{"id":27645,"date":"2021-02-15T10:38:53","date_gmt":"2021-02-15T14:38:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=27645"},"modified":"2021-02-28T21:10:32","modified_gmt":"2021-03-01T01:10:32","slug":"alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop Using Alcohol as a Coping Mechanism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you use alcohol as a coping mechanism instead of learning to manage stress? Are you concerned that wanting a drink is slowly turning into needing <\/em>a drink?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drinking may seem like an easy fix, just a few sips can dull the edges of anxiety and frustration. But using alcohol as a coping mechanism comes with many more downsides than positive ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue reading to learn why using alcohol as a coping mechanism is dangerous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Using Alcohol as a Coping Mechanism<\/strong> Is Dangerous<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many women use alcohol as a coping mechanism for the big and small challenges of life instead of learning to manage stress. Drinking is an easy fix — just a few sips can dull the edges of anxiety and frustration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many women struggle with how much they drink, fearing that it\u2019s turning into a real problem as they gain weight, spend more money, and feel less in control. But women struggling with alcohol are not alone; it\u2019s a common challenge that can be worked through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Spiral Into \u201cNeeding\u201d Alcohol<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Through teenage years and young adulthood, alcohol wasn\u2019t on Rachel Hollis\u2019s radar. Then she had kids. Parenthood can lead to being exhausted, overwhelmed and on edge, and alcohol smooths these feelings. In the movie Cat on a Hot Tin Roof<\/em>, Big Daddy, played by Burl Ives, talks about a \u201cclick\u201d that happens when he drinks enough. She grew to relate to this click — it\u2019s the moment when the wine kicked in and she felt herself relax<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her wine consumption steadily grew from a glass a night to a heavy 7-day-a-week habit. She would wake up hungover, but blame hormones or exhaustion. She began pounding cocktails at social gatherings to relax — alcohol gave her the courage to parent, have conversations with strangers, and feel sexy, washing away anxiety, fear and frustration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But she checked herself when she caught herself saying, \u201cI need a drink.\u201d<\/strong> The idea of \u201cneed\u201d terrified her because she had alcoholics in her family and didn\u2019t want to become one. She gave up alcohol for a month and felt more in control, confident she didn\u2019t \u201cneed a drink\u201d and wasn\u2019t automatically turning to alcohol as a coping mechanism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then she had foster kids, and her stress level shot through the roof. Though they welcomed the new children, daily life was chaotic and they existed in survival mode. The children\u2019s special issues added to the stress, as did dealing with troubled biological parents and navigating the hurdles of the foster system<\/a>. She turned to vodka, because wine couldn\u2019t touch her new levels of exhaustion, fear and overwhelm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She realized that drinking the way she was drinking was a form of medication, putting something in her body to make her feel better. But when the alcohol wore off, her problems were still there. Drinking is an attempt to escape, but you can\u2019t escape the realities of life for long. And when the alcohol wears off, you are less equipped to deal with life\u2019s realities because you\u2019re sicker. Using alcohol as a coping mechanism actually makes you weaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning to Manage Stress<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hollis realized that the only true way to manage the stress of life wasn\u2019t through alcohol, but through building up the skills necessary to cope with stress.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She likens the ability to cope with stress to your body\u2019s immune system. A child\u2019s immune system must be tested to build up the strength to fight illnesses. The body is then able to fight off that illness, and similar illnesses, because it\u2019s been through the battle before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alcohol is like antibiotics; if you take too many antibiotics, your body doesn\u2019t learn to fight off anything on its own. Similarly, if you use alcohol as a coping mechanism to mute you feelings, you don\u2019t learn the coping skills to deal with future problems. Fighting through hard times is how you get tougher.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think of the strongest people you know. They\u2019ve likely been through tough times, built the emotional skills to deal with life, and come out stronger. They don\u2019t medicate because they\u2019re strong enough to handle things on their own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hollis had to learn better ways to cope with stress<\/a> and difficult times instead of reaching for alcohol. She substituted running, dinner with friends, praying, therapy, and letting herself cry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These types of habits<\/a> helped her build up strength to handle the hard stuff so she doesn\u2019t reach for alcohol — the easy way out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If alcohol isn\u2019t your thing don\u2019t think you\u2019re immune to having a crutch to deal with life — prescription pills, food, pornography, or even binge-watching TV excessively are ways to escape the hard parts of life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tips on Saying No to Alcohol as a Coping Mechanism<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Try these strategies if you\u2019re trying to get a handle on your drinking:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Examine your habits<\/strong>. Drinking alcohol in response to stress can become a habit. When you realize this, you can replace that habit with a positive coping mechanism, such as running or time with friends.<\/li>
  • Self-awareness<\/strong>. You can\u2019t move past a problem with alcohol if you can\u2019t admit to having it. Force yourself to acknowledge what\u2019s really going on so you can change it.<\/li>
