Modern women demonstrate miracles of endurance. In the interval between having children and preparing dinners, they work intensively and solve a lot of everyday problems. Some manage to lead teams and make scientific discoveries. But sometimes you have to pay a considerable price for emancipation: overload can cause various diseases. And female alcoholism is one of them.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the ratio of men to women suffering from alcohol dependence did not exceed 12:1. Today the situation has changed radically: women make up a fifth of all alcoholics.
Statistics on female alcoholism
Official statistics, which tend to underestimate the real numbers, indicate a steady increase in the number of Russian women addicted to alcohol. Over the past few years, their number has increased from 11.3% to 15.8%. Scandinavians and Americans believe that the number of victims of female alcoholism in their countries is at least 30%, and the British call a shocking figure of 50%.
One of the most depressing aspects of the disease is its ability to “get younger” year after year. Clinical data from Russian scientists indicate that 82% of women began systematically drinking alcohol before the age of 30. Moreover, half of them manage to become addicted to alcohol in the interval from 16 to 21. What pushes girls on this path?
Female alcoholism: psychological reasons
A special role in the sharp surge in female alcoholism is played by the intense rhythm of life, which leads to constant nervous exhaustion. Women susceptible to neurological and psychological problems often do not notice how stress gradually accustoms them to a regular evening glass of wine.
Often, ladies who carry an excessive burden of care on their fragile shoulders, both in the family and at work, are forced to put on the mask of an “iron lady” who can handle everything. In such cases, alcohol becomes the only available relaxant for an exhausted and tired woman.
In addition, ladies are emotionally predisposed to relieve stress alone. They do not need extraneous ears and vests in order to reduce tension and restore peace of mind. A good friend and a glass of another low-alcohol cocktail may be enough for a woman. Unnoticed, a friend may become an extra link, and the initial dose of alcohol begins to confidently increase.
Additional risk factors for female alcoholism
Reasons that can also become the starting point in the development of a serious illness include:
● Genetic predisposition. The most authoritative clinical studies have confirmed the existence of a hereditary tendency to alcoholism. Scientists conducted an interesting experiment in which identical twins participated. Children were observed from birth to 30 years. Regardless of where the twins were raised or whether they were separated, the addiction to alcoholic drinks in girls with the same genetic code was completely identical.
● Attitude to alcohol in the family. Sometimes alcoholism is a consequence of children's pictures depicting parents with a glass in their hand.
How susceptible is the female body to alcohol?
It's no secret that women are more sensitive to the effects of alcohol than men. This feature is easily explained by physiological factors, including:
Fat content in the body. When ethyl alcohol is dissolved in water, its concentration decreases, and the accumulation of ethanol in fats, on the contrary, helps to increase its content in organs and tissues. The female body contains much more fatty tissue and less water than the male body. “Thanks to” this physiological feature, it is women who become more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol.
Enzyme concentration. The female body differs from the male body in having low levels of the two main enzymes that break down ethanol. Therefore, if a man and a woman drink an equal dose of alcohol, the content of ethyl alcohol in the woman’s bloodstream will be higher.
Hormone levels. Fluctuations in the level of hormones that are inherent in the female body during the menstrual cycle and during menopause can also affect the absorption of alcohol.
When does the disease begin?
The line between drinking enough alcohol and the onset of illness is very thin, and crossing it is easy. Doctors believe that women can drink 340 ml of beer, 140 ml of wine or 80 ml of spirits per day without harm to their health.
However, in determining the personal norm, a woman’s weight, heredity, age, and general health are important. Some experts believe that by regularly drinking even one low-alcohol drink a day, a woman is already putting herself at risk of developing alcoholism.
What diseases does alcohol cause?
Doctors say that women are more vulnerable to the harmful effects of alcoholic beverages than men. Target organs include the brain, heart and liver.
