Anne Hathaway has given up drinking for the next 18 years. Here’s why parents are divided.

Many would claim that parenthood has ‘driven them to drink’, but for actor Anne Hathaway, mum to two-year-old Jonathan, it’s apparently the opposite.

Hathaway told Ellen DeGeneres during her show on Tuesday that she has decided to give up drinking until her son is 18.

In the interview, she admitted she made the decision after a trip with her Serenity co-star, Matthew McConaughey, and his wife, Camila Alves, where they spent much time patronising rum bars on the island of Mauritius.

After one night in particular, Hathaway couldn’t exactly remember the details of her experience the next morning – yet she still had to meet with the Serenity director, with quite a hangover.

“We drank the night away, and then I had to go to a meeting with Steven Knight, our director, the next day, and I was just kinda – have you guys ever had to do a meeting hungover?” the actor asked the Ellen audience.

“I was just kinda stumbling in with one eye open and I was trying to convince him about certain things about my character.”

The actor took full responsibility for her actions, although she did admit she had difficulty ‘keeping up’ with her friends.

“They’re both cool, and I just can’t drink as much as them,” Hathaway said of her co-star and his wife.

It was after that night that Hathaway made the decision she wouldn’t drink for the next two decades.

“I quit drinking back in October, for 18 years,” she told DeGeneres.

“I’m going to stop drinking while my son is in my house just because I don’t totally love the way I do it and he’s getting to an age where he really does need me all the time in the mornings,” the actor added.

She also said she feels that drinking has affected her efficacy in parenting at other times.

“I did one school run one day where I dropped him off at school, I wasn’t driving, but I was hungover and that was enough for me. I didn’t love that one.”

Watch the Ellen interview here. Post continues after.

While Hathaway seemed to get respect from the audience and DeGeneres for her decision, not everyone agrees with her. The reaction was divided on social media, and in the Mamamia Parents Facebook group.

Many agreed that if drinking wasn’t working for the mum, she’s made the right choice.

One commenter said, “From what she is quoted as saying in the article, she admits her drinking was a problem. I think it’s great that she’s recognised that and decided to abstain while she still has a kid at home. She’s not saying anyone else should give up drinking.”

Another parent wrote, “I very rarely ever drink. What if something happens and [the kids] need to be taken somewhere. Not to mention… hangover and parenting are not two words that work together!”

One parent joked, “I never drank when I had toddlers either… teenagers on the other hand…”

Whilst many people commended Hathaway for her decision, others felt that the ‘everything in moderation’ method was a more constructive approach.

“My parents always drank (responsibly) at home in front of us since I can remember,” wrote one person. “For me, it made alcohol a normal thing, not something taboo I wasn’t allowed to know about therefore I wasn’t curious about and so didn’t sneak around with it.”

Another added, “If I ever have kids [I] would 100% do this. No child should ever have drunk parents or know how scary that is… although I think it’s important to teach your kids that alcohol can be enjoyed in moderation.”

 

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We came, we drank, we conquered (well Jason charmed the audience while I tried hard not to creep @theellenshow out with my eternal, undying devotion and love). Also, Guesstures! Episode airs today! x

A post shared by Anne Hathaway (@annehathaway) on Apr 6, 2017 at 2:37pm PDT

Many parents agreed that it was important for parents to be role models in everything.

“I’d rather they see their parents have a glass of wine with dinner on a weekend as opposed to their introduction to alcohol being seeing their mates binge drink at a party,” one commenter observed.

“If people don’t want to drink, that’s fine, but I feel like this will achieve the opposite to what she wants. Her son WILL drink one day, but he won’t have seen what it means to drink responsibly,” said another.

A few parents added that whilst Hathaway’s sentiment was admirable, it might not be that practical.

“The kid can’t drive for 16 years either so is she going to give that up too? Seeing your parents drink doesn’t mean you will abuse alcohol.”

What do you think about mixing alcohol and parenthood? Tell us in the comments below.

If you’d like to hear more from Nama Winston, see her stories here, and subscribe to her weekly Mamamia Parents newsletter here.

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