Women and alcohol

Binge drinking in women has doubled since 1998 according to studies. The narrowing of the ‘alcohol gender gap’ is seen in all cities and towns across the UK no more noticeable than on a Friday or a Saturday night in Hull. It is noticeable in the clubs and pubs in our city that there is a significant increase in the amount women are drinking.
Drinkaware is a charity funded by the drinks industry in order to educate people about alcohol. The Chief Executive commented that alcohol affects women differently to men; studies show that women are more prone to liver disease after a shorter period of heavy drinking than men and it can lead to an increased risk of breast cancer and lower the chances of conceiving a child. Action for Change, a Hull based alcohol harm reduction service, said that due to the recession the amount seeking help with alcohol problems has reduced, but women who are already drinking are doing so much more.
During recent years, women have an increasing role to play in society and whilst capable of doing everything such as raising children alongside a successful career, are experiencing stress and feel the need to wind down and play hard. A recent survey found that between 50 to 60 per cent of adults use a stressful day as an excuse to drink up to four drinks on a typical evening at home and 73 per cent of women as opposed to 26 per cent of men said stress was the main reason they had a drink at home. Women having it all is a recent phenomenon and we do not have any ideas on how to cope with it, as our mothers were home-makers and our fathers the breadwinners so women now cannot ask for advice on how to deal with it. This means that the family dynamic has changed considerably and likely due to the fact that a single income has become less and now takes two adult wages in a household to make up the one that my generation’s parents were used to.
Now that there are more women in the workplace it seems easy for them to unwind and to pop into the bar from the office and drink to the same level as their male counterparts. Action for Change say that this is a major concern as women simply cannot drink as much as men; that this is not a gender issue but a biological fact.
The fact people divorce or separate earlier and younger could play a part; we socialise more and have more disposable income, or rather we did until the economic downturn however the economic factor is really not too much of an issue in respect to alcohol as it is easy to buy it cheap and in bulk with supermarkets encouraging such bulk buying by various offers. The price of a cheap bottle of wine is not that different from a bottle of milk. We are also living longer; 40 seems to be the new 20 so the social scene is not just for the teenagers anymore but the next generation; therefore this includes more drinking for a longer period of time and subsequently results in the health issues that are all to prevalent today
Action for Change say that there is a trend that, because of the recession, more women in particular are staying in with a bottle of wine or perhaps drinking before they go out to save money but they are unaware that in the past ten years the strength of a bottle of wine has increased by a third so is a dangerous amount to consume and according to a recent survey 61% of women said they have two or more large glasses of wine on a typical night which is more than double the recommended guidelines.
These trends across the United Kingdom seem epidemic, but as Action for Change tell me, in Hull we have leading alcohol services available to anybody who is worried about their consumption of alcohol, not just for treatment but for information; the help and assistance is there and the people in Hull just need to access it.
I think it is our own responsibility to be aware of what we are drinking as it appears those that could help for example the drinks industry, major supermarket chains or the Government are not going to do it for us. Parents will take their children down the alcohol aisles of their local supermarket without a moment’s thought on the influence it could be having on them. A Private Members Bill at the moment is aimed to limit the exposure of alcohol marketing on children and I welcome this but a little common sense can go a long way. Alcohol is a major part of our culture, but we really need to stop and think what harm it is doing. It is hoped that people will use Alcohol Awareness Week which takes place on the 14th to 20th November 2011 to educate them.