Alcoholism is a serious disease. Because of addiction, many families break up. It takes a long time for men to become alcoholics, which cannot be said for women who drink. Their spirits are addictive much faster. And then, it is much more problematic for ladies to give up addiction than for men. What is female alcoholism, what are its causes and how is the disease treated? This will be discussed in this article.
Features of female alcoholism
Not always a drinking woman can give up addiction on her own. What is the reason? Women are physically weaker than the stronger sex. The liver and other internal organs are smaller in women than in men. As a result, the pancreas cannot withstand a heavy load and is not able to metabolize large doses of alcoholic beverages.
In the female stomach, ethyl alcohol is contained in a higher concentration than in the male. The reason is that women have 10 percent less water in their bodies. Another factor is a certain enzyme that is responsible for cleansing. It is present only in the male body, in the female it is not. As a result, women become addicted to alcohol much more often andfaster.
First, alcohol is drunk secretly from others. Unlike men, women are sharply condemned by society for addiction to alcohol. Therefore, ladies prefer to drink so that no one sees it. For this reason, female alcoholism is detected already in the last stages, when the opinion of the husband and children around is already becoming unimportant for the lady.
Over time, alcohol becomes the only "friend". The more women are accused of alcoholism, the more they are kindled in them the desire to calm their nerves again with wine. Wanting to avoid this, they again plunge into the ghostly world. The next morning, a hangover begins, which, again, women endure much worse than men. Despite the ladies' claim that they are strong and can handle their addiction without support, it is still very important.
It must be remembered that women are much more emotional than men. Therefore, the fair sex perceives all problems, disappointments and troubles much closer to the heart. At these moments, men need to be more attentive to women. Then there is a chance to avoid harmful consequences. Otherwise, the woman begins to seek salvation in alcohol. If she really gets a discharge from him, then over time it can turn into an addiction.
Harm from alcohol for the female body
Can a woman drink alcohol? If in small quantities and infrequently, then there will be no harm from alcohol. Especially from light alcoholic drinks. But with regular use (and even more significant doses) of alcohol, they cansevere consequences.
The timbre of the lady's voice changes to rough, hoarse, close to a man's. A woman begins to produce male hormones. As a result, mustaches begin to grow. Since alcohol contains a lot of calories, the body quickly gains excess weight. The appearance of the lady is deteriorating. Drinking, smoking women are distinguished by yellowness of the skin, brittle nail plates, and slovenliness. Alcohol and cigarettes greatly affect the hair and begin to thin out quickly.
Women's hormonal cycle is disrupted, resulting in early menopause. Conception becomes difficult. Alcoholism can lead to infertility. A drinking pregnant woman risks harming her fetus. Alcohol can lead to miscarriage. If you continue to drink alcohol after childbirth, during breastfeeding, then the he alth of the child is at risk.
In women who drink, the work of internal organs is disturbed, chronic diseases develop, intelligence and memory decrease. Alcohol has a strong effect on the nervous system and brain. Women are more vulnerable and sensitive than men. Long-term alcohol use can lead to frigidity.
The emotional background is also changing. Alcoholic women become irritable, nervous. Any negative trifle can easily lead to a scandal in the family. Children often suffer from this. At the last stage of alcoholism, the maternal instinct may disappear.
Causes of female alcoholism
There can be many reasons why women drink. Most often, these are problemswork, home, unsettled personal life. Often alcoholism arises from loneliness. Craving for alcohol appears against the background of difficult life trials or grief. There are other reasons:
- a dysfunctional company;
- alcoholic husband;
- bad heredity;
- frequent bouts of insomnia;
- incomplete family;
- climax period;
- temperament;
- boredom;
- divorce;
- depression;
- parting from a loved one;
- longing.
Craving for alcohol can arise against the backdrop of scandals with children or a husband, when misunderstanding arises. Ladies can drink from hopelessness, despair, feelings of inner emptiness, unfulfilled potential in life. There are many reasons why women drink. Often they are unable to overcome physiological, domestic and social factors alone.
Why is it difficult for women to give up alcohol?
Society is already accustomed to drunken representatives of the stronger sex. But when a woman drinks, it is perceived as a flagrant disgrace, shame. Instead of help, she immediately receives condemnation, insults and contempt from others, acquaintances, and even close people. As a result, the woman's hand reaches for the bottle again. Although, in order to stop the beginning of alcoholism, sometimes it is enough just to listen, understand and provide moral support.
Stages of alcoholism
Drinking woman in most cases does not recognize their dependence on alcohol. It seems to her that she can give up the addiction at any time. But it's not. Alcoholrelaxes, control over one's own actions and deeds is lost. Then comes the irresistible craving for alcohol. Female alcoholism has several stages:
- The first begins in youth. Most girls spend it in noisy companies, with wine and strong drinks.
- Then comes the second stage - youth. At this time, women have not yet decided on their limit, beyond which the loss of awareness of actions begins. Therefore, as an experiment, different types of alcohol and various doses are tried.
