Signs of female alcoholism: symptoms of addiction and treatment

Female alcoholism is a serious disease that has a devastating effect on mental and physical health. The signs of alcoholism in girls are generally the same as in the stronger sex, but there are some nuances. Alcohol addiction develops much faster in the fair sex than in men. Statistical data confirms the fact that in order to become an alcohol addict, a girl only needs to drink for 5 years, but among the stronger sex, addiction develops only after 7-10 years. All this is connected with the physiological characteristics of beautiful ladies. In addition, it is worth noting that the treatment of female alcoholism is more complex than the treatment of male desire for alcohol.

Causes of female alcoholism

In society, it is customary to call alcohol addiction a male disease. But unfortunately, in recent years the situation has changed for the worse; there are more and more girls who are alcohol dependent.

Treatment of alcoholism in women is complicated by the fact that the signs and symptoms of the pathology do not appear immediately, but they are more pronounced.

Alcoholism in women is a psycho-narcological disease in which there is a disruption in the functioning of internal organs and the central nervous system. It is difficult to answer the question why beautiful and young women become patients of a narcologist. But there are a number of factors that can be considered the “culprits” of the disease. The main causes of alcohol addiction in girls are psycho-emotional problems. As you know, women are more susceptible to various kinds of experiences, therefore, their illness is more difficult to treat than that of “non-emotional” men.

The main symptoms of female addiction

A lady who drinks regularly and in sufficient quantities will stand out from the crowd, even if she is currently sober.

So, the symptoms and signs of female addiction are as follows:

Puffy face and sparkle in the eyes when drinking even a small dose of alcohol.
External untidiness and dishevelment. That is, being dependent on ethanol, a woman pays less and less attention to her appearance. Often such a woman’s hair is unkempt and unkempt, as shown in the photo below.
The behavior of an alcoholic woman changes dramatically. If this lady is quiet and modest in life, then sharp shouts towards others, uncontrollable cynicism and swagger can give her away. If a lady is a brawler in life, then, on the contrary, the dose taken can have a calming effect.
In women who have been drinking heavily for a long time, their legs in the upper thighs become disproportionately thin.
Also, an alcoholic woman is prone to sudden mood swings.

Maybe it's a predisposition

Alcohol addiction can be caused by heredity. For example, if parents abused alcohol before conceiving a baby, then children may be born who are predisposed to drunkenness. The risk of developing alcoholism in these children increases 4 times than in adolescents whose mothers and fathers practically do not drink alcohol. Many teenagers often develop an interest in low-alcohol products. Getting used to them happens very quickly, which can lead to major health problems in the future.

The main reasons leading women to alcohol addiction:

Feeling Useless
Loneliness
Stress
Not mutual love
Adultery
Lack of hobbies, work and life interests

Women try to cover up the above problems with alcohol, not realizing that this only complicates the situation. A woman's environment also plays a vital role. If loved ones abuse, it is possible that the girl will follow the same path.

Female alcoholism symptoms and signs

Signs of alcoholism in women can be found in behavior and appearance. The most important sign of female alcoholism is denial. Addicted people like to claim that they drink alcohol like everyone else, that is, on holidays and to relieve stress. The pathological attraction to alcohol is what betrays these people.

Alcoholism in women has the following symptoms:

Increased interest in alcoholic beverages. A couple of glasses of wine leads to euphoria, endorphins begin to be released. If you do not drink a new portion of alcoholic drink in a timely manner, the girl’s mood worsens. She becomes characterized by tearfulness and irritability. All this can continue until a new portion of alcoholic drink. This is one of the first signs of alcoholism.
Increasing dosage. Over time, tolerance to strong drinks develops; each time you will have to drink a larger dose of alcohol to achieve the desired effect. In addition, the strength of the drinks consumed increases
The protective reaction to alcohol poisoning disappears. Healthy people who are not dependent on alcohol begin to feel unwell after drinking too much. Vomiting is usually a protective reaction. In its absence, we can say that the natural barrier that protects against intoxication has been destroyed, and ethanol ceases to be a poison for the body
Justification for drinking alcohol with phrases: “it’s good for the heart and nerves”, “to improve performance”
All alcohol addicts begin to abuse almost daily. Women are looking for various reasons to drink alcohol; if the dose is not taken in a timely manner, they will be overtaken by alcohol withdrawal
Behavior before drinking. Dependent ladies are in every possible way hurrying home or to an event where they can drink
Girls become unable to think critically about their behavior. They deny signs of social degradation and do not understand why they are considered sick

The opinion that female alcoholism cannot be completely cured is to some extent true, because the disease leads to personality disorder. However, do not be discouraged; treatment for female alcoholism in Moscow is carried out in many private drug treatment clinics. Such medical institutions employ wonderful doctors who know their job well, and they will do everything possible to help a woman overcome her addiction.