Liver damage
Liver damage. Compared to men, the destruction of hepatocytes - liver cells - in women occurs much faster and under the influence of smaller doses of ethyl alcohol. In addition, women are more likely to develop alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver. Animal studies have shown that the increased vulnerability of the female hepatobiliary system is associated with the effects of the main female sex hormone, estrogen.
Brain damage
Brain damage. Women are much more likely than men to suffer from alcohol-related brain damage, which manifests itself in a decrease in cognitive functions (memory, attention, mental abilities) and even a decrease in brain size.
Heart diseases
Heart diseases. It has been proven that men and women who drink one or two alcoholic drinks a day in moderate doses have a lower mortality rate from coronary heart disease than those with alcoholism. The likelihood of cardiovascular accidents - heart attack and fatal stroke - with alcoholism increases several times.
Mammary cancer
Mammary cancer. Many studies show that excessive alcohol consumption increases the risk of developing breast cancer. Every additional 10 grams of pure alcohol (113 ml of wine) can increase the likelihood of developing a tumor by 10%, and the risk persists throughout life.
Compared to women who do not drink alcohol at all or who observe the measure, patients with alcoholism are much more likely to develop:
● osteoporosis
● increased agility
● bone tissue
● premature menopause
● infertility and miscarriage
● hypertension
Treatment of female alcoholism
For a long time it was believed that female alcoholism is much more difficult to treat than male alcoholism. This opinion is largely explained by the fact that until 1990, studies on the effectiveness of alcoholism treatment were conducted on men. Only since the end of the twentieth century have scientists begun to take into account data on the treatment of female alcoholism.
Today we can say with confidence that women have equal chances with men in terms of getting rid of addiction to alcohol. This means that modern medicine is capable of curing female alcoholism.
Leading drug treatment clinics are developing their own treatment programs for women. Considering the emotional component in the development of female alcoholism, psychological correction is of no small importance.
Knowledgeable, experienced psychologists carry out painstaking work with each patient, attuning her to the need and importance of treatment. Often, the help of a qualified psychotherapist becomes the very straw that helps to get out of the alcoholic whirlpool even in the most seemingly difficult cases.
The editors would like to thank the Otkritie Center for the Treatment of Women's Alcoholism for their assistance in preparing the material.
The causes of alcoholism in men and women are largely similar. And although many narcologists claim that this disease is not divided into “male” and “female”, psychologists have a slightly different view of the problem. If the consequences of alcoholism in women and men lead to a single denominator - complete personality degradation, then the etiology of this problem still has gender differences.
People who are very often depressed are at risk of predisposition. Symptoms of depression include a lack of visible goals in life, anxiety, a feeling of the unreality of what is happening, and loss of interest in life. Depressive states are fertile ground for the emergence of alcohol addiction. While providing relief from tension at first, in subsequent stages alcohol, on the contrary, increases fears and phobias. In view of this, the doses of the “healing” liquid are increasing, and the body’s ability to resist intoxication decreases.
Where does alcoholism begin and what does it lead to?
Causes of alcoholism in men
Very often, the way out of conflicts is not a simple confidential heart-to-heart conversation, but slamming the door and subsequent purposeful drunkenness with friends or alone. Men are more susceptible to this risk, since women tend to figure out problems. Men cannot stand a long and tedious showdown, so they find it much easier to spend an evening alone with alcohol than with a grumpy wife. By the way, this problem is one of the most common causes of hidden alcoholism, not only because of the character traits and predisposition of a man. It also depends on the wife, because she herself aggravates the situation with her careless words, actions, and showdowns.
Possible psychological prerequisites for how alcoholism begins in men:
- low or, conversely, high self-esteem;
- difficulties in communication;
- psychological complexes;
- inability to cope with your feelings;
- high level of internal tension, prolonged stress;
- risk appetite.
In men, the effects of alcohol are more noticeable even in acceptable (individually) doses. This manifests itself in weakening of erection, prolongation of sluggish sexual intercourse without expected or difficult ejaculation. And although this effect is temporary and reversible, it can cause a man to fear for his sexual potential. This fear can lead to erectile dysfunction (impotence) in the future.
