It is not as difficult for a man to get rid of alcohol addiction as it is for an ordinary woman to stop drinking alcohol. Female alcoholism has become more widespread in recent years. Younger women, who once could not be forced to get drunk, are increasingly engaging in alcohol consumption.
This is a vulnerable category of society, it is difficult for them to tolerate an unstable situation, stress and everyday problems. But a woman is a mother, the foundation of a family and the educator of the younger generation, so it is necessary to stop this epidemic.
Formation of the problem of female alcoholism
Just 20 years ago, female alcoholics represented only a small portion of drinkers and avoided resorting to anti-alcohol treatment. They were ashamed of their illness and hid it. Gradually, more and more representatives of the fair sex began to ask for help. Today, their percentage compared to male alcoholics has increased significantly. There has been an increase in the number of women drinking and seeking recovery. The difficulty is that quitting drinking is not that easy. It's not easy to force yourself to live soberly.
Many women continue to drink alone and hide their alcohol addiction. Both men and women are at a disadvantage when they become alcoholics. In society, men who drink are judged less than women. A wife supports her husband who drinks. She hopes she can help him stop drinking. And a husband can leave his drinking wife, who shames him and sets a bad example for his children. Native children will not want to see their mother when she is lying somewhere drunk and has forgotten about them.
The opinion has become stronger that female alcoholism is incurable. The roots of this myth lie in the negative assessment of female drunkenness by society and the fact that a woman remains silent about her problem for a long time and the disease is neglected. The condemnation of female drunkenness hinders the rapid initiation of treatment and makes it less effective. A woman's rapid involvement in addiction, which quickly leads to personal degradation, also plays a role.
Many serious complications resulting from alcohol abuse make it difficult to make an informed treatment decision. If someone could convince their girlfriend to stop drinking by wishing her luck, the recovery rate would be higher. Unfortunately, this is not possible. She has to stop drinking on her own. And the help should consist of making drinkers aware of their addiction.
Why do women start drinking?
Psychological or emotional reasons push a girl or woman to drink. She is emotional, it is easier to hurt her mentally, she experiences life events more strongly. It doesn't have to be a dysfunctional marginalized woman to begin with. Even seemingly successful representatives of the fair sex suffer from alcoholism from time to time and cannot stop drinking on their own. The main reasons for the appearance of abuse are:
- Stressful conditions due to an unstable life, lack of financial means, pressure from superiors and work colleagues or from the older generation of the family living nearby.
- Concerns about the relationship with your spouse, lack of attention on his part, betrayal, rudeness, frequent absences from home.
- Inability to spend free time, boredom, lack of hobbies.
- Lack of family, immersion in work during the day and emptiness in the evening.
- Loneliness, particularly sudden: the death of a husband, his departure or the loss of other loved ones.
- Insomnia, desire to normalize sleep.
- Diet, an attempt to suppress hunger with dietary restrictions.
- Heredity, alcoholism among ancestors.
- Menopause, increased physical and mental discomfort due to changes in the body.
Is female alcoholism different from male alcoholism?
A woman gets drunk faster, this can be explained by the characteristics of her body. Body weight is lower than that of a man, alcohol absorption is faster. The enzyme that helps break down alcohol is less active; female sex hormones are incompatible with alcohol breakdown products.
Due to physiological characteristics and the emotional sphere, a woman can become addicted to alcohol twice as quickly. When a man is at the initial stage of alcoholism and is just starting to drink, a woman already feels a noticeable craving for alcohol.
Stages of alcoholism
They are the same for men and women. The division into stages makes it possible to assess the severity of the disease and the complications that arise at this stage. Finding an alcoholic patient at one stage or another requires different treatment approaches.
- Step I.An attraction to alcohol arises and develops. A woman experiences pleasant sensations while drinking and wants to repeat them. This is how mental dependence appears. A woman wants to find herself in situations where she can drink more often. She is looking for a reason and a suitable company. When observing a woman, you will notice her atypical behavior and more frequent alcohol consumption. She explains this by saying that she felt bad or wanted to relax, or worried about problems - family or work.
She cannot objectively assess that alcohol consumption has become more frequent and refuses to stop. He reacts strongly to the comments and refuses to analyze his behavior. Conflicts with those who want to force her to stay sober. To stop the external pressure, the woman begins to drink in secret.
