Is Miranda an Alcoholic?
Watching Sex and the City growing up you could always count on characters you admire discussing the latest and greatest in cultural trends and of course fashion. The new reboot, And Just Like That… does not disappoint!
If you’ve watched even a fraction of the new reboot, then you’ll know that Miranda has now been showing signs of a troubling relationship with alcohol. Some may say she is portraying the stereotype of a high-functioning alcoholic. Managing the stress of raising a teenager and a master’s program at Columbia, she drinks whiskey and Chablis before noon while regularly carrying alcohol on her. “Yesterday, I found three tiny Tito’s bottles in her backpack — empty! Three tiny Tito’s bottles. That is weird,” a worried Charlotte says to Carrie at the end of the third episode.
With characteristic cynicism, Carrie patronizes Charlotte’s concerns. “If we’re going to have this conversation,” she says, “then I’m going to need a drink.” But Charlotte, and the audience, are right to be unconvinced. In the latest episode, we see a dazed and groggy Miranda drinking a bottle of wine by herself while on the phone with Carrie. Consumed by her newly redecorated apartment, Carrie appears unaware of her friend’s condition. But to the viewer, it is yet another piece of evidence pointing to a fairly obvious elephant in the room.
I understand and appreciate what the writers of And Just Like That … are doing. With the rate of alcoholism among women rising by 84 percent between 2002 and 2013 and the number of alcohol-related deaths among women rising by 85 percent between 1999 and 2017, it feels like it was only a matter of time before someone in Carrie’s circle began to display signs of alcohol-related trouble.
Against the backdrop of COVID-19, this likelihood has only increased. Last fall, a study from the RAND Corporation revealed that heavy drinking among women in the U.S. had increased by 41 percent due to COVID-related pressures — of which women have predominantly borne the brunt — as well as a heightened acceptance around binge-drinking as a the only strategy for stress management.
Carrie and her friends used to rely on drinking as a way to relax, have fun, and occasionally dull their romantic pain, many women like Miranda in And Just Like That … are now drinking as a way to just make it through the day.
At the end of Episode 5 Miranda takes the first step. After doing shots, smoking pot and having sex with Carries boss in Carries kitchen, Carrie blows the whistle on Mirandas behaviour. Miranda admits she is unhappy with her life and marriage. Awareness and admitting is the first step to making changes, especially your relationship to alcohol.
Do you feel like Miranda and stuck in an unhealthy relationship with alcohol? You don't have to be on this hamster wheel anymore. I am going to teach you the must-have skills to ditch alcohol and enjoy it. Through coaching and community, you will feel the love and support of like-minded women. Get off the hamster wheel here.