Causes and consequences of alcoholism in women
Alcohol affects women in a similar way. Sometimes even small doses of alcohol significantly reduce the process of arousal and make it difficult to achieve orgasm. Regular consumption of large doses has a toxic effect on the ovaries, reduces the production of hormones, which can lead to premature aging. Other changes in the body will not be slow to appear: atrophic processes in the mammary glands, uterus, vagina with all the ensuing circumstances.
The main problem of alcoholism in women is that in the initial stages it is very easy to miss the moment of the onset of alcoholism as a disease and confuse it with banal everyday drunkenness. Most often, specialists are faced with this initial picture. The woman gradually switches to almost daily consumption of low-alcohol drinks, such as wine or beer, getting drunk to the point of mild intoxication. This is accompanied by either euphoria or other disinhibited reactions, which others, as a rule, attribute to natural emotionality. In this state, a woman seems to be active, active, full of ideas. On the other hand, when there is no alcohol in the body, she begins to fall into melancholy and feel sad. But this is also mistaken for ordinary mood swings.
One way or another, alcoholism gradually develops, resistance to the dose of alcohol consumed increases, more and more alcohol is required, mental changes begin, but not abruptly, but in the same way - gradually.
However, women who abuse alcohol can break out of the usual image of an alcoholic and look like a completely healthy individual with a picnic structure due to the fact that alcohol, interfering with the functioning of the endocrine system, causes hormonal disruption. In addition, alcoholism can be not only vodka and arise not only against the background of problems of a different nature. It's unfortunate but true: these days, several other types of alcohol pose particular danger.
Many housewives of average social status buy various cocktails to meet with friends or have a nice time alone on the couch watching TV. The composition can be different - with a low alcohol content or with a higher one. Due to ignorance of the harm caused by such carbonated drinks to the body, women consider them completely harmless and do not limit themselves to consuming all sorts of “tonics” with gins, cocktails with added juices and similar “little things”. However, systematic, and even more so regular use of them leads to dependence on them. Therefore, it is worth calculating the strength of all drinks so that it does not exceed the weekly consumption rate.
A special variant of the development of alcohol dependence in women is familial. It often develops in women married to a man who abuses alcohol. Women find themselves in this situation who, before marriage, did not attach much importance to the bad habit of their chosen one, who believed in promises that after the wedding everything would change for the better and he would stop drinking alcohol. But, as practice shows, in reality the result is completely different. The husband begins to drink even more, often forcing his wife to accompany him.
The second variant of family alcoholism occurs in women who have experienced a husband’s betrayal or divorce, or adult children leaving the family. In this case, the main reason is loneliness. At first, alcohol is used simply for relaxation, stress relief, and liberation. But gradually it becomes more and more difficult for the lady to control herself, alcohol is consumed more and more often and in large quantities.
This is how everyday drunkenness is formed, which goes into the initial stage of alcoholism. According to statistics, about 25% of women drinkers drink alcohol systematically, 44% of women go on alcoholic binges, 3.9% drink periodically, and for the remaining 28% the period of abstinence alternates with daily alcohol consumption or binge drinking. Casual drunkenness turns into chronic alcoholism. A woman falls into a trap from which it is very difficult to get out because female alcoholism is practically untreatable.
Women who drink for a long time suffer from anorexia, a pronounced autonomic reaction of irritation, an irresistible and constant desire to drink alcohol, and may attempt suicide, after which they are hospitalized in psychiatric hospitals.
Sometimes even small doses of alcohol significantly reduce the process of arousal and make it difficult to achieve orgasm. Regular consumption of large doses has a toxic effect on the ovaries, reduces the production of hormones, which can lead to premature aging. Other changes in the body will not slow down: atrophic processes in the mammary glands, uterus, vagina with all the ensuing circumstances
Alcoholism progresses faster in women than in men. Of particular concern are women who continue to abuse alcohol while pregnant. They cannot give birth to healthy children and give them the necessary education.