External signs of alcoholism in women:

Bruises and bags under the eyes
Swelling, particularly in the lips and nose
Flaccid and dry skin
Rapid aging
Severe hair loss, sometimes even teeth loss
Rough voice
Reddish complexion
Vegetation on the stomach and body

3 main external signs that help determine a woman’s alcohol addiction:

Ungroomed appearance
The gait loses its femininity
Change of moral values

The first signs of alcoholism

The first sign of female alcoholism is very difficult to notice. At this stage, when the woman, as a person, continues to remain full-fledged, careful camouflage occurs.

But she already has the first signs of alcoholism:

Character and appearance changes.
Outbursts of temper and aggression occur.
The hair structure changes, it falls out and turns gray prematurely.
Problems with teeth appear.
Concentration decreases.
After drinking alcohol, he falls into a state of euphoria and unbridled joy.

At later stages, this feeling disappears, and alcohol is already needed in order to lose sobriety.

Domestic drunkenness, signs in women

Many people are faced with everyday drunkenness and alcoholism of close relatives, which quickly develops into chronic. Doctors do not consider everyday drunkenness to be a disease; it is a bad habit. However, if treatment for this hobby is not started in a timely manner, psychological and physical dependence will develop over time. The concept of everyday drunkenness is based on Russian traditions; people are accustomed to taking it “on the chest” during various events, when meeting with friends and relatives. Alcohol accompanies a person almost throughout his entire life. If a woman feels like she often drinks with friends and family, she should consider stopping the bad habit. After all, if this is not done in a timely manner, you cannot avoid alcoholism - a serious and dangerous disease, the fight against which will not be easy.

Causes of domestic drunkenness:

In many families, it is customary to drink on holidays. People are taught from childhood that this is how it should be
The environment and constant presence with alcohol addicts encourages them to drink alcohol
People often take alcohol to hide from problems
Drinking for company, so as not to be considered a “black sheep”
A lot of free time and boredom

Do not rely on the opinions of friends and relatives; stop drinking alcohol in a timely manner. Otherwise, the habit may develop into domestic alcoholism.

The signs of domestic alcoholism are often very pronounced, but the symptoms of domestic drunkenness are more difficult to determine.

Signs of domestic drunkenness in women:

A girl can stop drinking alcohol at any time, since she has no morbid addiction to it
Drinking alcohol does not cause aggression, but simply improves mood. However, it is worth considering that if a woman becomes irritable while intoxicated, we are talking about alcoholism
Strong drinks are accepted only on certain dates and at festive events
After a stormy feast, in the morning the girl feels regret and remorse

Causes

Women's alcoholism develops for reasons similar to those in men. And yet there is a small but significant difference: a woman is drawn into alcoholism on an emotional and psychological basis. Once in a small amount in the body (more precisely, in the brain), alcohol thus affects the neurotransmitter system, which contributes to a feeling of relaxation, calm, and euphoria.

It is this effect that in most cases attracts women to alcohol - the opportunity to relax, to escape from problems. Being more mentally flexible, women skillfully balance between brain activation by alcohol and depression, that is, between doses.

If you understand the causes of female alcoholism, they can be divided into two types: physical and psychological.

Physical include:

less muscle mass means more intoxication;
lower water content in the body means higher alcohol concentration;
increased absorption of ethanol (this is influenced by the hormonal characteristics of the female body);
smaller doses are required to achieve an antidepressant effect - creating the illusion of safety of alcohol consumption.

Psychological reasons include:

the great importance of society and social factors - a woman is forced to behave in accordance with her role, often taking on an excessive load. For example, showing weakness in modern society is considered wrong, and in order to meet the demands of society, a woman looks for easy ways to relax;
condemnation and hostility towards women who drink leads to the fact that in women everyday drunkenness occurs hidden, its course is aggravated by stress from the need to hide their addiction, and this leads to greater alcohol consumption;
a high level of stress for the female body in general;
women’s emotional predisposition to relieve stress without the involvement of strangers (hence gatherings exclusively with close friends for a “glass of tea”, but not visiting a doctor).

