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Women Suffer with Addiction
More women than men prefer alcohol as their drug of choice – and there are no socio-economic boundaries. Chronic drinkers can be welfare mothers, sex-trade workers, physician’s wives, lawyers or suburban housewives. We are the fastest growing segment of substance abusers in the United States. That’s about 2.7 million American females, according to the federal Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. The classic stereotype of the passive female, dependent on a male is rapidly changing. Today’s chronic drinkers are professionals in their 20’s and 30’s with powerful careers and disposable incomes. They often don’t have children to pick up after school and bars have become the place to relax and meet friends at the end of the day. According to the Institute of Alcohol Studies, designer drinks, are particularly attractive - raspberry and pomegranate vodkas, flavored martinis and similar drinks are marketed with images that tell them they’re, “sexy, smart, fun loving and desirable.” Like men, women go out to lunch with friends and colleagues and order drinks. Alcohol takes off the pressure of work and the dating scene. The place to meet has become the bar – which can be dangerous. Blackouts can be a side effect of getting drunk and. even if they were raped, they may not remember a thing. I’ve heard intelligent, religious, successful people say that “if it weren’t for that drink, I never would have danced, or had sex with a stranger." It can happen to any one of us. Alcohol and drugs really twists our thinking Reasons for drinking To forget immediate problems: anxiety, insomnia, suppress pain and loss, pressure, courage to express feelings, etc. Differences Developing dependence faster then men. Suffering physical harm more than men. Requiring less alcohol to get drunk than men. Getting less emotional support than men. Suffering more guilt as a ‘bad parent’ then men. 70% report histories of physical & sexual abuse before 11 year. Increased risk for miscarriage, still birth, low weight gain, and medical problems. High correlation between eating disorders and substance abuse. Lack of funding, referral, women-oriented services, and child-related responsibilities are barriers to retaining treatment. If you or someone else you know has a problem, there are pages on this site that can help you. You can also check for
AA meetings
as well as
NA meetings
If you are a child of alcoholics
this link may be helpful.
(Source: Sharon Kirkey, Canwest News Service, National Institute on Drug Abuse)
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