'3 Glasses Later' Photo Series Proves That Wine Really Does Make Us Smile

This photo series captures how hilarious people look after 3 glasses of wine

Every mom knows parenting is a little easier once you’ve got a good buzz going, but as much as a glass of wine (or three) makes us feel better, most of us probably don’t notice how tangible that joy becomes on our faces. There’s a reason wine is known as mommy’s “happy juice,” and that’s why we’re loving this amazing photo series by Marcos Alberti that shows how people’s appearance changes after their first, second, and third glass of wine.

Alberti is a Brazilian photographer who says he was inspired to create his “3 Glasses Later” photo series based on a saying about wine that he really loves: “the first glass of wine is all about the food, the second glass is about love, and the third glass is about mayhem.”

For the photos, Alberti invited friends to a studio, served up the secret sauce, and then documented their journey to wine heaven. According to his website, the first photo in each set was taken as the subjects arrived to “capture the stress and the fatigue after a full day.” After that, he took three additional snapshots as everyone drank and talked about their lives.

Some people handled their alcohol better than others, but every individual photo set shows each subject getting progressively happier and more relaxed as the night wore on. On his website, Alberti explains their gleeful transformations, saying, “People from all walks of life — music, art, fashion, dance, architecture, advertising — got together for a couple of nights and by the end of the third glass several smiles emerged and many stories were told.”

The photos fantastically capture how much our demeanor changes when we take the time to kick back, have a drink, and let it all hang out. Even more than that, though, they illustrate the palpable joy that comes from spending time with people, laughing, sharing stories, and relating to each other about the stresses of life.

It’s easy to get bogged down in the day to day struggles and forget to make time for friends and relaxation — hell, for most of us it’s hard just to make time for basic activities, like sleeping and eating. These photos are a good reminder, though, that we need fun and human connection in our lives.

Moms love to joke about wine, but a lot of our booze obsession just comes from the fact that we’re so fucking stressed out. We need laughter. We need friends who can relate to whatever we’re going through, and occasionally, yes, we need some alcohol. It’s not always simple to schedule a mom’s night out, but as these photos show, a camera and a couple bottles of wine might be all we need to cure what ails us.

H/T The Telegraph