  • Throw out the crutch<\/strong>. Remove access to alcohol if you\u2019re concerned about drinking too much. It\u2019s easier to fall into temptation if it\u2019s sitting right there.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Do you use alcohol as a coping mechanism instead of learning to manage stress? Are you concerned that wanting a drink is slowly turning into needing a drink? Drinking may seem like an easy fix, just a few sips can dull the edges of anxiety and frustration. But using alcohol as a coping mechanism comes with many more downsides than positive ones. Continue reading to learn why using alcohol as a coping mechanism is dangerous.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":27650,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,7,9],"tags":[217],"class_list":["post-27645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-lifestyle","category-psychology","tag-girl-wash-your-face","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nStop Using Alcohol as a Coping Mechanism - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do you find yourself saying, "I need a drink" when you're stressed out? You may be using alcohol as a coping mechanism. Learn how to stop.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stop Using Alcohol as a Coping Mechanism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Do you find yourself saying, "I need a drink" when you're stressed out? You may be using alcohol as a coping mechanism. Learn how to stop.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-02-15T14:38:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-03-01T01:10:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/girl-drinking-wine.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"838\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hannah Aster\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Hannah Aster\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Hannah Aster\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f39f52830e4f7039a16e45d12354542f\"},\"headline\":\"Stop Using Alcohol as a Coping Mechanism\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-02-15T14:38:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-03-01T01:10:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/\"},\"wordCount\":930,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/girl-drinking-wine.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Girl Wash Your Face\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Health\",\"Lifestyle\",\"Psychology\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/\",\"name\":\"Stop Using Alcohol as a Coping Mechanism - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/girl-drinking-wine.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-02-15T14:38:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-03-01T01:10:32+00:00\",\"description\":\"Do you find yourself saying, \\\"I need a drink\\\" when you're stressed out? You may be using alcohol as a coping mechanism. Learn how to stop.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/girl-drinking-wine.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/girl-drinking-wine.jpg\",\"width\":838,\"height\":512},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Stop Using Alcohol as a Coping Mechanism\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World's Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f39f52830e4f7039a16e45d12354542f\",\"name\":\"Hannah Aster\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0302cb2690b70a21639bc6873e587f42d39d02385b7e59d8efd0d3e000ae7681?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0302cb2690b70a21639bc6873e587f42d39d02385b7e59d8efd0d3e000ae7681?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Hannah Aster\"},\"description\":\"Hannah is a seasoned writer and editor who started her journey with Shortform nearly five years ago. She grew up reading mostly fiction books but transitioned to non-fiction writing when she started her travel website in 2018. When she's not writing or traveling, you can find Hannah working on home reno projects, crafting, or taking care of plants.\",\"knowsAbout\":[\"Graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in English and minors in professional and creative writing\"],\"jobTitle\":\"SEO Team Lead\",\"worksFor\":\"Shortform\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/hannah\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Stop Using Alcohol as a Coping Mechanism - Shortform Books","description":"Do you find yourself saying, \"I need a drink\" when you're stressed out? You may be using alcohol as a coping mechanism. Learn how to stop.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Stop Using Alcohol as a Coping Mechanism","og_description":"Do you find yourself saying, \"I need a drink\" when you're stressed out? You may be using alcohol as a coping mechanism. Learn how to stop.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2021-02-15T14:38:53+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-03-01T01:10:32+00:00","og_image":[{"width":838,"height":512,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/girl-drinking-wine.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Hannah Aster","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Hannah Aster","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/"},"author":{"name":"Hannah Aster","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f39f52830e4f7039a16e45d12354542f"},"headline":"Stop Using Alcohol as a Coping Mechanism","datePublished":"2021-02-15T14:38:53+00:00","dateModified":"2021-03-01T01:10:32+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/"},"wordCount":930,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/girl-drinking-wine.jpg","keywords":["Girl Wash Your Face"],"articleSection":["Health","Lifestyle","Psychology"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/","name":"Stop Using Alcohol as a Coping Mechanism - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/girl-drinking-wine.jpg","datePublished":"2021-02-15T14:38:53+00:00","dateModified":"2021-03-01T01:10:32+00:00","description":"Do you find yourself saying, \"I need a drink\" when you're stressed out? You may be using alcohol as a coping mechanism. Learn how to stop.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/girl-drinking-wine.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/girl-drinking-wine.jpg","width":838,"height":512},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/alcohol-as-a-coping-mechanism\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Stop Using Alcohol as a Coping Mechanism"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World's Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f39f52830e4f7039a16e45d12354542f","name":"Hannah Aster","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0302cb2690b70a21639bc6873e587f42d39d02385b7e59d8efd0d3e000ae7681?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0302cb2690b70a21639bc6873e587f42d39d02385b7e59d8efd0d3e000ae7681?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Hannah Aster"},"description":"Hannah is a seasoned writer and editor who started her journey with Shortform nearly five years ago. She grew up reading mostly fiction books but transitioned to non-fiction writing when she started her travel website in 2018. When she's not writing or traveling, you can find Hannah working on home reno projects, crafting, or taking care of plants.","knowsAbout":["Graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in English and minors in professional and creative writing"],"jobTitle":"SEO Team Lead","worksFor":"Shortform","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/hannah\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/girl-drinking-wine.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27645"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27645\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28002,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27645\/revisions\/28002"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}