- Stage II. Mental dependence has already formed, the mood depends on whether the woman drank or not. Physical dependence is formed, the alcoholic begins to have a hangover. She often drinks a little every day, less often she goes on a drinking binge lasting several days, after which there is a break. But quitting drinking is already very difficult.
The female body quickly begins to fade. Outward signs of persistent alcoholism appear. An unkempt appearance, attempts to hide a gray complexion under decorative cosmetics, bags under the eyes and a swollen face reveal a drinking woman. His voice becomes harsh and hoarse. Behavior shows aggression, hysteria, tears, refusal to take responsibility and alienation from loved ones. She becomes sexually promiscuous and suffers from gynecological diseases. Memory weakens, lethargy and tremor of the hands appear.
- Stage III.A physical dependence has developed, it is difficult for a woman to function without alcohol. Irreversible changes have occurred in the body. There are significant disturbances in the mental sphere and in the internal organs.
Among the disorders characteristic of this stage: alcoholic encephalopathy, polyneuropathy, persistent decline in intelligence, delirium tremens, toxic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, kidney failure, chronic pancreatitis, risk of heart attack and stroke. The risk of poisoning from alcohol substitutes is extremely high.
Returning to a sober life is almost impossible. Drinking has already become a way of life, the personality is being destroyed. She lost her job and almost everyone close to her, who despaired of seeing her sober. She has no interests other than alcohol.
When to start treatment
To begin treatment, a woman must understand that she is addicted. Forced treatment will not be beneficial. The desire to stop drinking must be formed alone with the support of loved ones. She shouldn't be left alone or listen to accusations. Patience is required from loved ones. The girl must be helped by her parents, especially her mother.
During the first two stages of the disease, she is able to realize that alcohol leads to problems and shameful actions. It is also necessary to understand that alcoholic beverages do not solve his problems, but only aggravate them. We need to help a woman realize that she is hurting herself and her relationships. It is necessary to show that it is still possible to improve life, to explain that all is not lost, since she is capable of reasoning and being aware of herself.
There is no need to waste time consulting traditional healers and quacks. They promise to get a person sober in one or more short treatments. Neither the price of these services nor the advertising reputation guarantee success.
After obtaining consent for treatment, the woman must go to a hospital where she provides assistance to patients undergoing drug treatment. Getting rid of alcohol addiction is a complex and long process. It should only be carried out by a specialist doctor, using complex methods: medicinal and psychotherapeutic.
What is medical care?
Methods for treating female alcoholism are very diverse. Specialists of the drug treatment hospital select an individual set of treatment measures based on the characteristics of each woman admitted for treatment. During processing, the following are used:
- Preparations for detoxification and rapid removal of alcohol breakdown products from the body.
- Medicines specialized in the formation of aversion to alcohol.
- Medicines for the correction of disorders resulting from alcohol abuse (cardiological, neurological, endocrinological, psychiatric spectrum and other acquired pathologies).
- Complex psychotherapy, help from a psychologist, participation in group and individual classes to solve personal problems and emotional relief.
- Maintenance blockade of opioid receptors. Supportive coding, hypnotherapy. These methods should only be used in combination with other medical and psychotherapeutic interventions. Isolated exposure has virtually no effect, as motivation for sobriety outside of complex therapy quickly fades.
What motivates a woman to be sober?
The most important factor that motivates a woman to return to a sober life is acceptance from those close to her. A man often recovers from upsetting someone, trying to prove that he is not completely lost. And women are trying to get sober for an important purpose. It is important for them to see that people believe in them.
An incentive for sobriety for an alcoholic patient may be the desire to feel loved and wanted again.A woman wants to start a family and she must show her best side. When she meets someone she loves, she wants to get married and fulfill herself as a mother. It also motivates you to give up alcohol.
Experts also note that women alcoholics fear serious illness and even death from alcoholism. In men who drink, this fear is less pronounced; for them, this stimulus may not work.
A woman, in her desire to remain healthy and feminine, is able to overcome the difficulties of the convalescence period. It is important to know that, unlike monotonous binge eating which ends just as tragically, recovery will give you a full and varied life. The experience of hundreds of thousands of women who have already gotten rid of alcoholism proves this.