Alcoholism in women: main signs and methods of treatment. Is it true that female alcoholism is incurable? Is it difficult to cure a woman of alcoholism?

Greetings, dear readers! I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, but finally I decided to voice this problem - female alcoholism. Alcoholism, especially among women, has now become a national disaster. Statistics say that the average age of female alcoholics is 35 years old, although many have their first acquaintance with alcohol before the age of 18. How many women suffer from this disease these days? And why does this happen? What makes them share the company of a glass of wine? Let's talk about this topic today. Perhaps someone will read and think...

If you or your loved ones are faced with the problem of female alcoholism, do not despair, there is an excellent solution - http://www.woman-alcoholism.ru/

I recently learned some unpleasant news: one of my friends passed away, not being old at all. I always liked this woman: pretty, well-groomed, smart. And suddenly such a finale. It turns out that recently she became so addicted to alcohol that it ultimately caused her death.

Women are the future of our nation. They are destined by nature to continue the human race. Will such women be able to give birth to a healthy child? It has been proven that in 40% of cases, regular drinkers give birth to children with various mental disabilities or physical developmental defects.

It has been calculated that 26% of women in Russia regularly drink alcohol. Of these, 43% live in periods of heavy drinking, 4% do not drink alcohol regularly, and 27% alternate between daily drinking and periods of abstinence from alcohol. And these data change every year, and for the worse.

A man who drinks alcohol every day becomes dependent after 2-3 years. For a woman, this period is shortened to 6 months, sometimes two months is enough.

A girl’s first acquaintance with alcohol occurs in a family where the child sees his parents drinking alcohol before reaching adulthood.

Alcohol abuse leads to premature aging. A 30-year-old woman who drinks looks 10-15 years older, and a 40-year-old woman turns into an old woman.

The life expectancy of women alcoholics is 15–20 years shorter and the causes of death are acute cardiovascular failure, poisoning with alcohol surrogates and suicide.

Causes of female alcoholism

Where does the craving for alcohol begin? As a rule, drinking begins to drown out one’s mental wounds after severe emotional stress, which are associated with loneliness, lack of work, loss of a loved one, betrayal.

Women who are most susceptible to drunkenness are those who have a low social status, lack of profession, and parents who are drunk. The latter can also be explained by genetic predisposition and everyday customs, when a child in childhood saw only drunken parents. This is the way of life the girl considers to be the norm in her later life.

Often addiction is formed as a result of frequent drinking for appetite, to relieve fatigue, and sometimes to fill one’s leisure time “with nothing to do.”

Realizing that society has a negative attitude towards her lifestyle, many of them begin to drink alcohol at home, alone. The feeling of loneliness further aggravates her situation; the amount of alcohol she drinks increases each time. Women cover up the lack of any passion in life, laziness, and feelings of need for someone by drinking.

Men, as a rule, drink in company, women prefer to drink alone, so that no one knows or blames.

From a physiological point of view, rapid dependence on alcohol occurs for the following reasons:

• As a rule, a woman is smaller in height and weight than a man. Her body contains less water. This means that per unit mass of its weight there are b O greater concentration and quantity of alcohol, so the degree of intoxication will be greater than that of a man, even if they drank the same amount.
• The hormonal characteristics of the female body contribute to the rapid absorption of alcohol into the blood.
• Pathological craving for alcohol increases more against the background of premenstrual syndrome.
• A woman remains in control of the situation longer than a man, and therefore she thinks that she can always stop drinking.
• The consequences (hangover) are much milder than in men and develop later.

Personality characteristics of a drinking woman

Women of the following type are predisposed to chronic alcoholism:

• those prone to depression, with an unstable psyche, dependent on circumstances, suffering from neurotic disorders, hysteria and insomnia;
• sexually preoccupied or having problems in the intimate sphere;
• infantile women;
• the following professions: saleswomen in open markets (to keep warm in winter), women construction workers, catering workers.

