Chemical Dependency

Women and Alcoholism
Who Pays the Price?

NewStart Services

The statistics are significant - alcohol abuse and alcoholism cost more than $167 billion each year nationwide. It's reported that as many as 10 percent of the general population abuse or depend on alcohol.

That's the dollar and cents perspective, but the real cost can only be measured in the physical and emotional suffering of the alcoholic, family and friends.

Past participants of Meriter's NewStart program, an alcohol and drug treatment program, shared these experiences:

• "A thousand soap operas could have been written from the stories told in small group session. The sad part was that these stories were all true."
• "I hated when Mom volunteered to car pool. They told us in school about drunk driving, and then I really worried we wouldn't be safe."
• "I knew something was wrong at our house for a long time. I got confused a lot. The rules at our house kept changing. Worst of all, there was lots of yelling at our house. I became pretty good at figuring out ways to keep a pillow and blankets over my head so I wouldn't hear the loudness of the fight."
• "Maybe if I had a better job and made more money, things would be better around the house and she wouldn't drink so much."

"Families pay a high price for alcoholism and alcohol abuse," says Joyce Evers, a manager with NewStart. "Spouses, children and others close to an addicted drinker are given the blame for things going wrong - as if their imperfect behavior and inability to make a perfect world are the sole reasons the alcoholic drinks."

And of course, the drinker pays too. Despite the fact that nationally more men than women are alcohol dependent, women can be more severely affected.

Alcohol's Physical Effects on Women

Women can become more intoxicated than men on the same amount of alcohol - even if they weigh the same. Researchers have found that women have less of the stomach enzyme that is needed to break down alcohol. This means more of the alcohol is absorbed and, because women retain less water in their bodies than men do, whatever alcohol they drink is more highly concentrated in the blood.

Women also are more susceptible to the influence of alcohol just prior to or during their menstrual period than at other times.

In addition, women develop serious medical problems in a shorter time span. They are more likely than men to develop cirrhosis of the liver and other related diseases. Studies have also noted an association between alcohol consumption and an increased risk of breast cancer. While we don't understand the cause and effect, studies have suggested the risk of breast cancer may increase with an intake of just a few drinks per week.

Alcohol's Other Risks

While the cumulative physical effect of alcohol can be deadly, the sad fact remains that the majority of people who die as a result of alcohol die in alcohol-related accidents such as motor vehicle accidents, falls or being in a violent situation.

Sadly, women's alcohol issues are closely linked to other social issues. There is a high incidence of female patients being the victims of domestic violence and childhood sexual abuse. Studies also have shown women alcoholics are more likely than men to be depressed and attempt suicide.

Women in Treatment

The good news is that, in general, women do well when they seek treatment. For many, the isolation of their alcohol dependence has been very taxing. It's a relief to be in treatment, to get connected again.

One key to success is finding a program that offers women the support they need. Women have different issues to deal with in recovery than men. Successful treatment may have to address child-care concerns and the fact that half of all women alcoholics have partners who themselves are addicted to drugs or alcohol.

We do know that the earlier women and men seek treatment, the better. There is no easy way to recover from alcoholism. But getting beyond denial is the first, critical step toward better health and a better life. If you would like help from NewStart, call us at (608) 417-3457.

2/13/09