The Biological Psychological and Sociological Effect of Alcohol on a Female and Her Families - Term Paper Example

Abstract Alcohol addiction has more adverse effects on females compared to males. It can affect not only the individual, but the family and the society as well. Alcohol can create lot of biological changes in females compared to their male counterparts. These biological changes can affect the embryo of a pregnant woman. This paper analyses the biological, sociological and psychological effects of alcohol addiction on females. Introduction “Research has shown that women become addicted to substances more quickly than men, and they more often die from substance abuse problems than do men. In addition, women have been traditionally underrepresented in substance abuse research studies and treatment groups” (Battaglia).  Generally, women are weaker compared to men physically and mentally and they are more vulnerable to alcohol and drug addiction. Women alcohol addiction is more in some cultures compared to others. “The fact that many women are under immense pressure due to the combination of work and family is one cause of the increased abuse of alcohol by women. Many women tend to make themselves available to others and forget themselves” (Alcohol and women) Women are not getting enough time to release their stress either at home or at workplace because of their increased workload. Most of the working women who have one or two children may not even sleep well because of their workloads. They will fail to execute their responsibilities both at home and their workplaces and the feeling of dejection often lead them to alcohol addiction. The family and workplace tensions may prevent them from effectively participating in social activities which is needed especially for working women to release their stress. The advanced living standards demand more money and the thirst for new living standards and life styles force the women to look for more and more responsible positions which again increase their stress. “Studies have shown that the drinking patterns of employed women are different from those of women not employed outside the home, with less abstinence, increased consumption and greater frequency of drinking occasions observed among employed women” (Psychological Effects of Alcoholism) Social, economical and cultural reasons are attached with women alcohol addiction. In some cases, addiction for women is strongly linked with sexuality, including dominance and exploitation by men. Women alcohol addiction can affect the society and the family also apart from the addicted woman. Biological effects of alcohol on females Women’s bodies can respond differently to alcohol than the men’s body. “Women have approximately 10% more fatty tissue and less body water than men. This means that women attain a higher blood alcohol concentration (BAC) than men for the same volume of alcohol consumed. Women have lower levels of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), an enzyme involved in the metabolism of alcohol. As a result, women experience the effects of alcohol more quickly, and for longer, than men” (Fredjoiners) While taking alcohol drinks women may not think much about the above facts and they will consume alcohol as much as possible and hence the damages caused by the alcohol will affect the women more than the men. Most of the women take drinks in the company of men which encourage them to consume more as their male friends did. “Alcohol use during the teen years can not only lead to subsequent alcohol problems, it can also lead to risky sexual behavior and a greater risk of early childbearing” (Reproductive Dysfunctions and Alcohol Dependence Linked Among Women) The women fertility will be considerably reduced due to alcohol addiction. The addicted women may have delayed pregnancy, menstrual and sexual problems as well. Miscarriage rate is more in the case of alcohol addicted women compared to normal women. Moreover, even if the addicted woman was able to keep her fetus intact, she may experience complications during and after the delivery. The child also may have problems related to his/her mother’s alcohol addiction. “Alcohol not only disrupts the interaction between the brain, pituitary gland, and ovaries, it also directly impairs the regulatory systems within the ovaries” (The Effects of Alcohol on Physiological Processes and Biological Development, p.128) Menstrual period and the correct functions of the ovary is essential for the female to sustain their reproduction abilities. Alcohol can affect all these critical areas seriously so that the cycle of menstrual period will be distorted. Moreover, alcohol addiction can suppress the discharge of specific female reproductive hormones, thereby delaying the beginning of puberty. Biological effects of alcohol on female’s family Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a disorder of permanent birth defects occurred to offspring of women who have drinking habits when they were pregnant. The growth of the embryo depends on the life styles of the pregnant women. The pregnant woman’s physical and mental health can affect the embryo also in different ways. “When you drink alcohol, it enters your bloodstream and reaches your developing fetus by crossing the placenta. Because a fetus metabolizes alcohol more slowly than an adult does, your developing baby's blood alcohol concentrations are higher than those in your body. The presence of alcohol can impair optimal nutrition for your baby's developing tissues and organs and can damage brain cells.” (Mayo clinic staff) Since the intensity of the damage which can cause due to drinking during pregnancy is unknown, doctors are unique in their opinion that it is better to avoid drinking habits during pregnancy period in order to keep the baby healthy before and after birth. “Fetal alcohol syndrome isn't a single birth defect. It's a cluster of related problems and the most severe of a group of consequences that result from prenatal alcohol exposure. Collectively, the range of disorders is known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).” (Mayo clinic staff) A person’s important phase of development is his childhood before and after birth. All his future personalities will depend on his personal health both physical and mental during this period. If the brain cells damaged during childhood it is difficult to replace it and hence problems can occur at later stages. Psychological effects of alcohol on females “Alcohol causes aggression directly by anesthetizing the center of the brain that normally prevents aggressive responding. Alcohol facilitates aggression indirectly by causing certain cognitive, physiological, and emotional changes that increase the probability of aggression” (Bushman & Cooper, p.342) It is difficult for an addicted female to control her emotions. Even for silly things, an addicted female can respond aggressively which may often create violence either in the family or the society where the female is interacting. Most of the women use alcohol to get rid of their psychological problems. Stress has an important role in the making of a women alcohol addict. The stress from the family, society and the workplace can direct a woman towards