Young Polish women addicted to alcohol are increasingly going to therapy offices, but they seek help much less often than men. Check if you are not drinking too much.
The State Agency for Solving Alcohol-related Problems estimates that at least 1 million Polish women are addicted to alcohol . Therapists emphasize that these data are estimated on the basis of surveys in which the respondents' honesty is counted on, which often fails. Alcoholism is often called the disease of denial, but the first step to starting the recovery process is admitting that there is a problem.
– The problem may affect a much larger number of women – says addiction therapy specialist, psychologist Katarzyna Andrusikiewicz-Sierdzińska for the purposes of the "Mama Warszawianka" social campaign . – As an addiction therapy specialist, I increasingly encounter alcohol problems among young mothers in my office and I must admit that this is a relatively new situation and more and more common. Year by year I have more and more female patients, who are still in the minority compared to men. However, I have seen a significant increase in women undergoing treatment over the last 5 years. Are women becoming addicted recently? No, it is only recently that they have begun to gain the courage to face shame and make a conscious attempt to fight for themselves and their future - that is, they are going to rehab.
The psychologist gives the reasons for this state of affairs as unrealistic, high expectations of society towards women who become mothers. Women are primarily prepared for childbirth and postpartum, and not for what motherhood actually involves. That is, with great effort and fatigue. They make a glass of wine, which you can afford after your child falls asleep, seem like a reward after a hard day.
PARPA data shows that residents of large cities aged 18-29, i.e. young mothers, drink the most. Polish women under 25 drink statistically the same amount as men. And while drinking is socially accepted, treatment is not. Women are afraid to take them, fearing ostracism and possible consequences. For example, someone will take their children away if it turns out that they have a problem with alcohol.
How to check whether a glass of wine several times a week or abstinence broken by drinking alcohol on the weekends indicates a problem with alcohol abuse? Before we see a psychiatrist who will make a diagnosis - and if addiction is present, refer you to therapy - it is worth taking a look at yourself. First of all, ask questions: "How often do I drink alcohol? Does it happen regularly, once a week, more often? Or maybe only on weekends, but in large quantities? How does it affect my life?"
If you reach for alcohol to improve your mood and get rid of tension, you drink more often than before (e.g. several times a week or every day you drink a glass of wine or beer), you organize your activities so that you drink alcohol, you have an increasing tolerance to alcohol consumption. alcohol, you neglect your duties and people around you sometimes point out that you may be drinking at risk - these are alarm signals. You can also take the AUDIT test (Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test). It is available , for example, here , in which you have to answer (honestly!) the above and similar questions.
For example, drinking alcohol 2-4 times a month, approximately 6 units each time, without the so-called "Strings", i.e. drinking over several days, may indicate a risky drinking pattern. Then it is worth taking a closer look at yourself or seeking advice from a therapist.
Addiction is diagnosed when at least 3 of these ICD-10 criteria are met :
The main method of treating addiction is psychotherapy, which is individually selected by the therapist. In Poland, therapies involving complete, lifelong abstinence are mainly used (including cognitive-behavioral therapy, the AA program). However, the "harm reduction" model is becoming more and more popular around the world. It involves reducing the amount of alcohol so as to minimize the harm caused by its consumption (both health and social). This model allows you to convince people to take part in therapy who would not take it if the condition was to completely give up strong (but also weaker) alcohol.
Bibliography: mat. press campaign "Mum from Warsaw on the labor market. Support for women at risk or affected by alcohol addiction. “Recommendations for drinking reduction programs” , “Appendices to drinking reduction programs”, “Training program for POP implementers”, National Agency for Solving Alcohol Problems, parpa.pl, accessed January 17, 2022. “Adaptation and validation of the AUDIT test to Polish conditions”, National Agency for Solving Alcohol Problems, parpa.pl, accessed January 17, 2022. “Warszawianka-Mama. Mom on the job market. Support for women at risk or affected by alcohol addiction", siecprzedsiebiorczejkobiet.pl, accessed January 17, 2022.
Bibliography:
Napisała: Anna Stachowiak
Journalist, editor. Mainly interested in social and health issues. Publishes in the weekly " Przegląd ". A lover of active recreation, a healthy lifestyle, testing theories in practice and delving deeper into the topic. Privately, she is the mother of a rebellious 3-year-old and a yoga adept.
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