- Alcohol is starting to be consumed in the workplace. Meeting with friends is not complete without alcohol. It is not uncommon for women to start drinking alone more often.
- Alcohol is becoming a daily habit.
- A woman starts drinking every day and can't stop. The dosage of alcohol is gradually increasing.
- There is a persistent addiction to alcohol. The disease is finally formed.
At the first stages, until alcohol has become a daily habit and need, a woman can overcome alcohol addiction on her own. If she cannot cope alone, then the help of others is important, but not their condemnation. But if alcoholism is an already formed disease, in this case it is very difficult for a woman to get rid of the addiction on her own. In this case, the help of a narcologist and a psychologist is required.
What should a man do if his wife starts drinking?
If a woman drinks, what should her husband or children do? First of all, you need to remember that alcoholism is a consequence, so you need to findcause of addiction to alcohol. If this negative factor is eliminated or helped to cope with it, the woman will be able to refuse alcohol herself.
If the spouse (mother) does not have a frank conversation, her friends or acquaintances are asked. When a woman drinks every day, a man needs to talk to her about appearance, how alcohol affects her. Sometimes this is a weighty argument for the spouse to give up alcohol. More to do:
- Try not to have parties at home and avoid feasts at a party.
- Persuade a woman to sign up and go to Alcoholics Anonymous.
- Try not to drink alcohol in front of your spouse. There is an opinion that in this way a person minimizes alcoholic drinks drunk by a drinking companion. But it's not. First, alcoholics often need company, and the wife will only be happy to have her husband join her. Secondly, alcohol will run out faster, which means that a woman will buy it in large quantities. Joint drinking of drinks can lead to mass alcoholism in the family. Children sometimes join the feast.
- When a woman drinks, you can't make scandals and beat her. This will only give her an extra reason to hit the bottle. The woman will try once again to “drown grief in wine.”
- You can't blame her for alcohol addiction. It is necessary to find the reason why she drinks and invite her to deal with the problem together.
Force forced to give up alcohola woman is impossible until she herself expresses such a desire. A man can only make every effort to ensure that his wife wants to voluntarily get rid of addiction. Children are often the biggest motivator. Not every woman can withstand their tearful pleas.
Beer alcoholism
Beer alcoholism is a separate kind of disease. Women who drink beer are sure that it is not addictive, as it is a low-alcohol drink, and there is no harm to the body. But this is a misleading opinion. Drinking beer occasionally (not more than once a week) is not harmful to he alth. But it's a tricky drink and quickly addictive.
Beer addiction mostly affects shy and shy women who have some kind of problem. There are practically no alcoholics of this kind among strong-willed ladies. Initial signs of beer alcoholism:
- drink more than a liter of drink a day;
- rest and relax without beer does not work;
- a woman feels angry and irritated until she drinks alcohol;
- appear morning headaches that disappear after drinking beer;
- without this drink, a calm and sound sleep becomes impossible.
Gradually, the woman falls into beer addiction, but cannot appreciate its depth. The appearance of the lady changes for the worse, wrinkles appear, the skin ages. There is puffiness on the face and body. Legs, on the contrary, become very thin. Lips become bluish. The face begins to swell. Hair growth may begin above the lips and on the chest.
Drinks containing a small dose of alcohol do not lead to severe intoxication. Therefore, no one considers himself an alcoholic, even if a woman drinks beer every day. What to do in this case? For the treatment of any type of alcoholism, standard methods and drugs are used. Patients observe the fastest effect after visiting narcological clinics.
Alcoholism treatment
Photos of women drinking are repulsive. Many ladies, realizing that they are addicted to alcohol, begin to be treated. But in most cases, no alcoholic will agree with such a diagnosis. If a person cannot stop on their own, they are referred to a drug treatment clinic.
But often the husband and children cannot persuade the woman to go to this institution. In this case, the help of a psychotherapist is needed. He will be able to do what relatives and friends did not succeed - to persuade him to agree to treatment in a special clinic or drug treatment center. Getting rid of addiction begins with finding and eliminating the causes that led to this disease.
An effective method is a blockade, during which a drug is injected into the body that causes nausea and vomiting every time an alcoholic tries to drink a sip of alcohol. The method is valid for a certain period. But during this time, the patient already gets the opportunity to compare and benefit from his sober state. Therefore, a second blockade is rarely required.
It is impossible to place an alcoholic in a drug treatment or clinic without his consent. In this case, the treatment takes place at home. To help you get out of drinkingdrugs "Medichronal" and "Alkaseltzer" are prescribed. The funds are quite expensive, but there are no analogues of domestic production yet.
To reduce cravings for alcohol, "Proproten-100" is prescribed. This is a domestically produced drug that partially removes dependence on alcohol. In rare cases, the drug completely eliminates alcoholism. There are foreign analogues of Proproten-100, but they are not yet imported to Russia.