Stages of chronic alcoholism

• Initial stage characterized by constant consumption of alcohol and an increase in the amount drunk and a craving for a new portion. At this stage, there are already episodes of memory loss. As a rule, the initial signs of the disease may not be noticed - women try to hide the fact of use so as not to be blamed for it.
• Expanded stage. The pathological craving for alcohol increases even more, and the dose of alcohol increases due to tolerance to alcohol. A hangover appears - a withdrawal syndrome, which is manifested by the appearance of a headache, trembling throughout the body, a feeling of thirst, fever or chills, and mood swings.

At this stage, personal and emotional changes appear, irritability, isolation, tearfulness, selfishness towards others appear, and the sense of responsibility disappears. She may no longer fulfill her maternal and family responsibilities and loses interest in work. Over time, this can lead to loss of family, job, and deprivation of motherhood. A woman begins to lead a dependent lifestyle. Her appearance becomes unkempt, her facial skin becomes wrinkled, her hair turns grey, her teeth crumble. An organic personality disorder sets in.

• Final stage characterized by a complete loss of control over the situation, amnesia occurs more often and for a longer period of time. Intelligence decreases, the woman is not interested in anything other than alcohol. Various diseases of internal organs develop, most often from the liver, various injuries are possible, and psychomotor disorders may appear.

Symptoms of psychomotor disorders can be expressed in difficulty, slowdown in the performance of motor acts (hypokinesia), complete immobility (akinesia), as well as polar opposite manifestations - motor agitation or inadequate movements and actions.

It is very scary when a woman, while intoxicated, commits an accident or commits a criminal offense.

Consequences

Excessive and regular consumption of alcoholic beverages in women leads to premature aging, the appearance of various somatic diseases and often disability as a result of injuries. This often causes death.

The most common diseases are:

• diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and liver - cirrhosis and liver cancer, Mallory-Weiss syndrome (superficial ruptures of the mucous membrane of the abdominal esophagus and cardia of the stomach, accompanied by recurrent vomiting and bleeding);
• and thrombophlebitis;
• alcoholic dementia (dementia);
• alcoholic polyneuropathy, in which the function of multiple peripheral nerves is simultaneously impaired;
• atrophic processes in the cerebellum;
• disturbances in the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
• kidney diseases of alcoholic etiology, chronic bronchitis and prolonged pneumonia, etc.

Can female alcoholism be cured?

They believe that alcoholism is incurable. But one can argue with this. To recover from alcoholism, the main and important condition is necessary: ​​the woman herself must want to free herself from this addiction. But this requires the support of loved ones and strong motivation.

How to treat, where to start? First you need to get out of the binge. Doctors and narcologists will help you on how to do this correctly. You should definitely consult with them. It is not at all necessary to go to a reception with a drunk person. Consultations regarding treatment may be made without his knowledge to the next of kin or other interested parties.

Further therapy is treatment with medications that create an aversion to alcohol. Infusions of medicinal herbs will help with medications: St. John's wort, fireweed, hellebore water, lovage root, etc. There will be another article about herbal treatment of alcoholism, so as not to miss it, subscribe to blog updates.

The next step is psychotherapy. Her task is to change the attitude towards her condition and the reason that led the woman to alcohol addiction. Tact and support from loved ones is essential here.

Of course, in order to put a psychological barrier against alcohol, sometimes it is necessary to encode with the help of hypnosis and psychotherapy, and to fix it against alcoholism. And in parallel, treatment of pathology of internal organs is required.

Alcoholism is a chronic incurable disease that is in remission. How long it can last depends on the patient himself, his attitude towards his illness. Remission can last a month, a year, several years, or maybe the rest of your life. Everything depends directly on the woman herself.

Alcoholism is an addiction that negatively affects the human body as a whole. The signs of alcoholism in women are almost the same as in men, but there are still some nuances. According to statistics, it takes 7 to 10 years for a man to become an alcohol addict, and only 5 years for women. The duration of the fight against alcohol also differs in time: in men, treatment is easier and faster.

Causes of female alcoholism

Alcoholism is most often called a male disease. But over the past 10 years the situation has changed: more and more women are becoming dependent on alcohol (for every 100 people there are 70 women who drink). The difficulty of treating alcoholism in the fairer sex is that the symptoms of the disease appear much later in them than in men, but the signs of addiction are more pronounced.

