Chapter 12 Lecture
Using Alcohol Responsibly
Women and Alcohol
• Alcohol has been consumed by humans for thousands of years
• Societal attitudes regarding women’s use of alcohol has been inconsistent and ambivalent
• In early American, women played a significant role in the control of alcohol during the temperance movement
• After attempting to enforce Prohibition, alcohol is considered a legal substance with certain restrictions and is regulated by state governments
Alcohol Absorption
• Number of drinks consumed
• Strength of beverage (% of alcohol)
• Rate of drinking
• Mixture with other beverages
• Food in the stomach
• Emotional factors
• Blood chemistry
• Body weight
Why Liquor is Quicker for Women
• An enzyme, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) found in the liver and stomach is lower in women compared to men
• As a result, 30% more alcohol enters the female bloodstream, creating a higher intoxication effect
• Over time, the liver fails to produce ADH, allowing women to absorb almost all alcohol consumed without breaking this down
• Other factors such as body fat percentage, body water, and the stage of the premenstrual cycle will have a profound effect upon the CNS
Women and Alcohol: A Unique Relationship
• In the past, women have used alcohol medicinally for many purposes
• Women who consume alcoholic beverages should be concerned about the following:
• Increased amounts of body fat/year
• Increased risk of breast cancer and osteoporosis
• Increased risk of cirrhosis compared to men
• Reduction of lifespan and brain impairment
• Societal values placed on women who drink alcohol regularly
Drinking Classifications
• Abstainers – Do not drink; May drink once a year
• Light Drinkers – May drink 1-2 drinks once or twice per month
• Moderate Drinkers – Drink 1-2 drinks once a week
• Heavy Drinkers – Drinks several drinks once a week
• Binge Drinkers – Drink 5-6 drinks or more per drinking occasion
College-Aged Women and Alcohol
• To relieve stress and anxiety
• To feel more sociable
• To decrease inhibitions
• For the “high” that results
• To be part of the group
• To lessen sexual inhibitions
• To escape
• To relieve worrying
• To become less self-conscious
• To reduce depression
College-Aged Women and Alcohol
Associated Effects
• Hormonal Effects
• Dieting Relationship
• Disease Development
• Ethnicity Relationship
• Behavioral Effects, e.g., impaired ability to function socially
• Social Effects
• Economic Effects
• Effects on Relationships
Alcohol and Pregnancy
• Alcohol can impair personal health and increase the risk of fetus developing serious and life changing physical and mental health issues
• Alcohol crosses placental barrier and decreases the amount of glucose and oxygen that is received by the fetal brain
• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: a completely preventable cluster of birth defects including irreversible mental and physical disabilities resulting from expectant mothers consuming alcohol
• FAS
• ARND
• ARBD
Addiction and Dependency
• Addiction is a compulsive, uncontrollable dependence on a substance
• Components of addiction include:
• Tolerance
• Physical Dependence
• Psychological Dependence
• Once physically dependent, if the body is deprived of alcohol, an addict will experience withdrawal symptoms
Alcoholism
• Alcoholism – primary chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors affecting the individual
• 5.3 million women in the U.S. drink in a way that threatens their health, safety, and well-being
• Alcoholism can shorten life expectancy by 10-15 years
• The cause is unknown, but the following are revealed in the background of female alcoholics:
• Parent(s) are alcoholics
• Child Abuse relationship
• Excessive drinking as teens
• Social factors contribution
How to Help
• Learn the facts about alcohol and alcoholism
• Develop a factual attitude vs. an emotional attitude
• Don’t use home remedies e.g. lecturing
• Find assistance for yourself and the alcoholic through support groups
• Talk with people who understand the illness, not just friends and family
• Allow the alcoholic to be responsible for behavior and consequences
• Expect relapses and difficult days after recovery begins
• The person has to learn to say “no, thanks” when offered alcohol
A Family Disease
• Codependency issues of family members
• Women with co-dependent traits should obtain help through individual or group counseling
• Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACAs)
• Children of Alcoholics (COAs)
• Effects of Growing up in an Alcoholic Family
• Coping skill development are developed by family members
• Understand the 4 C’s of a dysfunctional family
-
- You didn’t cause it
- You can’t control it
- You can’t cure it
- You can help yourself
What Can Be Done?
• Lifestyle Behavior Changes
• Counseling
• Treatment Centers
• Chemical Treatment (drug therapy)
• Aftercare (follow up treatment)
Prevention
• Primary prevention programs are aimed at women who have not begun to use alcohol, focusing and reducing the rate of possible new alcohol users
• Activities are developed to reduce factors that may contribute to the early use of alcohol
• Young women often believe that alcohol use does not produce any negative consequences, therefore, thinking this is an acceptable behavior
• Enhancing positive family influences and integrating “life skills training”, will allow young women to engage in more productive behaviors
• Prevention can yield the greatest benefit if initiated at any early age (pre-school) and continued into adulthood