mother's little helper
Suburban anxiety prescription
Mother's little helper is a pill—typically a tranquilizer or sedative—that helps a housewife cope with the stresses of domestic life.
The phrase comes from a 1966 Rolling Stones song about suburban women dependent on Valium or similar drugs: She's been on mother's little helper since the kids were born.
The term captures both the medicalization of women's unhappiness and the era's casual attitude toward prescription drug use.
Anti-anxiety benzodiazepine
- benzodiazepineSedative drug class
- sedativeDrug promoting calm
- tranquilizerSubstance that induces calm
- barbiturateSedative drug class
pill · medication · prescription · pharmaceutical · doctor · refill · pharmacy
Residential areas outside cities
- housewivesWomen who manage households
- domesticOf the home
- exhaustionState of utter depletion
- choresRoutine household tasks
isolation · boredom · desperation · coping · overwhelmed · homemaker · drudgery · monotony
Rejection of mainstream values
- baby boomers1946-1964 birth cohort
- feminismAdvocacy for sex equality
- social changeTransformation of collective behavior
- feminine mystiqueGlorified female domesticity ideology
postwar · nuclear family · conformity · discontent · advertising
State of anxious unease
- stressPressure, mental or vocal
- tensionStretched or strained state
- overwhelmDefeat by excess
- panicUncontrollable sudden fear
worry · despair · emptiness · unhappiness · discontent · malaise · ennui · trapped
Compulsive substance reliance
- habitSettled regular tendency
- toleranceWillingness to accept difference
- withdrawalAct of taking away
- relianceState of needing support
craving · dependence · escalation · overprescription · numbing · escape · self-medication
Moving small rocks
- rock musicAmplified guitar-driven popular genre
- 1966A mid-century year
- aftermathResults following an event
- singleOne in number
lyrics · satire · classic rock
diazepam
Anti-anxiety benzodiazepine
- benzodiazepineSedative drug class
- sedativeDrug promoting calm
- tranquilizerSubstance that induces calm
barbiturate · pill · medication · prescription · pharmaceutical · doctor · refill · pharmacy
suburbia
Residential areas outside cities
- housewivesWomen who manage households
- domesticOf the home
- exhaustionState of utter depletion
chores · isolation · boredom · desperation · coping · overwhelmed · homemaker · drudgery · monotony · nervous breakdown
counterculture
Rejection of mainstream values
- baby boomers1946-1964 birth cohort
- feminismAdvocacy for sex equality
- social changeTransformation of collective behavior
feminine mystique · postwar · nuclear family · conformity · discontent · advertising
nervousness
State of anxious unease
panic · worry · despair · emptiness · unhappiness · discontent · malaise · ennui · trapped
addiction
Compulsive substance reliance
- habitSettled regular tendency
- toleranceWillingness to accept difference
- withdrawalAct of taking away
reliance · craving · dependence · escalation · overprescription · numbing · escape · self-medication
rolling stones
Moving small rocks
- rock musicAmplified guitar-driven popular genre
- 1966A mid-century year
- aftermathResults following an event
single · lyrics · satire · classic rock
mother's little helperspeed
Rate of motion
caffeine · cocaine · methamphetamine · Adderall · amphetamines
mother's little helpertherapy
Curative mental treatment
marriage counseling · social support · hired help · nanny · community support
mother's little helpernatural remedies
Non-pharmaceutical healing approaches
exercise · meditation · yoga · herbal tea · mindfulness
mother, mothers, motherly, motherhood, mothering, mothered, little, littler, littlest