Stages of alcoholism in women

Signs of alcohol dependence in girls appear one after another, in a certain sequence. Narcologists distinguish three stages of the disease.

First stage

Loss of control over drinking, however, girls continue to deny that they drink a lot
Alcohol consumption occurs alone
I drink alcohol about 3 times a week
Intoxication occurs even after small doses
The protective barrier is destroyed, there will be no vomiting during poisoning
Psychological dependence develops

Second stage

A hangover appears
Cravings for alcohol increase
The girl drinks a larger dose and stronger drinks each time
Short-term amnesia
Sleep problems
Delayed intake of alcohol leads to withdrawal symptoms
Excess weight
Hormonal disbalance
Closedness
Loss of interest in work, hobbies
Formation of physical attraction

Third stage

Dementia
Long-term amnesia
Complete personality degradation
Hallucinations
Delusional thoughts
Alcohol delirium
Irreversible changes in physical and mental health

Is it possible to cure female alcoholism? Therapy will be more effective if it begins at an early stage of addiction, when symptoms of the disease have just begun to appear. Addiction in women develops extremely quickly, one stage imperceptibly passes into the second and last. In this regard, it is extremely difficult for doctors to establish pathology in time.

Psychological condition

Pathological transformations also occur in the psychological sphere:

Control over the amount of drinking decreases or is absent altogether, which leads to constant intoxication of the body.
Alcohol breakdown products have a detrimental effect on brain cells, causing their necrosis. This manifests itself in the development of alcoholic psychoses - hallucinations, delirium tremens, delirium of various types, paranoia and alcoholic dementia (dementia). Disturbances in brain activity are also manifested by memory lapses, aggressiveness and loss of life values. Family is no longer a priority value for women alcoholics. A drinker very quickly becomes indifferent to her children, parents, and husband.
In women who drink, the control of sexual desire is weakened, which leads to an increase in the number of sexual partners and, as a result, to infectious sexually transmitted diseases.

The social consequences of alcohol addiction in women are much more pronounced than in men. The rapid decline in intelligence and changes in personal qualities (tendency to hysteria, anger and aggressiveness) of drinking women contribute to job loss, loss of professional skills or transition to unskilled labor. Alcohol degradation rapidly and catastrophically destroys a woman’s life and places her at the very bottom of the social spectrum.

It is very important for relatives and friends who have discovered the first signs of alcohol addiction in their mother, daughter or wife, to talk with the patient and convince her of the need to urgently take therapeutic measures. There is an opinion that it is almost impossible to cure female alcoholism, but medicine claims that with timely access to a specialized clinic, a woman can be returned to normal life.

Features of female alcoholism

Women's alcohol addiction is much more dangerous than men's. Let's look at the main features:

Beer alcoholism

Female beer alcoholism is one of the types of addiction to alcohol, in which a strong addiction to drinking beer in large dosages occurs. A woman has a weaker body than a man, so the craving for foam develops much more actively.

If a man, in order to “earn” chronic alcoholism, needs to consume a harmful beer drink for 10 years, then a woman needs 3 years.

A craving for beer is formed from the usual drinking of low-alcohol drinks with the goal of “relaxing the brain, having fun, relaxing”, from a bottle, but every day. Drinking a couple of cans of beer a day, a woman does not feel that drinking carries danger and pathological changes in the body. She feels only a faint feeling of intoxication and euphoria. These sensations “settle” in the brain over time, which leads to the desire to experience such emotions all the time. This is a transition to the next stage of female alcohol addiction.

Now there is no desire to stop, the dosage of beer increases from one bottle daily to several liters. The dangerous point here is that there is a risk of switching to the strongest alcohol, since beer no longer provides such noticeable euphoria.

The peculiarity of beer alcoholism is that it occurs unnoticed, but addiction develops faster than when a potential alcoholic drinks other alcohol. This is mainly explained by the attractive taste of beer, the imaginary lack of harm of a low-alcohol drink compared to other alcohol.

Beer is highly addictive and the consequences of drinking it are serious. Beer can affect consciousness, accelerate the destruction of personality, cause health problems and even death. You need to start treatment as early as possible; the longer you delay with coding or another method of therapy, the more difficult it will be to cope with alcoholism.

Consequences and treatment of female alcoholism

Female alcoholism almost always leads to serious consequences, as it develops very quickly. Generalized negative consequences of drinking alcohol:

Disruption of internal organs
Disruption of the normal functioning of the entire body

What does alcohol addiction lead to in women?

