Women and Problem Drinking
Jane Farrell
If you think you or a loved one might have a problem with alcohol, the experts from the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcoholism Abuse, one of the National Institutes of Health, share some information that could save lives:
Fewer women than men drink. However, among the heaviest drinkers, women equal or surpass men in the number of problems that result from their drinking. For example, female alcoholics have death rates 50 to 100 percent higher than those of male alcoholics, including deaths from suicides, alcohol-related accidents, heart disease and stroke, and liver cirrhosis.
A woman’s genetic makeup shapes how quickly she feels the effects of alcohol, how pleasant drinking is for her, and how drinking alcohol over the long term will affect her health, even the chances that she could have problems with alcohol. A family history of alcohol problems, a woman’s risk of illnesses like heart disease and breast cancer, medications she is taking, and age are among the factors for each woman to weigh in deciding when, how much, and how often to drink.
What Are Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism?
Alcohol abuse is a pattern of drinking that is harmful to the drinker or others. The following situations, occurring repeatedly in a 12-month period, would be indicators of alcohol abuse:
Missing work or skipping child care responsibilities because of drinking
Drinking in situations that are dangerous, such as before or while driving
Being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or for hurting someone while drunk
Continuing to drink even though there are ongoing alcohol-related tensions with friends and family
Alcoholism or alcohol dependence is a disease. It is chronic, or lifelong, and it can be both progressive and life threatening. Alcoholism is based in the brain. Alcohol’s short-term effects on the brain are what cause someone to feel high, relaxed, or sleepy after drinking. In some people, alcohol’s long-term effects can change the way the brain reacts to alcohol, so that the urge to drink can be as compelling as the hunger for food. Both a person’s genetic makeup and his or her environment contribute to the risk for alcoholism. The following are some of the typical characteristics of alcoholism:
Craving: a strong need, or compulsion, to drink
Loss of control: the inability to stop drinking once a person has begun
Physical dependence: withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety, when alcohol use is stopped after a period of heavy drinking
Tolerance: the need for increasing amounts of alcohol to get “high.”
Know the Risks
Research suggests that a woman is more likely to drink excessively if she has any of the following:
Parents and siblings (or other blood relatives) with alcohol problems
A partner who drinks heavily
The ability to “hold her liquor” more than others
A history of depression
A history of childhood physical or sexual abuse
How Do You Know if You Have a Problem?
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