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by David Ogot snr.

EAST AFRICAN STANDARD 'PROFILE MAGAZINE', January 19 — 25, 2002

Although society tacitly tolerates the male alcoholic, it has an ingrained disdain for the female one. Alcoholism among women is treated as a taboo subject with society preferring to sweep it under the carpet and pretend that women alcoholics do not exist.

Traditionally, drinking alcohol has been a male preserve but due to shifting roles in modern society, coupled with an increasing spending power, women revelers are now a common phenomena.

Of course, women - like men - have their own reasons for drinking alcoholic beverages. One is the feel good factor which results from the stimulating effects of alcohol before the sedative effects kick in.

Producers of alcoholic beverages have woken up to the fact that more women are imbibing their products. To cash in on this, they now manufacture numerous, nicely-packaged brands with the female drinker

Today, the leading consumers of so called 'light' beers and the growing array of fruit wines and ciders are women. Many women drinkers regard these drinks as more palatable than ordinary beer.

But is there a fundamental difference between the male and the female alcoholic?

The answer is yes. There are significant differences that might not be apparent to a casual observer. One is the blood alcohol level (BAL) which, simply put, is the concentration of alcohol in the body measured as the percentage of alcohol in the blood. When a person drinks more alcohol than his or her body can get rid of, it begins to accumulate in the blood stream and the BAL rises.

Several factors affect the rate at which the BAL rises. For instance, the heavier a person is, the more water there is in the body to dilute the alcohol and reduce the BAL. Thus, many women reach a higher BAL faster as they have less water in their bodies. They also have more fat which is not easily penetrated by alcohol. Thus, a woman will get drunk on less alcohol and feel its effects longer than her male counterpart.

A woman who is prone to alcoholism can drink quite a while without exhibiting any outward signs of alcoholism until some specific event hurls her into heavy drinking and then into alcoholism. But the rapidity with which she sinks to the abyss of alcoholism is far greater than that of men. Emotional traumas, such as the loss of a loved one or gynaecological difficulties can easily lead a woman to alcoholism.

However, women alcoholics tend to conceal their drinking much more than men largely due to social taboos.

This in effect, implies that apart from the guilt she already feels as an alcoholic, the woman carries extra burden of humiliation, shame and fear of ostracism. Not surprisingly, a woman’s denial of the problem is much stronger than a man’s.

As though this were not punishment enough the woman alcoholic lives under the fear of contracting breast cancer. The risk of contracting the dread disease is directly proportional to the amount of alcohol consumed. Its effects are also exacerbated by alcohol abuse.

Again, due to the filial and social roles played by women, families experience more difficulties when a woman becomes an alcoholic than when it is a man. Where the woman is the victim, family can literally fall apart.

Getting into the family way is the most trying experience for the female alcoholic. During this time, she should be made aware of the dangers her condition poses to the unborn child. The more she drinks, the more she passes on the alcohol to the foetus which is totally helpless against this deluge of alcohol. If not checked, this can lead to the Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) a condition where children of alcoholic mothers suffer from stunted growth, mental retardation and facial disfiguration among other ailments.

The foetus can also become addicted to alcohol while in the womb which can result in withdrawal symptoms once the child is born and the alcohol supply is cut. Later in life, the child can easily become addicted on taking his 'first' drink. These so-called " instant alcoholics" may have been triggered by an addiction which actually began in the womb.

In the US, the District of Columbia City Council is considering enacting a proposal that babies be removed from their mother's custody if they are born with alcohol or other addictions. Under this legislation, children exposed to alcohol or other drugs would be considered neglected or abused and the District of Columbia child and Family Agency will be mandated to begin immediate proceedings to remove the child from the mother's care.

Although this move will go a long way in protecting the interest and welfare of the children of alcoholic parents, much more still needs to be done to lend a hand to women alcoholics in much the same way that help has been extended to male alcoholics.

Alcoholism in women is a disease which with timely intervention, can be effectively managed. Failing to do so will ultimately lead women to jail, institutions or death.

David Ogot is a freelance journalist/producer who has personal experience with alcoholism. He can be reached at goinghomedotcom@yahoo.com