Narconon News

Drug Rehab News and Articles

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Home Drug Treatment Drug Treatment Articles Drinking And Substance Abuse Among Women In The US On The Rise

Drinking And Substance Abuse Among Women In The US On The Rise

Wednesday, 06 March 2013 18:23

 

It has been revealed by statistics over and over again that men in the United States have been involved in alcohol and drug abuse more than women. However, recent studies have started showing that alcohol and drug abuse has been rising substantially in women as well. This has made people realize that substance abuse problem can affect anyone irrespective of their sex, age or social status.


The Statistics

According to the National Centre on Addiction and Substance Abuse, it was found that about six million women in the United States are addicted to alcohol, and about two and a half million women are addicted to drugs. These statistics however do not necessarily mean that more women are now addicted to alcohol and drugs as compared to a few years back. This is because the results are by survey and there is a margin for untruthful reports, where some people might have a tendency to hide their drinking habits or any other substance consumption habit. 

However, studies have shown from 1998 to 2007, the number of arrests for women for DUI rose by an astonishing figure of 30%. This indicates to a large extent that there has been an increase in the substance abuse problem by women in the US.

Reasons Why Women Get Addicted

One of the main possible reasons that have been found for women getting addicted to alcohol and other drugs is that a number of women have been subjected to sexual or physical abuse in their lives, or have faced violent situations at home. According to a study, about 74% women reported to have faced sexual abuse, and about 52% reported to have faced physical abuse in their past. This may have made them emotionally unstable and possibly got them dependent on alcohol and drugs.

Some women tend to feel lonely and secluded in their lives, mostly when they become mothers and are unable to find any time to rejuvenate and relax. They are busy taking care of their children the whole day, and this impacts their social and personal life to a greater extent. As a result, these women start to increase their alcohol or drug consumption, which at times starts with just one drink in the evening, but gradually becomes an addiction.

Moreover, alcohol and drug addiction has been found to be common in women who have not been treated equally in a male dominated society, and feel pressurized due to unequal distribution of responsibilities. When women have been belittled in their past just because of their gender, they tend to feel comfortable and powerful after consuming alcohol or other drugs, and thus tend to get addicted to them.

The Wine Drinking Problem

In the recent years, drinking wine has become a trend, and is not really considered by society as ‘alcohol’. Wine has become famous as a ‘women’s drink’, and thus women don’t even consider having wine as alcohol consumption or substance abuse. Society even accepts women who are pregnant to have wine. Though these women do not feel comfortable in having drugs, but they do consider wine to be a very regular substance of consumption.

It has been indicated by certain studies that having one drink in the evening is perfectly normal as long as one is not addicted to it, and does not feel that his or her evening is incomplete without it. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, it is safe for women to have one drink a day. The problem arises when one drink leads to another and ultimately to addiction.

For more information visit Narconon.org.

Source: http://www.voxxi.com/drinking-substance-abuse-women/

 

 

 

Main Menu

Like it? Share it!



Get Advice and Help Now

 
 
 
 
 
 
Joomla Professional Work

Newsflash

 This is the story of a girl we will call Brandy. Brandy is not her real name but one used to protect her identity. Brandy grew up in is well-to-do family with parents that doted on her and provided her with everything that money could buy. Unfortunately, when Brandy was 13 years old she developed cancer in her ovaries as well as her uterus. She had to have a hysterectomy and she completely recovered. However, she lost the ability to naturally have children. She was also forced to go on hormone replacement therapy for the rest of her life. This devastated her. Brandy, as a little girl, had always imagined herself growing up and having two or three children and a loving husband. She says that she feels like she was born to be a mother but fate intervened and rendered her unable to do so.

Because of this, Brandy says that she suffered from depression. A cousin of hers, who is her same age, started using drugs when the girls were 15 years old. They had always been very close and Brandy said it was not long before she was using drugs as well. Brandy said initially she did not get addicted to them but would only use them recreationally. Brandy was also very intelligent and excelled at school. When she graduated high school she went to college and majored in radio broadcasting and advertisement. She would continue to party on the weekends but devoted most of her attention to her studies. When she graduated college got a very good job at a local radio station where she made a lot of money.