Effects Of Alcohol On Women 's Drinking

Alcoholism is one of the most intractable and pervasive psychological disorders known. Though the negative health consequences of alcohol are widely understood, and, if anything, the social consequences of alcoholism are even more widely acknowledged, it seems that no matter what steps are taken by public health officials or private organizations, no strategy can ever be fully developed for eradicating alcoholism. There are a number of reasons why this is true. This paper will explore some of the social and medical problems created by alcohol, but in it I will also consider the role of alcohol in my personal life and the way I have seen the disease play out in the lives of people around me. The paper will also examine the social and political responses to the problem of alcoholism and attempt to determine where productive approaches have been taken and areas where mistakes have been made. Before discussing such wide-ranging questions, it is important to understand what alcoholism is and how it is manifested.

Young women are finally drinking and abusing alcohol at the same rate as men. Men drink beer and hard liquor while women drink wine and delicate cocktails some of the logic behind these ideas is based on the fact that men and Women’s bodies process alcohol at different rates but there is

Alcohol is a legal, soothing drug which changes how an individual feels. Drinking level for men and women are different. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states the difference between men and women drinking alcohol as well as injuries and deaths as a result of excessive alcohol use. Some injuries and deaths as a result of disproportionate alcohol use includes: Men consistently have higher rates of alcohol-related deaths and hospitalizations than women, men are almost twice as likely as women to have been intoxicated among drivers in fatal motor-vehicle traffic crashes, excessive alcohol consumption increases aggression, and men are more likely than women to commit suicide, and more likely to have been drinking prior to committing suicide (CDC).

3. Examine the gender differences in alcohol/drug consumption found by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA). Women are more likely to abuse substances in order to lose weight, relieves stress or bordom, improve mood, reduce inhibitions, self medicate depression, increase confidence.

Alcohol has been around for many centuries, involving tradition, religion, and social gatherings. For many using alcohol is not a problem because they fall into the categories listed above. In some churches, the use of wine is used to represent the blood of Christ, although many have turned to grape juice now. Others use alcohol as a custom for watching football or perhaps traditionally within some cultures like the Irish, who drink daily for continued health. And lastly, social gatherings are also an excuse to ‘drink up’ and celebrate any event in one’s life. What most people fail to realize is that drinking can lead to health issues and dependence.

In Whiting S. Albert’s article “Alcohol Use Is Harmful” he stated that alcohol is a chemical that contains hydrogen and carbon. Whiting stated further that the active ingredient of alcohol is ethyl alcohol, which is also known as ethanol. Alcohol is one of the few things that human being consume that do not need digestion. Alcohol appears the bloodstream immediately, thus, its intoxicating effects are felt instantly (1). “High levels of mortality, morbidity, and social malaise are associated with abuse of alcohol, and increasing numbers of women and youth are abusing alcohol” (Ferreira and Darryn 1). “Alcohol slows down the function of all living cells, especially those in the brain” (Whiting 1), which causes thinking to be impaired. Alcohol is probably the most used drug worldwide. “Three in ten adults 18 years of age and over have had alcoholism and/or engaged in alcohol abuse at some point in their lives …” (“Impact of Alcoholism” 1). According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

Dependance on alcohol has been around ever since its creation and records of writing existed. From Biblical commandments clearly restricting the drink due to its destructive and addictive nature to the celebrities on tv screens and music devices glorifying the substance, alcohol has always been part of various cultures. Being the number one drug problem in the U.S with over 12 million people reportedly being alcoholics and of those 7 million being binge drinkers between the ages 12-20, it comes as no surprise that beneath its shiny and glamorous exterior, this drink comes with its set of problems ("Alcohol Abuse Statistics."). In American society today many people think that being an alcoholic simply stems from laziness and the lack of will to “simply stop.” There is much more to this disorder than having one too many drinks at a bar that people are either ignorant to or just ignore for the sake of judging other individuals. Just like famous English philosopher,William Penn, said: “All excess is ill, but drunkenness is of the worst sort. It spoils health, dismounts the mind, and unmans men. It reveals secrets, is quarrelsome, lascivious, impudent, dangerous and mad.”( "Alcoholism Quotes."). So with all these consequences associated with alcohol, why do people drink? What is alcoholism? Who does it affect? Why does it happen? How can it be solved?

The purpose of the article was to see whether or not alcoholism in women is genetic-based. Researchers were interested in seeing the extent to which alcoholism in females may be environmentally or genetically induced. Only one study, and that different to this, has been produced on the matter.

See Jane and John. Jane and John are both college students. Jane and John decide to attend a party with their friends. On this particular night, Jane drinks 4 drinks in the first hour and continues to consume alcohol. John drinks 5 or more in that same hour and continues to drink. After 3 hours at this party, Jane and John are both very drunk. Jane believes the alcohol makes her more comfortable with the atmosphere of the party and therefore more socially accepted. The girls at the party seem to take more of a liking to Jane as the night wears on. The guys seem more sexually interested in her, too. John is hanging out with all the rowdy guys at the party doing multiple shots and chugging several beers for

One of the main reasons alcohol conusmption is the third leading actual cause of death is because it is accepted by society. Alcohol is sold at social events such as resturants, bowling alleys, baseball games, and then present at family events, etc. Examples are; at a lunch with friends, alcohol is available to order, at a wedding with family there is a champagne toast, while watching a baseball game there are people coming around selling beer to order, etc. The key in this is that since it is accepted by society, it is used as a main drink when socializing. Alcohol consumption is also based on ones behavior, and consuming alcohol would be a behavioral risk factor. It is considered a behavioral risk factor because it is the cause leading up to many different deaths in the United States as seen. It is hard to control ones behavior, because it is based on what they are so used to doing like a habit. Examples include; when someone is depressed, stressed, sad, trying to escape reality, much more, they drink. It is already mentioned that alcohol relaxes and puts one to ease. This is why those consuming alcohol feel that this is the best thing to do to overcome their

Women and men respond differently to alcohol consumption. “Premenstrual hormonal changes cause intoxication to set in faster during the day’s right before a woman gets her period. Birth control pills or other medication with estrogen will slow down the rate at which alcohol is eliminated from the body.”(Alcohol and Your Body). Men can typically handle more alcohol than women. A woman does not have as many liver enzymes to break down the alcohol, so it takes women longer to decompose alcohol as men. Men are made of more water than women so men are more capable of diluting alcohol more quickly. It is recommended that women drink more slowly than men. Women are more susceptible to rape when heavily intoxicated; the majority of rape cases include

Alcohol dependence has a much more pronounced medical effect on women than on men. Medical problems

When I step into a college party, the first thing I see around me is alcohol. I often notice underage adolescents drinking and I also distinguish how they become different people when intoxicated by alcohol. They begin to walk funny and they tend to slur their words, making it hard to comprehend anything they are saying. I have watched family members who were so inebriated that they could not even spell their own name or even pinpoint who they were. The questions I always ask myself when I see these drunk college kids is “Do these kids know the effects of alcoholism?”

Along with gender differences, other factors that influence the addiction of alcohol amongst women include genetics, neuropsychology, and environment. The environmental factor plays a big role in alcohol addiction amongst women, especially in the family context. Holdcraft and Iacono wrote in an article, “Women have been found to have more drinking-related familial consequences while men suffer more adverse social, occupational, legal and violence-related consequences” (pp. 1026). Women of alcohol addiction have developed this disease more than not through some type of influence by family.