Female alcoholism is a psychonarcological disease that is accompanied by disruption of the central nervous system and internal organs.

It is difficult to say why a young, healthy, beautiful woman becomes a patient of a narcologist. But there are several factors that contributed to the development of the disease.

What are the causes of female alcoholism? Most often, an addiction is the result of psychological and emotional problems. Since the female sex is most susceptible to experiences, the disease itself is more difficult to treat in them than in men.

The cause of the disease may be heredity or a biological predisposition to excessive drinking. In cases where a husband and wife regularly drink alcohol before conceiving a child, children are born who are also predisposed to this addiction. The possibility of becoming an alcohol addict increases by 2-4 times than in children whose parents drink rarely and in small doses.

During adolescence, many people develop an interest in drinking energy drinks, low-alcohol drinks, including beer. Getting used to drinking alcohol in small doses occurs very quickly. This can lead to serious health problems in the future.

Stress, loneliness, uselessness, death of a loved one, unrequited love, attention deficit, adultery are the main reasons why women begin to abuse alcohol. The moral trauma and apathy that a person feels at these moments causes a feeling of hopelessness and depression. By washing down their sadness with alcohol, women try to escape from problems rather than solve them. They find their medicine in a bottle.

The girl's environment also plays a big role. If relatives and friends often drink, then there is a high probability that she will follow the same path.

Statistics show that if a woman does not have an interesting job or occupation, then she is prone to everyday drunkenness, which over time can develop into alcoholism.

Identifying the problem in a timely manner is important not only for the patient himself, but also for his relatives.

Symptoms and signs of female alcoholism

Addiction can be recognized not only by a woman’s appearance, but also by her behavior and character.

One common sign of alcohol addiction is denial. A person who is already addicted to alcohol tends to claim that he drinks alcohol like everyone else: on special occasions with relatives or on weekends to relieve stress and fatigue. Such people are distinguished by an unconscious constant craving for alcohol.

Female alcoholism symptoms have the following:

1. Increased interest in alcoholic beverages. After a couple of glasses, a feeling of bliss comes, endorphins are released in the body. Without another dose, your mood worsens. At such moments, the girl becomes harsh, irritable and whiny. This continues until the next portion. This is the very first signal that the girl is dependent on alcohol.
2. . The body gets used to alcohol, so you have to drink more and more. The strength of drinks also increases.
3. Lack of a protective reaction to alcohol intoxication. A healthy person who drinks a little more than his norm begins to feel unwell. Often this process is accompanied by vomiting. If there is no gag reflex, it means that the biological barrier that protects against poisoning has been destroyed. The body stops considering alcohol as poison.
4. Systematicity. All girls addicted to alcoholic beverages start drinking at approximately the same rate. Rare gatherings become more frequent, even daily. A woman begins to feel an irresistible craving for alcohol. Dependent people are ready to find any excuse to drink, otherwise they will experience withdrawal symptoms. The disease is already taking a severe form.
5. Behavior before imminent drinking. Such people try to take time off from work early, they try to quickly get rid of all their affairs in order to come home and have a quiet drink.
6. Justifying your behavior general phrases: “this is what doctors advise”, “alcohol improves performance”, etc.
7. Inability to think critically about one's behavior. Women alcoholics do not recognize their attachment to ethanol, ignoring and denying the signs of social degradation against the background of drunkenness. They do not understand why they are considered sick and try to help them.

The opinion that female alcoholism is incurable is correct, since addiction in a woman is already a personality disorder.

External signs:

• sharp aging: wrinkles appear, the skin becomes flabby and dry;
• bags and bruises under the eyes;
• constant swelling, especially in the nose and lips;
• the face acquires a reddish tint, the skin becomes bluish;
• hair begins to fall out, sometimes even teeth;
• the voice becomes rougher.