During the period of embryonic development (from the moment of fertilization of the egg to the ninth week), the differentiation of organs and the growth of the embryo slow down. During the fetal development stage (from the 9th week), alcohol consumption leads to the development of defects in organs and systems; due to impaired blood supply to the placenta, fetal hypoxia may occur, and pregnancy may end in early or late miscarriage or stillbirth.
Children born to an alcoholic woman suffer from diseases such as mental retardation, epilepsy, psychopathy, neuropathy, defects of the oral cavity (cleft lip, cleft palate), heart defects (tetralogy of Fallot, patent atrial septum, atrioventricular orifice stenosis, etc.) and others. organs. They are born with fetal alcohol syndrome.
Other consequences of alcoholic binges in women
A woman under the influence of alcohol does not look her best. Her face turns red, purple or bluish spots appear, her eyes shine, her hair is disheveled. She speaks loudly, gesticulates, screams, and demands increased attention. If attention is not paid, it is perceived as an insult, disrespect. Another effect of alcohol that occurs with prolonged use is the disappearance of subcutaneous fat. The exposed parts of the body become more muscular and lose the smoothness of outline characteristic of the female figure.
Under the influence of alcohol, the mental makeup of a person changes. Data from epidemiological studies indicate that approximately 60% of women who drink before the onset of alcohol abuse were sociable, friendly, cheerful, and energetic; 11% were characterized as hardworking, calm, and only 8% noted a closed character. Mood swings in women who abuse alcohol are very pronounced. In the morning she can be gloomy, withdrawn, does not want to see anyone, and after a while she suddenly becomes hysterical: she cries, shouts at everyone, blaming them for her misfortunes, breaks dishes. Women often experience mood disorders even after a hangover. This is expressed in depression, anticipation of some kind of trouble, and a feeling of hopelessness. Often, under the influence of the blues, thoughts of suicide appear. Unfortunately, thoughts often translate into actual attempts to commit suicide.
There is an opinion that female and male alcoholism have completely different natures. Of course this is not true. From the point of view of a narcologist, in both cases the disease goes through the same stages, obeys the same laws in its development, and has similar clinical manifestations. However, there are still differences.
Why do women drink secretly?
One of the main differences is secrecy. Male drunkenness is perceived by the people as more, so to speak, naturally, much less condemned. Many people are familiar with the customs of some social strata from Soviet times to drink “in advance”, “on pay”, “on weekends”. Often, wives did not even swear at their careless husbands, knowing that on the “fifth and twentieth” they would share a bottle or two with their colleagues at work. It was a rare day off without a glass at lunch “for appetite.”
And being busy with family (after work, running to the shops, preparing food, picking up children from school, preparing homework with them, and much more) created the preconditions for a much rarer spread of drunkenness among women. A woman has always been the embodiment of comfort, care, and family warmth. Therefore, for many years, a drinking woman was the standard of a person who had sunk to the very bottom.
For these reasons, if women start drinking, they prefer to do it alone or in a narrow circle of their own kind. For some time they maintain their social status, continue to lead an active lifestyle, and work.
For many years, the overwhelming majority of residents of drug treatment hospitals were men; they went to treatment quite willingly, especially when “the pressure was on.” The women's departments were something extraordinary, what they call a piece of goods. Only since the early 90s of the last century, when drug treatment at home began to be practiced, women began to seek it.
Preferences in alcoholic drinks
It is also necessary to note here that women, unlike men, extremely rarely immediately opt for strong alcoholic drinks, preferring weak ones (beer, wine, cocktails), that is, the severity of their intoxication is lower, often those around them simply do not notice that that the woman is drunk. As a rule, the transition to strong, forty-proof alcohol occurs in the last stages of alcoholism.
