Alcohol and Women
Running head: ALCOHOL AND WOMEN
Alcohol and Women
Alcohol and Women Throughout history, discussions of and concern about women 's drinking have commonly been characterized by distortion, myth, prejudice and stereotyping. Until relatively recently, many studies were male-oriented, and excluded women. Other studies included both genders but often failed to examine possible gender differences in alcohol consumption, alcohol-related behaviours and experiences. "The issue", in this context, is what the evidence really shows in relation to drinking and its consequences among women. There is now an impressive body of evidence related to alcohol consumption by women. In spite of this, some issues remain controversial and some of the recent debate continues to be influenced not only by scientific findings, but also by ideology, sexism and prejudice. A number of issues have periodically emerged as being controversial. These include whether or not female drinking patterns have converged with those of males; whether women are more susceptible than men to alcohol-related problems; whether or not even light drinking by pregnant women harms the development of the fetus; and whether or not women problem drinkers in treatment have different outcomes from men. The subject of alcohol consumption and its associated consequences among women is extremely wide-ranging. As noted above, past research has sometimes neglected this issue. Fortunately, research into gender issues in general and into the possible effects of maternal drinking in particular has been increasing. An exciting example of this is provided by the Gender and Alcohol Comparative Alcohol Study (GENACIS). The latter involves researchers from several countries working together to devise survey questions suitable for use in studies that are concerned with gender differences. This will gather a considerable amount of new information. The latter will be both comparable and from widely varied social/national
Alcohol and Women
Alcohol and Women Throughout history, discussions of and concern about women 's drinking have commonly been characterized by distortion, myth, prejudice and stereotyping. Until relatively recently, many studies were male-oriented, and excluded women. Other studies included both genders but often failed to examine possible gender differences in alcohol consumption, alcohol-related behaviours and experiences. "The issue", in this context, is what the evidence really shows in relation to drinking and its consequences among women. There is now an impressive body of evidence related to alcohol consumption by women. In spite of this, some issues remain controversial and some of the recent debate continues to be influenced not only by scientific findings, but also by ideology, sexism and prejudice. A number of issues have periodically emerged as being controversial. These include whether or not female drinking patterns have converged with those of males; whether women are more susceptible than men to alcohol-related problems; whether or not even light drinking by pregnant women harms the development of the fetus; and whether or not women problem drinkers in treatment have different outcomes from men. The subject of alcohol consumption and its associated consequences among women is extremely wide-ranging. As noted above, past research has sometimes neglected this issue. Fortunately, research into gender issues in general and into the possible effects of maternal drinking in particular has been increasing. An exciting example of this is provided by the Gender and Alcohol Comparative Alcohol Study (GENACIS). The latter involves researchers from several countries working together to devise survey questions suitable for use in studies that are concerned with gender differences. This will gather a considerable amount of new information. The latter will be both comparable and from widely varied social/national
References: Abel, E.L. (1998) Fetal Alcohol Abuse Syndrome, New York: Plenum. Caetano R. Prevalence. (1997) Incidence and Stability of Drinking Problems among Whites, Blacks and Hispanics: 1984-1992. Journal of Studies on Alcohol,58:565-572. Caetano R and Kaskutas LA Fossey, E. (1994) Growing up With Alcohol, London: Tavistock/Routledge. Grant, M. and Litvak, J. (Eds.) (1998) Drinking Patterns and Their Consequences, Philadephia: Brunner and Mazel. Lo C. (1996) Are Women Heavier Drinkers than we Thought They Were? Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 57:531-535 Miller B, Downs W and Testa M. (1996) Interrelationships Between Victimization Experiences and Women 's Alcohol Use. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 11:109-117. Pittman, D.J Plant, M.L. (1997) Women and Alcohol: Contemporary and Historical Perspectives, London: Free Association Books. Plant, M.L, Abel, E.L. and Guerri, C. (2000) "Alcohol and Pregnancy," In: Macdonald, I. (Ed.) Health Issues Related to Alcohol Consumption, London: Blackwell Science, 181-214. Plant, M.L., Miller, P., Thornton, C., Plant, M.A. and Bloomfield, K. (2000) "Life stage, alcohol consumption patterns, alcohol-related consequences and gender," Substance Abuse, 21: 265-281. Plant, M.L. and Plant, M.A. (2001) "International researchers work together," Substance Misuse Bulletin (submitted). Project Match Research Group (1998a) " Matching alcoholism treatments to client heterogeneity: Treatment main effects and matching effects on drinking during treatment," Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 59: 631- 639. Project Match Research Group (1998b) "Matching alcoholism treatment to client heterogeneity: Project MATCH three-year drinking outcomes," Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 22: 1300-1311. Room, R. and Collins, G. (Eds.) (1983) Alcohol and Disinhibition: Meaning and Nature of the Link, Washington, DC: Research Monograph 12 US Department of Health and Human Services. World Health Organization (1994) Alcohol and HIV/AIDS, Copenhagen: World Health Organization.