When drinking becomes more than socializing, the risk of being dependent on the alcohol becomes higher-this is what is presently happening to the women of this generation. Alarmed, experts added that these women aren't able to access treatment as compared to their male counterparts.
Heavy drinking or binge drinking can cause a lot of health issues. Short-term health concerns include drowsiness, slurred speech, diarrhea, vomiting, headaches, upset stomach, distorted vision and hearing, anemia, coma and breathing difficulties, as posted by Drug-Free World.
Long-term effects, on the other hand, includes cardiovascular diseases, alcohol poisoning, nerve damage, damage to the brain, ulcers, gastritis, sexual problems, and cancer of the throat and mouth.
Amid these health concerns, cirrhosis is the most common among alcohol drinkers even for women.
A study conducted by the Research Society on Alcoholism showed how most people, especially women, who are suffering from cirrhosis still don't have access to the most appropriate abuse treatment for their situation, even if it is already covered in their insurance.
In the course of the study, data of about 66,053 patients, aged between 18 and 64, suffering from alcohol-related cirrhosis, and privately insured, were overlooked.
The data that range from 2009 to 2016 revealed that patients who took their alcohol abuse treatment or their medication that can help them alter their alcohol addiction created a positive result to their body. With their treatment, their situation got better about 15 percent as compared to those that do not.
Unfortunately, no matter how effective it is to manage the problem and in making the patients well, the study shows that not all people have the chance to access this opportunity.
As the research reveals, only 10 percent of the participants are given the opportunity to have in-person substance abuse or mental health treatment. Furthermore, only one percent of them can access of Food and Drug Administration-approved medications used for their drinking relapse.
"The study confirms what anyone who is in the practice of managing patients with liver disease already knows-that while alcohol cessation treatment programs can improve outcomes very few patients avail themselves to it," Dr. Robert Brown, a hepatologist and director of the Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
Reasons for women not getting enough treatment for substance abuse are explained by Deni Carise Ph.D., a clinical psychologist with expertise in addiction and chief scientific officer at Recovery Centers of America.
Carise explained that compared to men, women tend to have a lot of barriers that hinder them for having access to treatment for substance abuse, as reported by the Health Line. Family tends to pressure them not to seek treatment as the topic is still considered taboo. Most women are financially dependent. Other women are also so focused on taking care of their family instead of themselves.
