Female Alcoholism May Be On The Rise

Typically, stories of wild drinking debauchery concern men. And historically, studies have shown that the male gender tends to be more prone to boozing. But the tide may be turning, according to data released by WebMD. Their research is starting to show a sharp rise in female alcoholism. Not only that, there are now more documented cases of women binging and suffering from chronic drinking issues, such as cirrhosis of the liver.

Truth be told, this may actually be a longstanding issue that is only now getting the attention it deserves. Recovery advocate (and Instagram influencer) Laura McKowen continues to highlight this problem across her social media profiles. Her stories trail it back several generations and include personal accounts of her own.

McKowen had initially thought of herself as a “casual drinker.” That is, until her habit began to interfere with the welfare of her family.

“I put [my daughter] in danger at a friend’s wedding. I left her unattended for a long period of time. She was 4,” McKowen told the site. “I knew eventually, I would lose custody of my daughter if I kept drinking. It was inevitable. I knew I would lose pretty much everything.”

Since entering treatment and coming clean, McKowen has become a fierce advocate of the recovery movement. She also has made it a point to bring the topic of female alcoholism to her 30,000 followers.

After sharing McKowen’s story, WebMD shared some alarming statistics about this growing trend. “High-risk drinking” among women (equating to 3 or more drinks consumed in 1 day), shot up by 58 percent over the past 15 years. There was also a stat about alcohol-related ER visits for U.S. females. That number increased by 5 percent over the last year, surpassing the growth rate for men.

And these habits are forming at a much younger age than previously thought. A recent study from the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that teenage girls are picking up the bottle much more frequently now than in decades past.

“Now, by eighth grade, more females than males are drinking,” a researcher told TheFix.com. “Females are now, for the first time in history, more likely to drink in 10th grade than males; and by 12th grade, where there used to be a big gap 10 or 15 years ago, it’s now dead even.”

As always, our hope is strictly to educate people about the facts and erase any stigmas women may have if they’re facing an addiction. If a mom, daughter or sister in your family is experiencing anything like this, get them help before it’s too late.

Can Heavy Stress Hurt Your Immune System?

If you haven’t had the chance to follow the blogs of WebMD, we highly recommend doing so. The famed medical site has a ton of helpful information related to health and wellness. One recent topic that they covered seemed extra poignant to us, primarily because it is something that we have seen firsthand.  According to their scientific data, intense stress can increase a person’s odds of developing an autoimmune disease.

Using research that included over 100,000 case studies, doctors from the site determined that people who face stress on a daily basis have a 35 percent greater risk of contracting issues like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn’s disease and celiac disease than those who do not. Even more interesting, was the fact that the likelihood increases among women, particularly those who are African-American, Hispanic or Native-American.

“Patients suffering from severe life stressors should seek medical treatment due to the risk of chronicity of these symptoms and thereby further health decline, such as the increased risk of autoimmune disease,” lead researcher Dr. Huan Song wrote on the site. “This study adds to the evidence of the link between stress conditions and physical well-being, warranting further attention to the reduction of trauma and other causes of stress conditions, as well as improving treatment of these conditions.”

Indeed, trauma was brought up as a major trigger point as well. The research concluded that there was still no definitive reason as to why they increase the immune system risks, but there are several theories. One has to do with the fact that people dealing with these conditions tend to sleep less, which can have physical repercussions on the body. There are also strong associations between stress and substance abuse, which has been proven to do damage to people’s nervous systems.

The good news is, Dr. Song and others believe that these traits can be reversible. The key factor, though, is treatment. Examples used were support groups, certain anti-depressants (particularly for people dealing with PTSD) and ongoing therapy to cope with life’s stressors.

“There are now several treatments, both medications and cognitive behavioral approaches, with documented effectiveness,” she concluded. “It is notable that when people received effective treatment, their risk for autoimmune disorders was lessened.”

At inneractions, we too believe that treatment is essential to reduce theses risks. We offer Stress Management sessions at our facility and welcome anyone impacted by trauma or severe life challenges to reach out and get the help they deserve.