Reproductive dysfunction
Early menopause
Infertility
Kidney failure
Hepatitis and cirrhosis
Pancreas problems
Heart attack or stroke
Overdose and intoxication with low-quality alcohol products
Chronical bronchitis
Tuberculosis
Gynecological problems
Alcoholic encephalopathy
Polyneuropathy
Diseases of the cardiovascular system
Poor circulation, which can cause gangrene
Early aging

Alcohol-dependent women are less likely to give birth to a healthy child.

Consequences

Why does the problem of female alcoholism worry doctors and other specialists so much? First of all, because of the gender role of a woman - mother, wife. An alcoholic is not able to fully carry out these fundamental female functions; moreover, a woman’s alcoholism has a detrimental effect on her family, children, loved ones, and social environment.

Alcohol is merciless to the female body: early aging, decline of reproductive function, damage to the brain, pancreas, and liver.

Female alcoholism what to do

Already at the first stage of female alcoholism, you should rush to seek help from narcologists. In this case, there is a great chance to cure alcohol addiction and restore the woman’s health. A woman’s sincere desire to start leading a sober lifestyle is the first step on the path to success. Treatment of female alcoholism is unlikely to be effective if the patient is forcibly sent to a medical facility.

Is it possible to cure female alcoholism?

Some people sincerely believe that female alcoholism is incurable. But in modern times, when you seek drug treatment, you can overcome a dangerous addiction. The patient’s desire to begin leading a sober lifestyle greatly simplifies the task for doctors. Mostly people start abusing alcohol because of psychological problems. Therefore, treatment of the early stage may be limited to psychotherapy. But, unfortunately, few people turn to doctors at the first stage of the disease, so addiction treatment must be comprehensive.

Female alcoholism treatment at home

Independently fighting female alcoholism requires the patience of all family members. Close relatives and friends will have to provide the patient with help and support. Even when choosing therapy at home, you cannot do without the help of a narcologist. The doctor will come to the call and provide the necessary assistance and prescribe treatment.

Stages of therapy

Treatment methods for female alcoholism:

Detoxification
Drug therapy
Coding
Psychological help
Maintenance treatment

Treatment should begin with an examination of the patient and diagnosis of her health condition.

The doctor needs to determine how affected:

Brain
CNS
Work of internal organs

Afterwards, the narcologist selects an individual treatment course. Next comes detoxification. It is important to cleanse the body of ethanol breakdown products and relieve withdrawal symptoms (if they are present). During therapy, doctors try to normalize the functioning of internal organs whose activity was disrupted during addiction. At all stages of treatment, a woman needs the help of a psychologist and psychotherapist.

With the client’s consent, coding is carried out, which can be done in various ways:

Medication
Psychotherapeutic

Consistent and step-by-step treatment, completed under the guidance of highly qualified doctors, will allow you to return to normal life, where there is no place for alcoholic beverages. It is worth remembering that the support of loved ones will help avoid relapses. Many clinics have employees who work with family members of addicts, they teach them how to properly deal with the patient and how not to become codependent. After treatment, the woman needs a rehabilitation course. Female alcoholism can be cured if you consult a specialist in a timely manner.

Stages of female alcohol addiction

Symptoms and signs of liver cirrhosis in women

Women, just like men, being on the path of worsening alcohol addiction, experience several stages of this terrible disease. Professionals divide the disease into three stages:

Initial. Characterized by frequent and regular consumption of alcoholic beverages. In this case, the dose becomes constant, and the body no longer rejects ethanol. At the same time, the craving for alcohol intensifies, and after waking up the patient realizes that she is suffering from memory loss after drinking libations.
Expanded stage. In this case, the dose of ethanol taken is increased. At the same time, the woman already develops a hangover syndrome, which is manifested by chills, headache, dizziness and a new craving to drink. At this stage of addiction, the patient’s condition also worsens due to psycho-emotional experiences. The patient realizes that she is losing control of herself. And this, in turn, can cause sudden mood swings from tearfulness to irritability or nervous breakdowns. At this stage of the disease, most often a woman begins to lose her social status, turning into a dependent.
The final stage of addiction. In this case, the woman already loses complete control over herself. Appearance deteriorates sharply. The state of health of all systems and internal organs is losing ground. The lady exists only in search of alcohol. Intoxication occurs even from a small dose of ethanol, and significant and long-term lapses in memory are observed.