Hannah Zwemer graduated with a BA in dance and a minor in educational studies from Denison University in 2017 before moving to Orlando to work as a performer at Walt Disney World. While at Disney, she discovered her passion for writing women and alcoholism and pursued a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis in nonfiction. She is passionate about helping people in any way she can while simultaneously sharing stories that remind us that the best of us are still only human.

• While women are drinking increasingly more alcohol and at higher rates, there are biological factors in play as well.
• A history of depression or childhood sexual or physical abuse.
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Perhaps unfairly, women also bear a disproportionate share of family responsibilities than men, creating a greater urgency and need for treatment. Women who have discovered that they are pregnant or have young dependent children very frequently cite their desire to protect and support their family as their primary reason for seeking alcoholism treatment. Expectant mothers may drink alcohol not thinking about the harm it can cause to https://ecosoberhouse.com/ their unborn child. An expectant mother who drinks puts both her life and the life of her baby at risk. Rehab Spot is here to help family members of those struggling with substance abuse. If you’re struggling with drug addiction, treatment providers can help. Women’s growing predilection for wine has a darker side—and the only way to deal with it is to acknowledge the profound differences between how women and men abuse alcohol.

Alcoholism Mistaken for Age-Related Conditions

Most importantly, acceptance of the fact that one is addicted and unable to control their drinking is necessary for effective treatment. Blood tests measure the size of red blood cells, which increase with long-term alcohol abuse. Tests that show liver damage can also assist in diagnosing a patient with alcohol abuse. If you or someone you love is struggling with an inability to regulate their drinking, contact a treatment provider todayto learn about treatment options and begin the journey toward recovery. Remember that you are not alone and there are countless people and resources available to assist you; your best life is yet to come. There is no safe or harmless amount of alcohol one can consume while pregnant.

• Sobriety advocates quickly called the brand on it — after all, hiding drinks generally signals a drinking problem.
• It may be if the individual is only focused on that and if it happens often.
• Many women who are alcoholics are good at hiding their addiction.
• In 2009, a survey surmised 47 percent of women between the ages of 12 and older in the United States admitted to drinking in the last month.
• Getting treatment is the first step but just as with any other chronic disease, lifetime maintenance is essential.

Large fluctuations in hormonal levels can cause the body to go haywire. It can cause important organs to cease to function properly. Alcoholism affects not only the alcoholic but also those around them as well. Risky behavior and moodiness can create negative situations. It can also cause many issues to escalate out of control. Someone who is under the influence of alcohol may say or do things that they normally wouldn’t if they were sober. Show that an alcoholic’s brain activity at cognitive control regions is different than the activity in normal individuals.

What Are the Health Risks?

Some experts believe that women who drink even one alcoholic drink per day may be putting themselves at increased risk for health problems. For pregnant women, no amount of alcohol is deemed safe. Some studies have suggested that it’s more common for women struggling with alcoholism to experience “increased psychiatric comorbidity,” which means that they have both an addiction and a mental health condition .

If you have a loved one who you think might have a problem with alcohol, here are the signs of alcoholism in women. Since there are just as many alcoholic women as men, many women with alcoholism are not getting the help they need to recover. Women are more prone to seek out holistic treatments for their drinking problems. They will often utilize psychiatric services, such as talk therapy, to explore their feelings. For women, the trend in heavy drinking, as well as related health effects, extends back at least two decades. As the body becomes dependent on alcohol, cravings may grow stronger.

Alcoholism in Women is on the Rise: What You Need to Know

Psychotherapy, self-help groups, and medications are all available to help women stop or reduce their drinking. For a long time, professionals believed that women with substance abuse problems were less likely than men to recover from them. Yet limited evidence on the matter was available, because many studies on the outcome of substance abuse treatment conducted before the 1990s enrolled only men.

Rehab placement specialists are available to help you learn more about alcohol recovery centers for women. Women with alcoholism have a hard time stopping on their own. Changes in hormone levels during the menstrual cycle may also affect how a woman metabolizes alcohol. Cooper plans to return to school this fall for a master’s degree in social work, with the goal of working to change those gender disparities in the field. “We have a real concern that while there might be fewer people drinking, many of those who are drinking might be doing so specifically to try to cope,” White says.