Reaching Up For Air-Stories of Addiction By Women, For Women

Women and Alcohol

Due to hormonal changes which affect the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, menopause and sometimes beyond, women have a less predictable response to alcohol both physically and psychologically. Women are more sensitive to the effects of alcohol during ovulation (about 2 weeks before her period), and alcohol is reported to result in reproductive and sexual dysfunctions

Susan Lark, M.D., leading alternative medicine and women’s health expert, who has 26 years of clinical practice, advises women with moderate to severe anxiety, mood swings, and depression due to emotional causes, to avoid alcohol completely or limit its use to occasional small amounts.
Just a half-a-glass of wine almost doubles the level of estrogen in women on ERT 13, for when the liver is metabolizing alcohol, it is not metabolizing estrogen. A woman on the pill can expect to feel the sedating effects of alcohol for a longer period of time than a woman who is not.

Tolerance for alcohol decreases during PMS and alcohol increases depression 14. It is vital to keep blood sugar levels on an even keel, so the recommendation is ‘no alcohol’ 15. Alcohol use also interferes with the normal production and maintenance of female hormones, which can result in changes in the menstrual cycle.

Over 40 percent of women suffer from sexual problems. Alcohol has a negative effect on sexuality - both sexes, according to Dr. Teresa Crenshaw, sex therapist, head of the Crenshaw Clinic for treating sexual dysfunction. She warns that sexual arousal all by itself impairs judgment, then you add traditional foreplay, and your judgment is almost out the window. You don’t think when you use alcohol. While alcohol may provoke desire, even moderate amounts spoil the capacity to perform and respond. Dehydration from the alcohol leads to less lubrication in the vaginal canal, which increases potential painful intercourse and condom breakage.

When a partner drinks alcohol, it is a ‘red flag’ for risky sex. MADD Online tells us that 60 percent of women who are diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease were drunk at the time of infection. Alcohol plays a role in 70% of the date rape cases, and one out of five women worldwide will become the victim of rape or attempted rape during her lifetime. Eight out of ten rapes involve someone the victim knows, and over half involve a date situation 16.

Alcohol use increases depression and is closely linked to suicide 18. Women attempt suicide about twice as often as men, and it is more common among women who are single, recently separated, divorced or widowed.

Teen and preteen girls are drinking in record numbers. Today girls are four times as likely to start drinking before age 16 than their mothers were, and getting drunk at an early age is the best predictor of future alcoholism. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) researchers found that forty percent of those who began drinking by age 15 eventually became alcoholic.

The alcohol industry and the pro-alcohol media have portrayed one glass - even two - of wine or beer as not only safe but possibly healthy, and only dangerous when drinking ‘to excess,’ ‘heavily,’ or when someone is ‘abusing’ alcohol. Many women are not aware of the many negative effects of smaller amounts of alcohol consumption; for example, 2-3 drinks a week can double the risk of hemorrhagic stroke, increase the risk of breast cancer and triglycerides, one drink can result in bad breath and body odor, and an alcoholic drink anywhere from 1 to 3 days before a medical test can alter the results.

“We consider alcohol a toxin,” says Dr. Moshe Shike, Director of Clinical Nutrition at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and the protective effects of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables appear to be lost on those who drink alcohol 17. Other warnings: avoid alcohol several days before surgery; alcohol can result in genetic damage; alcohol vasodilates which increases the risk of impaired hearing when listening to loud noises (such as music); for those who are sleep deprived that one alcoholic drink can equal the effect of six. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) says athletes should avoid alcohol because it produces fatigue and diminishes performance. For most every health problem the medical advice is to avoid or eliminate alcohol (allergies, anxiety, digestive problems, immune system, fatigue, stress, weight, and also when exposed to cold or hot weather).

True freedom involves knowing both the risks and possible benefits before making a decision about alcohol use. However, money, politics, and a need to justify one’s own drug of choice, has restricted and suppressed the media coverage of the dangers when consuming light and moderate amounts of alcohol. Dr. Wilsnack encourages women to learn about the effects of alcohol consumption so they can make responsible choices about whether to drink or not.

*Written by June Russell, a retired health educator, researcher, and writer about health issues. For more facts on the dangers of light and moderate amounts of alcohol, and other health topics, check her web site - jrussellshealth.com