Stages of female alcoholism

Signs of alcoholism in the fair sex appear in a certain sequence and gradually increase. Narcologists identify the following stages of alcoholism in women:

1. First stage. At this stage, control over the volume of alcoholic drinks consumed is lost. The girls deny that they began to drink much more than before. Some women try to hide the fact that they are drinking more. They may start drinking alcohol alone. Drinking alcohol 2-3 times a week becomes the norm; intoxication occurs after small doses. A psychological dependence on alcohol is formed. The protective biological barrier is destroyed: the gag reflex is absent.
2. Second stage. A hangover appears and the craving for alcohol increases. The strength of drinks and their dosage increases. External signs of alcoholism begin to appear. Women drink every day or consume large amounts of alcoholic beverages over 3-4 days. Short-term memory loss is possible. Physical dependence on alcohol appears. With long breaks, withdrawal occurs. Possible insomnia. A hormonal imbalance may occur in a girl’s body, and excess weight gain is possible. A woman loses her sense of responsibility, she loses interest in family and work. The girl becomes withdrawn. At this stage, the symptoms of intoxication become more pronounced.
3. Third stage. There is complete degradation of personality. At this stage, doctors note prolonged amnesia and dementia. A period of delirium tremens, delirium, and hallucinations begins. Irreversible changes occur in a woman’s body and brain, both external and internal. Alcoholic hepatitis occurs. Psychomotor disorders are possible. At this stage, the disease is practically untreatable, the patient constantly breaks down, and there is a high probability of death.

Addiction in girls develops very quickly. The time between the first and last stages of alcoholism passes unnoticed. Therefore, sometimes narcologists do not have time to stop this terrible disease.

Consequences and treatment of female alcoholism

Due to the fact that female alcoholism develops over a short period, it is rarely possible to avoid serious consequences. General consequences: disruption of the normal functioning of the body, damaged internal organs.

The results of female alcoholism are:

• toxic alcoholic encephalopathy with brain damage;
• polyneuropathy affecting all nerves in the body;
• delirium tremens, decreased level of intellectual abilities;
• hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver;
• overdose and poisoning with alcohol surrogates;
• renal failure;
• damage to the pancreas;
• risk of developing heart attacks and strokes;
• impaired blood circulation, in this case the possibility of gangrene formation or limb amputation increases;
• reproductive dysfunction;
• infertility;
• early menopause;
• gynecological diseases;
• tuberculosis, chronic bronchitis;
• disruption of the cardiovascular system.

Early aging sets in. The possibility of such a girl giving birth to a healthy child is minimal.

If female alcoholism has developed, narcologists know how to deal with it. Many experts compare this disease to drug addiction. If excessive addiction to alcoholic beverages can be identified at an early stage, then it becomes possible to cure the woman.

The patient’s strong-willed qualities are the key to success on the path to recovery. If the patient was forcibly sent to the clinic, then the chances of success are low.

Methods for treating alcohol addiction in women:

• coding;
• providing psychological assistance;
• use of medications;
• alcoholism binder;
• detoxification;
• treatment of internal organs.

How to cure female alcoholism in the final stages? In this case, you need to contact a drug treatment clinic.

Diagnosis of the body is the first stage of treatment. The doctor determines the extent of damage to the brain, central nervous system and internal organs. Next, the doctor prescribes treatment, if possible.

The next stage is detoxification. The body of an alcoholic woman is completely cleansed. It is important to cure all diseases that arise as a result of alcoholism. Next, the attending physician prescribes psychotherapy sessions, and sometimes relatives resort to the services of a hypnotist.

Medications help get rid of the desire to drink. An aversion to alcohol appears. In severe cases, women are treated with coding. There are several coding techniques: aversion therapy, sensitizing and stress or shock therapy, xenon therapy and cryotherapy. The sooner treatment is started, the greater the chances of recovery.

Consistent and step-by-step treatment will help you return to normal life. Throughout the entire path to recovery, the patient should be surrounded only by people who do not drink. The support of loved ones is also important. Then there is a chance that the addiction will remain a thing of the past. It is important to remember that every glass of alcohol is a step towards destroying your own health.

