Women and Alcohol Rehab
Traditionally, there have been more men than women entering alcohol rehab in the United States. There are a number of reasons for this, not the least of which is the stigma associated with alcoholism and drug rehab of any kind in certain circles.
According to a study in Medical News Today, the number of women in alcohol rehab is rising and quickly catching up with the number of men seeking treatment for alcoholism. They say:
* “A new examination of data on similarly aged groups, compared across decades, has found substantial increases in drinking and alcohol dependence among women.”
* “Increases were particularly notable among white and Hispanic women – beginning with those born in the United States after World War II.”
Some of the findings of the study were kind of interesting and disturbing at the same time. Like, for example, younger people were reporting that they had intense problems with alcohol over their lifetime more often than did older people, even though, technically, they’ve had less time to develop such problems. Then again, the intensity of experience is somewhat more life altering when you’re younger as time hasn’t been given a chance to dull the experience or level it out by comparison to other experiences.
Women, Age and the Need for Alcohol Rehab
Richard A. Grucza is an epidemiologist at Washington University School of Medicine and the study’s corresponding author. He says:
“By looking at two different cross-sectional surveys that asked the same questions in the same manner, but were conducted 10 years apart, we were able to compare, for example, 30 to 40 year olds in 2001 with 30 to 40 year olds in 1991. Essentially, this allowed us to correct for the effects of age on reporting. When we did this, we found that the tendency for young people to have higher levels of lifetime alcohol dependence clearly remained for women, although it disappeared for men.”
Young women, older women… the results are the same. It doesn’t matter how old you are, you are just as likely to have a problem with alcohol that requires treatment as a man.
Why Are Women Needing Alcohol Rehab in Increasing Numbers?
Well, in my opinion, it’s not necessarily that more women need alcohol rehab but that maybe more women are coming forward and seeking treatment. Too many women have responsibilities to children and elders, whole families depending on them to be present every day and not. Alcohol treatment may not have seemed like an option but more like a luxury. As people become more educated and realize that, if you’re an alcoholic, alcohol rehab is a necessity and not something to deny yourself for any reason. Women are taking this to heart.
Shelly F. Greenfield is the associate clinical director of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Program at McLean Hospital. She says:
“One possible explanation is that between 1934 and 1964, the social acceptability of women’s drinking increased. As it was more socially acceptable for women to drink, a greater number of them became drinkers. Because women have a heightened vulnerability to the effects of alcohol – that is, greater blood alcohol levels at similar ‘doses’ of alcohol – we may therefore see a concomitant rise in alcohol dependence among those who ever drank.”
Grucza had an interesting take on the phenomenon as well:
“Clearly there were many changes in the cultural environment for women born in the 40s, 50s and 60s compared to women born earlier. Women entered the work force, were more likely to go to college, were less hampered by gender stereotypes, and had more purchasing power. They were freer to engage in a range of behaviors that were culturally or practically off-limits, and these behaviors probably would have included excessive drinking and alcohol problems.
If A Woman You Love Needs Alcohol Rehab…
Help is available. The Canyon provides a retreat-like atmosphere in Malibu, California, that provides the healing and care that is required for women to truly be able to relax and focus on themselves. Give us a call to find out more about what we have to offer women who need alcohol treatment.
For more information on this study and others, take a look at Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
Tags: Alcohol Rehab, alcohol-treatment, women alcoholism
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