The effects of a woman addicted to alcohol is extremely devastating. Not only on the family, but to te woman herself.
Although men are more likely to drink alcohol and drink in larger amounts, gender differences in body structure and chemistry cause women to absorb more alcohol, and take longer to break it down and remove it from their bodies (i.e., to metabolize it). In other words, upon drinking equal amounts, women have higher alcohol levels in their blood than men, and the immediate effects occur more quickly and last longer. These differences also make women more vulnerable to alcohol’s long-term effects on their health as follows:
Pregnancy: According to the American Pregnancy Association, drug abuse can make it harder for a woman to get pregnant but much easier to have a miscarriage or a baby with birth defects
Alcohol and Pregnancy : Women who drink alcohol while pregnant increase their risk of having a baby with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). The most severe form is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) , which causes mental retardation and birth defects. FASD are completely preventable if a woman does not drink while pregnant or while she may become pregnant.
Research suggests that women who drink alcohol while pregnant are more likely to have a baby die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). This risk substantially increases if a woman binge drinks during her first trimester of pregnancy.
The Risk of miscarriage is also increased if a woman drinks excessively during her first trimester of pregnancy.
The Menstrual Cycle: The menstrual cycle often becomes erratic or even stops altogether. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, cravings for the drug often rise and fall with a woman’s cycle while she is still having periods.
Early Menopause: A woman usually starts menopause at 45 to 55 years old. But according to “Drug Addiction Research & the Health of Women,” drug addiction can bring on early menopause in the forties and even thirties .
Alcohol & Drug Abuse Related Diseases: Women become addicted more quickly and develop substance abuse-related diseases sooner than men. This includes alcohol-related liver damage, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, anemia, malnutrition, and colorectal cancer.
Liver Disease: The risk of cirrhosis and other alcohol-related liver diseases is higher for women than for men. According to “Alcohol and Temperance in Modern History,” women alcoholics die of cirrhosis sooner than men because their livers cannot process large quantities of alcohol.
Depression: According to The Canyon rehabilitation center, women often turn to drugs or alcohol as a means of coping with depression more so than men. However, the drugs and alcohol often make the depression much worse .
Impact on the Brain: Excessive drinking often results in memory loss and shrinkage of the brain. Research suggests that women are more vulnerable than men to the brain damaging effects of excessive alcohol use, and the damage tends to appear with shorter periods of excessive drinking for women than for men.
Impact on the Heart: Studies have shown that women who drink excessively are at increased risk for damage to the heart muscle than men even for women drinking at lower levels.
Cancer: Alcohol consumption increases the risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, colon, and breast among women. The risk of breast cancer increases as alcohol use increases.
Ask Yourself: IS the cost of Your addiction to alcohol worth your family, friends and your health?
https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/check-the-facts/health-effects-of-alcohol/effects-on-the-body/alcohol-and-women
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