Currently, female alcoholism is not much less common than male alcoholism, but recognize it is not easy.
To determine whether a woman has this problem can be determined by certain signs in her behavior.
The concept and characteristics
Female alcoholism is no different from male.
This disease is characterized by physical, mental addiction to liquor.
In the course of the development of the disease, irreversible changes in behavior and in the state of human health begin.
Alcoholic woman can no longer be aware in how much alcohol she consumed.
Any situation related to the possibility of a drink (corporate party, a party of friends, a birthday, etc.) develops into uncontrolled libations. As soon as the first portion of alcohol enters the body, stop already failing.
With such an attitude to alcohol develops withdrawal syndrome - the desire to sober up to improve well-being.
If ordinary people, after a merry feast on the next day, cannot even think about alcoholic beverages, then the alcoholics will have a reverse reaction - need for a new dose.
Gradually, the habit of systematically drinking leads to the fact that a woman completely loses the ability to exist without alcohol.
First, its use is justified by various occasions, events. Later occasions start to be created artificially.
In the latter stages, the victim of alcoholism no longer tries to find a rationale for his behavior — she falls into uncontrollable bingesthat can last a very long time.
The reasons
Women by nature much more emotional men.
Therefore, the appearance of problems with alcoholic beverages is usually caused by psychological factors.
These include:
- Depression. Severe life situations, stress, personal tragedies can be the impetus for the development of depression.
- Loneliness. Loneliness can be both actual (there are no close people nearby) or psychological (lack of support and care from close people). As a result, in alcohol, a lonely person seeks salvation from a sense of uselessness.
- Boredom. Often, alcoholism affects the fair sex, who at first glance have no problems: husband, children, financial well-being. In such cases, the reason for resorting to alcohol may be elementary boredom.
In a state of intoxication, life seems brighter and more fun. Gradually, the habit in such a way to entertain itself develops into dependence.
- Personal failures. For women, the lack of a full-fledged relationship, adultery and other personal failures are a serious stress. Someone finds the strength to overcome difficulties, and someone washes down his disappointments.
- Predisposition. Tendency to addiction to girls can be caused by genetic predisposition (among family members were alcoholics), characteristics of character and temperament (weak will, depression, problems with social adaptation, etc.).
- Bad influence of the environment. If the harmful habit lives in an environment where there is one or more alcoholics, then its chances of adopting such a destructive lifestyle increase significantly. Often wives become addicted trying to help their husbands recover.
In all these cases, alcohol is perceived as simple and quick way to get rid of problems, allowing you to distance yourself from reality and plunge into the world of illusions.
The habit of this kind of relaxation gradually develops into a disease, which is no longer possible to get rid of.
Stages of the disease
The danger of female alcoholism is that its stages replace each other with a frightening speed. As a result, a steady relationship is formed in the shortest possible time.
There are three main stages:
- Formation of addiction. During this period, the foundations are laid for psychological dependence on strong drinks. A woman is constantly looking for an excuse to drink. At the same time, for those around her and for herself, she always finds an excuse for such behavior: fatigue, poor health, relaxation in pleasant company, etc. As a result, initial signs of the formation of alcoholism gradually appear: intoxication from small doses of alcohol, drinking beverages with a certain regularity, etc.
- Discomfort in the absence of alcohol. Appealing to a bad habit is becoming more common. The first problems with the nervous system begin to appear: memory deteriorates, insomnia is observed, irritability and irrational fatigue appear. The frequency of drinking compared with the first stage increases. As a result, a woman goes from separate libations to uncontrollable hard drinking.
- Irreversible changes. A pathological process in the body develops, as a result of which changes occur in the work of the brain and internal organs. Drinking alcohol becomes the main goal of life.
First signs
The woman herself is usually doesn't notice what's going on with her. Therefore, to turn the tide at the very beginning, only interested persons - relatives, relatives, friends - can do it.
It is important that they themselves lead a healthy lifestyle, as relatives suffering from addiction cannot even help themselves, and not just another person.
