleep at night.” (3)

Mommy Wine Culture Vs. Marijuana

Caitlin says that for her, marijuana is her “glass of wine.” She is tired of the stigma surrounding weed, especially when mom’s drinking wine is so widely accepted and celebrated. She notices this particularly when she wears her “I smoke weed, then I do things” sweater while out with her kids. (4)

“It’s really interesting when I wear the wine mom tank top I do have out, I get high fives from other moms, I get laughs, I get told “awesome shirt, relatable.” she writes. “But when I wear this one, it’s a whole different story.” (3)

In another post she writes:

“It’s so funny to me how frowned upon marijuana is. No one looks twice when a mom says she enjoys “mom juice” aka wine after her kids are in bed. But when a mom says she smokes weed, it’s a huge shock.” (1)

She talks about how she used to have a problem with drinking because of her anxiety. Now that she smokes weed, she has been able to stop drinking. She’s turned to weed instead of wine, and it has improved her and her family’s lives immensely. (1)

“You’re a good mom, I’m a good mom. Smoking marijuana doesn’t change that.” (4)

Is it ‘I smoke Weed’ or ‘I Drink Alchohol’? An age-old question. Which Is Better?

For years people have been debating which habit is better and safer: Drinking or marijuana. Of course, consuming either in excessive amounts (aka getting drunk or high) is not good for your body, but one glass of wine or a few puffs of a joint? Well, that’s where the health debate truly lies.

First of all, both alcohol and weed produce different effects for different people. Some feel the same on either drug (because let’s remember: alcohol is a drug); others find the effects of each completely different or even the opposite. Both can impair your ability to do certain things like drive or operate machinery. (5)

Most Likely To Cause Overdose?

According to the American Addiction Centers (AAC), the CDC reports almost 88,000 alcohol-related deaths each year. Marijuana? Zero. This is because it is relatively easy to overdose on alcohol. You would have to smoke between 238 and 1,113 joints in a day to overdose on marijuana. (5)

Alcohol: 0; Marijuana: 1

Which Has Higher Crime Rates?

The AAC says that alcohol is the most likely of the two to put someone or those around them at risk of getting hurt. It is also linked to partner abuse. (5)

Marijuana, however, is linked with low rates of partner abuse. In fact, men who smoke weed are the least likely to abuse their partner than any other category. (5)

Of course, none of this refers to charges and incarcerations due to marijuana use in places where it is not currently legal. (5)

Alcohol: 2; Marijuana: 0

Most Dangerous For Driving

I will start this one by saying that you should never, under any circumstance, get behind the wheel of a car if you have been using either alcohol or weed. (5)

The AAC says that marijuana increases your chance of getting an accident by 83%. Alcohol does this by 2,200%. (5)

Even though the risk with alcohol is much higher, I will give both substances a point here because both are a bad idea.

Alcohol: 3; Marijuana: 1

Which Impairs Memory and Learning?

Long story short: Both do. 

Drinking, particularly in excess, can lead to you “blacking out.” Though more studies need to be done, heavy marijuana use can also affect your brain, particularly in the learning and memory category. (5)

In moderation, neither produce the effect. (5) No points to anyone.

Alcohol: 3; Marijuana: 1

Which Is The Greatest Risk to Pregnancy?

They both are. Alcohol use can cause Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which can affect your child for life. There are not as many studies done on weed smoking and the developing fetus, however, it has shown to cause low birth weight babies. (5)

If you are pregnant or trying to be, perhaps just skip out on both.

Alcohol: 4; Marijuana: 2

Really, at the end of it all, as long as you don’t abuse either one or find yourself dependent on either, they are both not cause for concern.

Societal Perceptions

Stigma and perceptions about weed and alcohol will differ depending on where the person lives and their background. As marijuana is slowly being legalized across the country and worldwide, people’s opinions are certainly changing. (6)

According to the AAC, Americans think (6):

• Alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana.
• Alcohol is more addictive than marijuana.
• Alcohol has more associated health risks (from a disease like cancer to becoming overweight or obese)

All of that said, still more people seem to think that marijuana should be illegal over alcohol. (6)

This is why people like Caitlin are advocating for its use. They understand that while it might not be for everyone, it is extremely helpful for others.

Whether or not you choose to use alcohol or marijuana is up to you, what isn’t up to you is judging others for their decisions. Unless you think that they might actually have a problem (with either drug) that is causing them harm or harming those dependent on them, then let some moms smoke weed while others choose wine. 

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