– pathological dependence on alcohol in women. Due to the physical, mental and endocrine characteristics of the body, the development and course of alcoholism in women differs in a certain way from a similar addiction in men. Female alcoholism develops in a short time, accompanied by rapid mental degradation and rapid destruction of internal organs. It often occurs latently until stage II or III. The diagnosis of “female alcoholism” is made on the basis of anamnesis, interviews and tests for alcohol content in bodily fluids. Treatment – ​​various types of coding in combination with psychotherapy.

General information

Women's alcoholism is viewed more negatively in society than men's. Men who drink are encouraged to seek treatment, they try to educate them, and they take them to doctors. Women who drink are turned away. When the first signs of female alcoholism appear or even when information about regular drinking appears, in the absence of obvious physical and psychological changes, a woman has less chance of getting help and support from relatives and friends. In advanced cases, after the severance of ties with the previous environment and a drop in social level, the support of others in case of female alcoholism becomes extremely unlikely.

Causes of female alcoholism

Alcoholism in women occurs under the influence of various factors and their combinations. Sometimes the cause is unfavorable heredity and family traditions that allow excessive drinking, drinking alcohol not only on holidays, but also on weekends, after work, etc. Often, female alcoholism develops due to psychological exhaustion. Modern representatives of the fair sex have to bear a heavy burden, combining career advancement, performing household duties and caring for children. This leads to emotional breakdowns, which patients try to relieve with alcohol.

Female alcoholism can also arise due to other problems. In particular, women housewives sometimes begin to drink alcohol in order to dispel boredom caused by the monotony of everyday chores and to eliminate the feeling of lack of demand due to the lack of professional fulfillment. Quite often, the impetus for the development of female alcoholism is family problems: infidelity of the husband, dissatisfaction with family relationships, violence, loss of a loved one, divorce, etc.

Sometimes alcohol consumption is provoked by loneliness, lack of close relationships and lack of time to start a family. Female alcoholism also often develops in the wives and cohabitants of alcoholics. At first, a woman begins to drink alcohol “for company” so as not to ruin the relationship and to be able to control her husband’s behavior. Subsequently, due to the rapid development of female alcoholism, she herself becomes the initiator of drinking. Often, physical and moral degradation in such women occurs faster than in their husbands, who started drinking alcohol earlier. As a result, the husbands of the patients initiate divorces and find other partners, and the women left alone quickly sink to the very bottom.

On average, alcohol dependence in men occurs after 7-10 years of regular drinking; it takes only 5 years for women to develop alcoholism. The faster development of alcoholism is due to the psychological and physical characteristics of the body of the fair sex. Liver enzymes in women break down ethanol worse than in men. At the same time, blood flow in the depot organs (liver and spleen) is slower in women compared to men. These factors provoke accelerated liver damage in female alcoholism.

The protective function of the blood-brain barrier in women is lower than in men, so alcohol and its breakdown products penetrate into the brain in large quantities, quickly damage brain cells and destroy neural connections. This causes rapid mental degradation, deterioration of thinking, decreased intelligence, loss of moral and ethical guidelines. Female alcoholism has an extremely negative effect on appearance. As a result of all of the above, an image of a typical alcoholic is formed - repulsive, devoid of individuality, interested only in finding and drinking alcohol.

Symptoms and stages of female alcoholism

The development of alcoholism in a woman is evidenced by her positive attitude towards drinking, bursts of cheerfulness and enthusiasm when offered to arrange a feast, and independent initiation of alcohol consumption. A woman begins to drink alcohol at every opportunity, citing the need to relax after work, to celebrate some minor event, etc. Patients with female alcoholism drink on an equal basis with men. The dose required to achieve a state of intoxication gradually increases.

Some women drink alcohol secretly, trying not to be seen by their family and friends. In such cases, female alcoholism can be suspected on the basis of indirect signs: missing money, hidden full or empty bottles, some disheveled and “tired” appearance, the smell of alcohol, which patients try to cover up using chewing gum, candy, coffee beans, etc. d. Over time, a deepening of the voice occurs. With female alcoholism, the character changes, the woman becomes less balanced and less likely to show empathy. Scandals and inexplicable emotional breakdowns are becoming more frequent.