The problem can be identified by the following signs.:
- excessive desire to drink alcohol, which can be accompanied by the creation of obviously artificial occasions for feasts;
- unwillingness to recognize the disease;
- constant dose increase;
- desire sober in the morning;
- avoiding snacks and general loss of appetite;
- lifestyle change: value orientations cease to matter, hobbies and hobbies recede into the background;
- unexpected closure;
- frequent communication with people leading an antisocial lifestyle;
- negative style of behavior: irritability, rudeness, rudeness;
- decrease in intellectual abilities;
- loss of professional skills;
- drinking alcohol alone;
- appearance of tremor of the limbs.
How to determine externally?
Alcoholism is manifested externally by certain physiological changes. Women have puffiness and redness of the face.
There may be swelling under the eyes, and the eyes themselves have a pronounced vascular mesh. There are changes with the skin - it becomes more dry and wrinkled due to the general dehydration of the body.
Persons with addiction are distinguished limb tremorwhich is easy to notice with close contact. Also changes occur with the voice - it becomes more rough and low.
External signs of alcoholism in women. Photos before and after:
Symptoms
Often, the first signs listed above do not appear clearly at the onset of the illness, and a close environment may not be suspicious.
Should be alertedIf a woman has no apparent reason to show apathy, depression and isolation, loss of interest in her husband and children.
Also a symptom may be a rejection of the usual way of life, tearfulness mixed with aggression.
Unwillingness to take care of yourself and appearance of total negligence in the shape of a person, previously different well-groomed, should also alert.
Effects
Female alcoholism entails whole complex often irreversible effects:
- brain damage;
- damage to the nervous system;
- the appearance of mental disorders;
- decrease in intellectual abilities;
- development of liver cirrhosis;
- development of renal failure;
- lesion of the pancreas;
- intoxication of the body;
- increased likelihood of heart attack, stroke.
How to understand that you need help?
If a loved one clearly shows interest in alcohol, then this is the first call, which is worth paying attention. In this case, it is important to try to discuss the situation calmly and suggest that the woman refrain from her pernicious addiction at least for a while.
Her stubborn reluctance to recognize the problem and refusal to discuss the situation is a negative factor that deserves attention.
The appearance of more pronounced symptoms, leaving no room for doubt, is the basis for taking the necessary measures.
Where to go?
When the first signs of the formation of dependencies indicated above appear (a constant increase in doses, a change in lifestyle, the appearance of aggression, negative changes in appearance, etc.), you should seek help from specialist narcologists.
Early treatment will help solve the problem while it is still possible.
Treatment methods
Initially, it is necessary that the woman herself realizes that there is a problem and wanted to make a difference.
If the patient does not want to recognize her dependence, it is impossible to get a positive result from the treatment.
As soon as the awareness of the disease comes, and the consent of the woman is obtained, it should be immediately send to a narcologist. The specialist may prescribe the following methods of treatment:
- psychotherapeutic help;
- detoxification;
- medicines;
- filing (subcutaneous administration of drugs);
- coding.
The complex of therapeutic measures appointed strictly individually depending on the particular patient. The introduction of treatment methods occurs sequentially and in stages, depending on the stage of the disease.
Mandatory condition for successful therapy - a complete rejection of alcohol.
Attempts to overcome addiction by reducing doses and determining permissible measures originally doomed to failuresince an alcoholic is not able to objectively estimate the amount of consumed beverages and stop himself in time.
Forecast
Forecast for women exacerbated by some featuresinherent to them:
- a smaller percentage of water in the body, which leads to a higher blood alcohol content;
- higher absorption of alcohol from the stomach in the period preceding menstruation;
- reduced activity of a number of enzymes involved in the process of disposal of harmful substances;
- low severity of alcohol syndrome, which leads to the omission of time in the early stages.
Nevertheless, the mechanisms of treatment of female alcoholism are no different from the mechanisms applied to men. Therefore, the view that women are more difficult to get rid of dependence is a common misconception.
It is possible to recover from timely diagnosis, proper treatment, help from close people and an independent desire to change life for the better.
Thus, female alcoholism on the nature of development and treatment methods no different from male alcoholism. You can recognize the dependence on certain grounds in the behavior and appearance of the woman.
The film tells about the consequences of alcohol consumption by women:
