Alcoholism – a serious illness, and its consequences is even more pernicious if the alcoholic – the woman. Female alcoholism has the special signs and symptoms which are not always visible and clear. And while it proceeds is hidden, the personality and health of the woman are exposed to irreversible destructions.
Psychological and physiological features of female alcoholism
The dependence is formed quickly: stages of female alcoholism are much shorter, than at men, and replace each other not in 10-15 years, and is twice faster. Matter in physiology: the female body easier also contains less water, because of it concentration of alcohol in blood turns out higher. And the emotionality and regular hormonal fluctuations stimulate thirst for hard liquors.
At the same time women are ashamed of what they drink. And therefore try to hide as long as possible from all the harmful addiction. And relatives, friends, colleagues learn about misfortune already when becomes too late.
Development of alcohol addiction in women
The first stage lasts up to 3 years and often passes unnoticed; however there are indirect signs indicating formation of alcoholism at the woman:
- alcohol does it extraordinary cheerful, relaxed, free;
- she pays less attention to relatives, but easily meets with unfamiliar or strangers;
- there are new girlfriends with whom the woman often spends time. With these friends or alone she regularly drinks, often without realizing into whom turns. Also can even be proud of the endurance, defy it before men. And meanwhile, such resistance to high doses of alcohol – one of the first symptoms of female alcoholism.
The second stage lasts from 3 to 5 years during which the thirst for alcohol becomes insuperable. The character and behavior change, irritability, concern increases. There are insomnia and headaches. The woman more often breaks, loses self-checking and has persuasive desire to suppress the burdensome state by means of alcohol. From now on many cease to work.
In the third stage there comes absolute indifference to everything, except alcohol. Its absence leads to alarm, fears, spasms and hallucinations. Symptoms of female alcoholism appear more and more sharply, and its consequences are irreversible:
- early aging, aging, change of a voice;
- damage of nervous system, intolerable headaches;
- pathological changes in lungs, liver and reproductive organs;
- hormonal failures and early climax, decline in the ability to conception or infertility.
Psychological consequences of female alcoholism are so heavy that women become patients of psychiatric clinics. Their main manifestations look as:
- hysteria, aggression, roughness;
- forwardness and vulgarity of behavior, sexual dissoluteness or frigidity;
- full fading of a maternal instinct, children and family cease to matter, weigh and irritate.
Treatment of female alcoholism
For women it is extremely important to combine drug treatment and psychotherapy. Medicines make powerful cosmetic impact – the state and skin color improves, the woman gets prettier that strongly motivates her.
A lot of things depend also from psychologists of the woman having alcoholism:
- sensitive and uncertain individual approach in a confidential conversation with the therapist is required, hypnosis and training of a relaxation, group work well works;
- the demonstrative women requiring attention after work in training groups actively respond to an appeal to help the same dependent, to become volunteers of movements against alcoholism and drugs;
- women unbalanced and impulsive need to be supported throughout all course of treatment through creativity – drawing, dances, singing.
But on the first place always – work of the doctor. Female alcoholism is a disease which symptoms demand the qualified help of the narcologist. Only then all other methods will effectively work.
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