Female alcoholism, like male alcoholism, has three stages. At the first stage, the sense of proportion disappears, the individual “norm” necessary to achieve intoxication increases. Drinking alcohol becomes regular; a patient suffering from female alcoholism actively looks for reasons to drink. Nausea and vomiting disappear even after large doses of alcohol. Memory lapses appear. The next day after drinking alcohol, you experience a hangover. During extended periods of sobriety, increasing irritation occurs.

The second stage of female alcoholism is characterized by the development of withdrawal syndrome. Alcohol tolerance continues to increase and reaches a plateau. Control over behavior after drinking alcohol is further reduced, aggression and immoral acts are possible. Short-term and then long-term binges occur. With a sharp interruption of binge drinking, the development of metal-alcohol psychoses is possible. The appearance gradually deteriorates. The face of a patient with female alcoholism becomes moon-shaped, bags appear under the eyes, and the skin acquires a yellowish or grayish tint.

The woman begins to neglect the rules of hygiene. She tries to hide changes in appearance by using a large amount of makeup, and because of this she acquires a characteristic vulgar appearance. Female alcoholism leads to slower thinking and assimilation of new information. Without alcohol, there is constant aggression and irritability. Life priorities change, all interests center around drinking alcohol. There is a decline in moral standards. The condition of the internal organs is gradually deteriorating.

At the third stage of female alcoholism, the amount of alcohol required to achieve a state of intoxication decreases. Pronounced intoxication occurs after just one glass; after a further increase in the dose of alcohol, the state practically does not change. There is no control over the amount of drinking. Gross changes in appearance are observed. At this stage of female alcoholism, severe pathological changes in the liver and gastrointestinal tract occur. There is pronounced intellectual and moral degradation. Emotions become flattened and impoverished.

Diagnosis of female alcoholism

The diagnosis of alcohol dependence in women is based on clinical symptoms. Any laboratory research methods are of an auxiliary nature and cannot be evidence of alcoholism. Four signs are considered as the main diagnostic criteria for female alcoholism. The first is a change in the value system, an inappropriately high place for alcohol in the list of personal priorities. The second is loss of control over the dose of alcohol (the patient almost always drinks more than she planned). The third is continued drinking despite obstacles (personal, social and professional interests of the woman). The fourth is the development of withdrawal syndrome.

The first three signs confirm female alcoholism with the presence of mental dependence, the fourth indicates the development of physical dependence. The conversation with the patient is supplemented by testing using various questionnaires. The simplest survey for preliminary diagnosis of female alcoholism includes only four questions:

• Has the woman thought that it’s time for her to stop drinking?
• Does other people bother her with complaints about her drinking?
• Does she feel guilty about drinking alcohol?
• did she ever want to get a hangover?

The conversation and survey are complemented by an external examination to identify specific markers of female alcoholism. Chronic alcohol abuse may be indicated by facial redness, dilation of subcutaneous capillaries on the facial skin, enlarged parotid glands, coated tongue, enlarged liver, tremors of the limbs, polyneuropathy, muscle atrophy, symmetrical redness of the palms, increased sweating, telangiectasias, a transient increase in blood pressure and characteristic of women alcoholism, change in figure (disappearance of the waist, thinning arms and legs with a belly).

Treatment of female alcoholism

Treatment tactics are determined individually, depending on the duration of regular alcohol consumption, the stage of female alcoholism, health status, level of motivation, volitional qualities, personality traits and some other factors. A prerequisite for successful treatment of female alcoholism is complete abstinence from alcohol. Reducing the dose and trying to “drink in moderation” will obviously be ineffective, since the alcoholic is not able to control the amount of drinking and breaks down even after taking a small dose.

, hypnosuggestive therapy, double coding and other techniques. Before coding, detoxification measures must be carried out.

Subsequently, the patient is referred to psychotherapy to identify the causes of the development of female alcoholism and develop new ways of thinking and behavior. Psychologists and psychotherapists help the patient go through a difficult period of giving up alcohol, often accompanied by emotional breakdowns caused by changes in the usual way of life, the need to find new priorities, changes in relationships with loved ones, etc. In the process of treating female alcoholism, both individual and group psychotherapy are used .

