Alcohol abuse

This article is an exploration of women and alcoholism. 

Alcohol is a favourite drug for many people, and women may be having more problems with alcohol than many of us would like to think. Journalist Ann Dowsett Johnston spent a year talking with women, and learned that there is a global rise in women's drinking-what one eminent researcher calls a "global epidemic." For Canadian women, rates of risky drinking rose significantly for in recent years. (Risky drinking is defined as four drinks or more on at least one occasion in the past week.) Women drink to ease ease anxiety, deal with trauma, and much more. Risky drinking leads to a wide variety of short and long-term health challenges. Is this a new problem, or are we just becoming aware of it? What's the role of alcohol marketing? How can we help women define the blurry line between social drinking and alcohol addiction? 

In this webinar, CWHN Executive Director Anne Rochon Ford interviewed Dowsett Johnston about her research, including questions and comments from viewers.

The first pan-Canadian guidelines for low-risk alcohol drinking. The guidelines are intended to provide consistent, evidence-informed recommendations to Canadians and to encourage a culture of moderation. The guidelines for women and men differ substantially. For example, to reduce your long-term health risks, they advice drinking no more than: 10 drinks a week for women, with no more than 2 drinks a day most days, and 15 drinks a week for men, with no more than 3 drinks a day most days.

A list of print and multimedia resources related to prevention of heavy alcohol use by girls and young women, for practitioners, girls’ group programmers, and anyone else who may find these resources helpful. Presents current resources for starting a conversation about drinking with girls using video clips, becoming aware of the influences on girls’ alcohol use, and the health risks of early and heavy drinking, and offering holistic, girl-centered, health promotion/prevention programming.

This article is adapted from Girl-Centred Approaches to Prevention, Harm Reduction, and Treatment and Heavy Alcohol Use Among Girls and Young Women: Highlights of Findings from Literature Review and Web Search. It illustrates how increasing attention is being brought to the issue of substance use by girls and young women, and the associated health and social consequences of heavy drinking, smoking cigarettes, as well as the use of both licit and illicit substances. Local, national, and international data now show that the gender gap in substance use is closing.

Explores barriers people with concurrent disorders (combination of a mental illness and substance use disorder) can face when looking at treatment options.

Investigates the interrelationships between mood, anxiety, and use of substances as well as signs to watch out for that may indicate a disorder requiring intervention.

Examines the link between excessive alcohol consumption and osteoporosis. Lists management strategies.

Provides information and recommendations about alcohol problems and treatment that may be of use in Inuit communities. Includes explanations about causes and types of alcohol problems, counselling methods, treatment choices and training needs.