Women and Alcoholism
Female alcoholism is a serious illness, an addiction that develops much faster than that of men. In addition, it proceeds in a more severe form. Alcohol does not make a woman confident, but, on the contrary, forms misery in her soul, which sooner or later translates to all household members.
Signs of Alcoholism in Women
You can recognize that a woman is developing alcoholism by several signs.
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Changes in face appearance
Alcoholism first of all is reflected on the face of the drinking woman, leaving characteristic signs that are noticeable to others. These include:
- Due to the intake of alcohol, the collagen structure of the skin is disrupted, which makes it saggy.
- Loss of muscle tone on the face, which is temporarily restored only after taking a dose of alcohol. Over time, the muscles of the face lose their elasticity completely.
- Yellowing of the whites of the eyes due to a malfunction of the liver, the main filter of ethanol, and the gallbladder.
- A bluish tint indicates circulatory system problems and the danger of thrombus formation.
- Severe swelling under the eyes, on the cheeks, chin, neck. As a result of alcohol intake, the kidneys do not work properly and can no longer cope with the function of removing fluid from the body.
- The appearance “stars” on the cheeks and nose – bursting capillaries, as a result of a systematic increase in blood pressure due to alcohol intake.
The face of a woman who abuses alcohol looks depressing and leaves no doubt for others about her addiction.
Changes in clothing and hairstyle
Unlike women leading a sober lifestyle, a woman who uses alcohol does not consider it beneath her dignity to appear in a public place in clothes that need to be washed and with greasy, messy hair. As a rule, such women, trying to hide the harmful effect of alcohol on their face, mask it with a thick layer of powder, blush, and shaking hands do not allow them to accurately paint their lips and eyelashes.
Changes in behavior
Any event in life – buying or losing something, meeting someone, and so on becomes an excellent reason for a woman suffering from alcoholism to drink. Moreover, the prospect of drinking causes wild and genuine joy regardless of whether it is a joyful occasion or not. A woman quickly finishes her activities, all the while thinking about the upcoming feast, becomes absent-minded and inattentive.
To get drunk, such a woman needs to drink much more alcohol, and this is considered an alarming sign. In case of an overdose, a woman who usually drinks in moderation will vomit, as the body will try to get rid of toxins by turning on protective functions. An alcoholic woman will get drunk from a large dose of alcohol and in the morning, she will be ready to repeat the evening “feat” despite her poor health.
With the progression of the disease, the behavior may become inappropriate, a woman can demonstrate rudeness, arrogance. Children and close ones irritate the woman, become strangers to her, interfere with living the way she wants. She does not care about them at all, easily exposes them to violence and risk. During this period, the drinking woman loses the ability to evaluate her behavior.
Changes in the condition of the skin and hair
The skin and hair immediately react to the systematic use of alcohol due to the inevitable dehydration of the body. To cleanse the body of alcoholic toxins, kidneys literally take water from all organs, which are often very sensitive to lack of moisture.
The skin becomes thin, dry, loses its smoothness and elasticity, begins to peel off and cosmetics do not help. Wrinkles on the face become deeper, more pronounced, the skin loses its elasticity and becomes flabby. Hair suffers no less from a lack of moisture, becomes dull, brittle, early gray hair does not keep one waiting.
Changes in voice and figure
Doctors have established a direct link between alcohol abuse and voice changes. It is the lowering of the tone of voice, the characteristic hoarseness that is the first sign of alcoholism in women. This is due to the effect of alcohol on the ratio of male and female hormones in the body, their imbalance.
Alcohol contains an analog of the main female hormone, the amount of which is several times higher than the norm. When alcohol enters the body, it disrupts the production of a woman’s own estrogen, so male hormones prevail. At the same time, the woman’s body and figure acquire a certain angularity, the movements become clumsy and imprecise. It’s all due to the weakening of the muscles.
Stages of alcoholism
Developing in stages, alcoholism takes a person from the stage of minimal dependence and small doses to a complete loss of self-control when consuming alcoholic beverages, personality breakdown, and the development of health issues.
During the first stage, the person loses control over the dose. Intoxication (usually severe) accompanies every drinking occasion. At this time, there are still no neuropsychiatric disorders, at least minimal self-evaluation has been preserved, and yet, few women understand the severity of the situation.
The second stage is characterized by the appearance of withdrawal symptoms, a hangover. Significant changes have occurred in the body, the tolerance to ethanol has increased. Now, in order to get the usual intoxication with its consequences, a large dose is required. The higher the dose of alcohol, the stronger the acetaldehyde poisoning, and the more severe the consequences of intoxication are. It is at this stage that an alcoholic woman gets her typical appearance – a puffy face, hormonal changes begin, and so on.
Finally, in the third stage, almost everything is tied to alcohol: from emotions to physiological functions. The typical sign of the third stage is binge drinking.
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Consequences of female alcoholism
The consequences of alcoholism for women will be immense: brain damage, dysfunction of the nervous system, decreased intelligence, cirrhosis of the liver, renal failure, increased risk of stroke, heart attack. Like men, women can easily not be able to track the dose, so the consequences of an overdose threaten with any problems – including death.
If an addict gives birth to a child, then the child’s risks of various diseases increase significantly. Poisons that pass from mother to fetus affect the cardiovascular system, brain, and nervous system. Children are often born disabled, behind in development, and get sick often, including fatal diseases. Depending on the alcoholic stage of the mother, the consequences can vary: up to the risk of stillbirth.
A drunken woman loses friends, family, work, completely forgets about herself. She usually cannot get out of this problem on her own. Addiction holds her much stronger than one might imagine. Another scary thing is that alcoholic beverages directly affect cell mutation. Therefore, if you suspect alcohol dependence in yourself or your loved one, you should immediately seek help.
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