This post was written by contributor Chelsea Becker.

Scroll through Instagram any night of the week and you’ll see a mom sharing a glass of wine as she ends a hectic day. Wine has unofficially become the drink of motherhood – some people feel like it’s the only way to cope with the endless pressures and exhaustion of motherhood, and some feel like the attitude of ‘need wine to survive kids’ is detrimental.

Personally, I feel like whether you have kids or no kids, it’s more about having a day cap. Something that signals the end of your work/kid day and the start of ‘you time.’ And that used to be a glass of wine for me…until it wasn’t.

Wine, or basically any form of alcohol, started making me feel shitty, even if it was a small glass. I wouldn’t sleep as well, I started getting hot flashes in the middle of the night, and I always had some sort of sluggish feeling the next day. Not exactly how I wanted to feel, even if it meant cueing relaxation after the kids went down. So I started looking for alternatives.

I gave CBD a chance and didn’t feel much of a difference. I tried magnesium but it wasn’t enough. I gave baths and self-care a try but some days, that felt like more work…after work. And then I started smoking weed most days of the week.

Weed wasn’t something new to me; I’d smoked my share of it since high school but it was never a regular thing for me – especially not daily. But pretty much instantly, I began to love my nightly routine of a few hits or an edible. It instantly relaxes me, much more so than a glass of wine ever did. It’s made me more laid back; I find myself nagging my husband less and being carefree – something I’ve struggled with as a busy mom. I actually sign off from work for the night (vs. responding to emails while watching a show with my glass of wine). Plus, for me, it’s helped with my sleep anxiety.

Once I got over the self-judgment of using weed often, especially while kids were sleeping, I learned to love my routine. I never smoke enough to where I can’t take care of the kids if they were to wake and it’s the most relaxing day cap I’ve found yet. No hangovers included.

What are your thoughts on weed + motherhood? Do you have a nightly winddown routine?