Alcohol abuse is a problem in our society. Perhaps, everyone has one of their acquaintances, relatives or friends looking into their glass. Although few people have the courage to admit to themselves that they have an alcohol addiction, and even fewer people decide to fight it. This addiction is especially dangerous for women. Where does the desire for alcohol come from among the fair sex? What are the spiritual causes of this painful condition? We are talking about this with the head of the rehabilitation program of the Center for Practical Narcology, Grigory Anatolyevich Solodovnikov.

“The thief who steals the mind” - this is how alcohol has been called since ancient times,

Speaks Grigory Anatolyevich.

Man has not known alcohol for hundreds of thousands of years. At the beginning of the last century, the German doctor Emil Kraepelin wrote that the consequences of alcoholism are not so terrible, since half of humanity - women - are almost not involved in alcohol. If alcoholism spreads among women, our descendants will face complete destruction, he predicted. But, unfortunately, we are increasingly faced with the term “female alcoholism.”

Is it true that women become addicted to alcohol faster than men?

Is it true. The female body is subject to alcohol addiction three times faster than the male body, and moral decline occurs no less rapidly. And for this a woman needs only three years. When drinking 100 grams of wine or 50 grams of vodka per day. But for a man to develop chronic alcoholism, it takes about five years. According to statistics, today about 16 percent of Ukrainian women suffer from chronic alcoholism. In general, about 26 percent of women regularly drink alcohol, 29 percent drink from time to time.

What motivates a woman to abuse alcohol?

Most often these are emotional and psychological factors. Physical include:

• Heredity factor. According to medical genetic studies, the probability of developing alcohol dependence in children born to parents suffering from alcoholism is 50 percent. If a woman drinks alcohol during pregnancy, it can provoke the development of fetal alcohol syndrome. Hormonal changes characteristic of the female body lead to rapid absorption of such a component of alcohol as ethanol. And low levels of alcohol dehydrogenase (the enzyme responsible for breaking down alcohol) cause rapid intoxication.
• Menopause period, middle age crisis. After 40, when the children have grown up and are building their own lives, or when she finds herself alone, a woman can become depressed. And he often looks for improvement in his mood in alcohol. After the first glass, a second, a third appears...
• If you drink the same amount of alcoholic beverages as your husband, Intoxication occurs faster in women, because a woman’s body contains ten percent less water.
• The physical causes of female alcoholism also include relieving depression in small doses.

Among the psychological reasons are excessive emotionality of female nature, acute response to problems, frequent depression, states of anxiety and tension, overwork, stress.

Constantly abusing alcohol, a woman feels a steady train, and if she does not receive the next dose of alcohol, the receptors begin to irritate the brain. In science this is called withdrawal syndrome. Gradually, premature aging and disruption of the functioning of body systems begins. Soon, alcohol becomes a way of life and carries with it irreversible pathological consequences.

They say that female alcoholism is incurable?

People often ask this question. In fact, it is impossible to say that alcoholism can be cured. After all, it causes too profound changes at the cellular level of the whole organism. This disease is classified as psychiatric, and it is impossible to say that an alcoholic has been cured for either a man or a woman. However, thanks to treatment, it is possible to achieve remission, that is, a stable state when a person, being an alcoholic, does not drink alcohol.

There is an opinion that female alcoholism has no prospects. But I don't think so. Women are indeed more difficult to treat. After all, women have their own hormonal characteristics; every month they experience periods of mood swings, irritability, and nervousness. And during such periods there is a threat that they will want to somehow improve the normal physiological state of the female body, to calm down. And a woman who has a tendency toward alcoholism and drinks alcohol or even alcohol-based sedatives at least once a month can thus provoke the onset of binge drinking. On the other hand, a woman usually has less support among her surroundings and relatives.

When a woman needs treatment for alcoholism, people are generally not interested in her. But if a person needs treatment, his wife supports him, takes care of him, looks after him like a small child. Women of alcoholic men try to help men, and men of women alcoholics try not to see this problem. A woman with an alcoholism problem becomes lonely. Her children, as a rule, are embarrassed, blame her and do not want to support her. And women are embarrassed about their problem and even try to hide it from their closest friend

Return