There are some drugs that create intolerance to alcohol - "Esperal", "Tetauram", "Lidevin". When they are taken simultaneously with alcoholic beverages, a person develops nausea, vomiting, headache. There is a rapid heartbeat. With the help of such drugs, a blockade is made.
Sequence of steps for home treatment of alcoholism
If a woman drinks, and her husband managed to persuade her to give up the addiction, his help will be needed. In this case, hospitalization is not necessary. But recovery will take a long time. All drinks containing alcohol are removed from the house. It cannot be bought at the request of the wife.
Husband should not keep her company. Visits should be avoided. For the wife, the husband creates a period of complete isolation from others. It is necessary to temporarily refuse any guests who may come with alcoholic beverages. Rooms are aired daily. Fresh air must constantly enter the brain cells.
During the period of treatment for alcoholism, a woman should not experience stress, shock, any negativeemotions. All domestic scandals are prohibited. At the same time, the narcologist prescribes the necessary medicines and additional folk remedies.
Can a woman drink wine
Even if a woman drinks only wine, it does not mean that she will not become an alcoholic. In the initial stage, most ladies are sure that a glass of light alcohol-containing drink will not cause addiction. But this is an erroneous opinion. Indeed, many women drink only wine or liqueurs. For those who know how to stop in time and drink drinks only periodically and infrequently, this is safe. But such ladies are still at risk.
A woman can drink 200-400 ml of wine a day for dinner. After a few years, there is a desire to drink a drink during a lunch break. Over time, the desire to drink a little appears in the morning. It's justified by the hangover. After drinking, the woman feels better. There are bouts of insomnia, and the lady pours wine already at night "for a good sleep." This and morning sobering is the first sign of alcoholism.
Then alcohol begins to take an increasing place in a woman's life. She becomes indifferent to others, even close people. At least without a bottle of wine, she can no longer work. He alth problems begin. A woman loses her attractiveness and there is a rapid aging of the body. First of all, this is reflected in the face.
Women can consume small amounts of alcohol if they stop in time. A glass of wine, a couple of glasses of vodka or 100 grams of cognacwill not harm he alth if drunk infrequently. At the first signs of craving for alcoholic beverages, a woman needs to sharply limit herself in drinking alcohol. If she is not going to give up wine completely, then at least she needs to stop drinking it for a while.
Treatment in clinics
A woman who drinks wine daily and in large quantities, who is already “attached” to alcohol, is diagnosed as an alcoholic. Despite the fact that she consumes light alcohol-containing drinks, the essence of the problem does not change from this. A woman becomes addicted to alcohol, and she cannot cope with this habit on her own. Family problems begin, depression appears, he alth is disturbed.
Treatment of alcoholics is successfully carried out in specialized clinics with the help of a complex of therapeutic measures. They include:
- drug treatment;
- purification of an organism poisoned by alcohol;
- psychological help.
During therapy, a woman learns to overcome her cravings for alcohol. Psychologists help to understand that life's problems can be de alt with without alcohol. The effectiveness of therapy directly depends on the degree of desire of a woman to get rid of cravings for alcohol. At the same time, any methods of pressure or threats are completely excluded.
Folk methods for alcoholism
How to stop drinking alcohol for a woman using folk methods? There is an old and very effective remedy - green bugs. They make a tincture. It is taken from 15-30 pieces of insects, which are poured into 500 ml of vodka. The liquid is infused for 2 to 3 days.
Then the tincture is given to the alcoholic. For the disappearance of cravings for alcohol, 50 grams of the drug is enough. The only problem is that finding and catching the right amount of green bugs is very problematic.
Another original way is to let an alcoholic eat a dish of dung mushrooms. By themselves, they are completely harmless. But when mushrooms are consumed simultaneously with alcohol, signs of poisoning appear. This effect will last for several days. This will help the woman at least get out of the binge.
Alcohol addiction is not cured, but regular green tea helps to significantly reduce it. Even a drinking pregnant woman can use this method. But the method does not give quick results. A woman should drink at least 4 cups of the drink per day. After 1-2 months, the need for alcohol will decrease significantly.
Self-help groups
How can a woman stop drinking alcohol on her own? That's what support groups are for. Or a woman may join Alcoholics Anonymous. Self-help groups lack addiction recovery specialists. In an anonymous society, group members simply receive the necessary moral support and motivation to sobriety.
Women who are alcoholics can connect with people who have already recovered or are on the way. After regularly visiting such groups and societies, patients are inspired by other people's examples. As a result, a woman has a desire to resistaddiction.
The Alcoholics Anonymous program has twelve steps. Each of them is a recognition of a new problem, of which drinking people develop a lot. Narcologists are skeptical of such societies. However, many women and men have been able to achieve a stable result of a sober lifestyle. But sometimes it takes years.
There is only one way to overcome addiction to alcohol - to completely abandon alcohol. But for this, the spouse and children of the drinking woman will have to stock up on great patience and maintain boundless love for her. Only in this case, she will understand how much she needs relatives and friends. Then the woman herself will try to get rid of alcoholism.