How women alcoholics are rehabilitated
Another feature: men quickly restore their status after treatment and return to their usual lifestyle. The rehabilitation process for female alcoholics is much more difficult and longer. The reason for this lies in the fact that women resort to medical help in advanced cases, when they simply cannot hide their addiction.
Why alcohol is more harmful to the female body
The number of enzymes involved in the breakdown of alcohol in women is less than in men. Therefore, equal doses of alcohol taken have a more pronounced and long-lasting toxic effect. The negative impact on women’s bodies begins much earlier than they realize the severity of their condition.
As a rule, the liver and pancreas are affected first. Against the background of chronic liver damage, psycho-emotional activity also changes noticeably - a tendency to hysteroform behavior, an increase in irritability and aggressiveness. Personality degradation in women also occurs faster.
Why women drink alcohol
Male alcoholism is, first of all, numerous rituals. Meeting with friends, buying a car, someone's birthday, going to the bathhouse or going to football - all this often involves the obligatory consumption of alcohol. It often happens that if a man gives some kind of emotional reason (troubles at work), then this is nothing more than an attempt to justify drunkenness.
In women, as a rule, the roots of drunkenness lie precisely in emotional turmoil: mental disorder, lack of understanding on the part of loved ones, lack of warmth and attention.
Why is female alcoholism more dangerous than male alcoholism?
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5. Increased weight, overeating
Chemically active substances, the imbalance of which leads to disturbances in appetite (in particular, its increase), also cause disturbances in the psycho-emotional state of a woman. Frequent mood swings following overeating, weight gain, the inability to wear a dress that fit just a year ago, increased irritability - all this pushes a woman towards drunkenness.
conclusions
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female alcoholism develops faster: where a man needs 10-15 years, a woman often takes 3-5;
the negative consequences of drinking in women are more pronounced, the function of the liver and pancreas is more quickly impaired, and dementia develops faster;
taking into account the prevailing views in society, a woman’s visit to a doctor is very often belated, when nothing can be done;
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dementia;
Alcoholism is one of the most dangerous diseases of humanity. It results in negative consequences for both the patient and his loved ones. Most diseases are difficult to separate by gender, since they pose an equal danger to both sexes. However, there are exceptions. For example, when we talk about female alcoholism in medicine, experts often add a sad sentence to this diagnosis: “Incurable.”
Distinctive features of female alcoholism
The reasons for alcohol addiction in women and men can be caused by similar factors: extremely low social status, bad environment, difficult working conditions, low level of education. Alcohol addiction of one of the members of a prosperous family can be provoked by a severe emotional shock: the loss of a loved one, a job, etc. But the reaction to the loss of psychological balance is different for men and women. The latter are much more vulnerable. For example, they often have to sacrifice hobbies, favorite activities and careers for the sake of children and maintaining a family home, as a result of which they lose the position in society to which they are accustomed. Such changes can have a negative impact on your psychological state. This is especially evident in situations where a man does not provide the same attention.
Another important difference between female and male alcoholism is that in the initial stages it is hardly noticeable. When a man, due to addiction, ceases to fulfill the responsibilities of financially providing for his family, loved ones begin to sound the alarm. Such men also attract special attention due to their violent behavior during intoxication. Women with a similar addiction, as a rule, are less aggressive and do not pose a serious danger to society. Because of this, the problem is not noticeable to others. The longer women's alcohol abuse goes unaddressed, the more difficult it is to eliminate the addiction.
Methods of treating alcoholism in women do not differ from methods of working with male patients. However, in the female body, alcohol provokes diseases much faster. Alcohol addiction develops faster and withdrawal symptoms become more powerful. As a result, longer treatment measures and more careful monitoring of the results are required. Fortunately, statistics show that addiction occurs much less frequently in women than in men. In addition, they are more often characterized by complete sobriety. The main thing is not to lose sight of the problem and respond to it in a timely manner.