alcohol addiction. Some of the cognitive changes that accompany alcohol consumption include impaired intellectual functioning, inaccurate assessment of risks, and reduced awareness. Alcohol has also been shown to change arousal levels and to increase emotional liability (Bushman & Cooper, p.342) Most of the vehicle accidents happening in all over the world, especially in United States are related to drunk driving. Decision taking will be a difficult task under the influence of alcohol and moreover, illegal and dangerous things will be visualized as simple legal ones under the influence of alcohol. Psychological effects of alcohol on the family members Alcohol addiction forces a person to withdraw from the family and the friends. An alcohol addicted women may behave indifferently with his male counterpart during their sexual relationships which may cause family problems. The problem will be worst in families where only the woman was addicted to alcohol. The addicted women’s failure to conceive from her male counterpart may create more problems in the family. Moreover, it is unpredictable, how an addicted woman responds to her husband or children in the family. Children often watch their parents carefully and they always derive lessons from them. It is difficult for an addicted woman to direct their child in the right track. An addicted woman may have less interest in family matters which will affect the whole family members including children and the grandparents. The messy atmosphere in the family can result in children behaving abnormally in the society. In fact in most of the cases, the aggressive behaviour of the children can be attributed to the distorted family atmosphere. Sociological effects of alcohol on females “ALCOHOL IS THE DRUG most strongly associated with interpersonal aggression and violence alcohol's indirectly causing aggression through its effects on cognitive processing. Cognitive models posit that alcohol indirectly causes aggression by disrupting attentional, mnemonic and higher processing abilities, leading intoxicated individuals to attend to only the most salient cues of an interaction between a possible aggressor and victim” (Ogle, & Miller) Women under alcohol influence can be easily exploited sexually. Under the influence of alcohol, females may not be able to take sound decisions and others will exploit such situations. Thus unwanted pregnancies may increase and the abortion rates may increase. Untimely and repeated abortions may destroy the physical and mental health of the women. An addicted woman may not be respected adequately by the society. The society will always give more respect to the normal woman compared to an alcohol addicted woman. The increase in women alcohol addiction rate in the society is not a good sign for a healthy society since social evils may increase in such societies. Alcohol addiction of men and women treat differently by the society. The society may accept the male addiction up to certain extent because of the male dominance in the current society whereas women addiction may be visualized as a severe sin though both men and women doing the same thing. As per the societal prejudices, women are considered to lead a more organized life than their male counterparts and any deviant behaviour from the female community will be exaggerated. Sociological effects of alcohol on the family There are detrimental consequences concerning public disorder, workplace, education, family and social relations, violence (including domestic violence) and criminality because of alcohol addiction. (The Positive and Negative Effects of Alcohol) Domestic violence will increase because of the alcohol addiction, especially that of the females. Violent family atmosphere can adversely affect the society also. The aggressions in the family can often create problems to the neighbors. The neighbors may be forced to interfere in the encounters between the family members in order to avoid unhealthy incidents. “The high degree of social embarrassment involved, and the unpredictability so often associated with drinking problems, makes it very awkward to extend invitations to others to visit the family home, or to accept invitations to visit theirs or to attend other social gatherings. The family thus tends to become increasingly socially isolated” (Alcohol concern) Alcohol addiction is not accepted as a good sign by the society. In fact the society treats the addicted people in a different manner by isolating such people. Most of the civilized persons try to avoid the company of alcohol addicted persons. Nobody wants to talk about their parent’s or relatives’ alcohol addiction publicly in the society because of the fear of losing pride. Conclusions Alcohol addiction is harmful to all the people, especially to the females. Females have lot of biological and psychological problems associated with their addicted behaviour. Alcohol addiction of the females can affect the society, family and the addicted person as well in many ways. Domestic violence, sexual exploitations, aggressive encounters in the society, accidents are some of the results of alcohol addiction. References 1. Battaglia Emily, 2009, A Short History of Female Addiction in America, Retrieved on July 16, 2009 from http://www.drugalcoholaddictionrecovery.com/?p=52   2. Reproductive Dysfunctions and Alcohol Dependence Linked Among Women, 2008, Retrieved on July 16, 2009 from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118956.php 3. Bushman Brad J. & Cooper Harris M., 1990, Effects of Alcohol on Human Aggression: An Integrative Research Review, Retrieved on July 16, 2009 from http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bbushman/bc90.pdf 4. Ogle, Richard L. & Miller, William R. 2004, The effects of alcohol intoxication and gender on the social information processing of hostile provocations involving male and female provocateurs, Retrieved on July 16, 2009 from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-113681416.html 5. The Positive and Negative Effects of Alcohol, 2007, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Retrieved on July 16, 2009 from http://www.camh.net/Research/Research_publications/Newsletter/Winter%202007/positive_negative_effect_alcohol.html 6. Mayo clinic staff, Fetal alcohol syndrome, Retrieved on July 16, 2009 from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fetal-alcohol-syndrome/DS00184/DSECTION=symptoms 7. Alcohol and women, 2007, Retrieved on July 29, 2009 from http://www.counsellingcenterchanges.com/alcohol_addiction_women.php 8. Fredjoiners, 2007, Physical Effects of Alcohol on Women, Retrieved on July 29, 2009 From http://alcoholselfhelpnews.wordpress.com/2007/11/26/physical-effects-of-alcohol-on-women-3/ 9. The Effects of Alcohol on Physiological Processes and Biological Development, Retrieved on July 29, 2009 from http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh283/125-132.pdf 10. Alcohol concern, Effects on children and families, Retrieved on July 29, 2009 from http://www.alcoholandfamilies.org.uk/documents/7/effects_children_and_families/effects_family_life.htm 11. Psychological Effects of Alcoholism, Retrieved on July 29, 2009 from http://www.about-alcoholism-info.com/Psychological_Effects_of_Alcoholism.html Read More