Alcoholism in women

Alkoholizam je najčešća bolest ovisnosti i jedan od najtežih društveno-medicinskih problema današnjice. Javlja se u svim socijalnim i ekonomskim skupinama, u oba spola i u svakoj životnoj dobi. Broj žena ovisnih o alkoholu raste brže od ukupnog porasta broja osoba ovisnih o alkoholu te je prije dvadesetak godina omjer muškaraca i žena ovisnih o alkoholu bio 7:1, a danas iznosi 3,6:1.Alkoholizam u žena svojim specifičnostima razlikuje se od alkoholizma muškaraca. Specifičnosti alkoholizma u žena nalazimo s obzirom na uzroke pijenja, životnoj dobi kada počinju piti, obrazaca pijenja i posljedica prekomjernog pijenja. Alkoholizam u žena bitno se razlikuje prema dobi, a svaka dobna skupina žena ima specifične rizične čimbenike za razvoj alkoholizma. Ipak, postoje i rizični čimbenici koji pogoduju razvoju ovisnosti o alkoholu u žena tijekom cijelog životnog vijeka. Alkohol uzrokuje niz problema povezanih sa zdravstvenim pitanjima i bolestima jedinstvenim za žensku populaciju. Najčešći komorbidni psihijatrijski poremećaji koji se javljaju kod žena ovisnih o alkoholu su: anksiozni poremećaji, poremećaji raspoloženja i poremećaji hranjenja. Istraživanja tijekom proteklih dvadesetak godina omogućila su puno bolje razumijevanje specifičnosti alkoholizma u žena, i posljedično tome nužnost kreiranja programa liječenja prilagođenim njihovim potrebama.Alcoholism is the most common form of addiction illness and one of the most difficult socially-medical issues of today. It can be found within all social and economical groups, it affects both genders and it occurs at any age. Number of women addicted to alcohol grows faster than the total increase of numbers regarding people addicted to alcohol, twenty years ago the ratio of men and women addicted to alcohol was 7:1, and today it is 3.6:1. Alcoholism in women has distinctions which make it different to alcoholism in men. Distinctions of alcoholism in women: causes of drinking, age at which they started drinking, patterns of drinking and consequences of excessive drinking. Alcoholism in women differs significantly based on age of a woman, and every age group of women has specific risk factors towards developing alcoholism. However, there are risk factors that encourage development of addiction to alcohol throughout the entire lifespan of a woman. Alcohol causes a number of problems related to health matters and illnesses that are unique for female population. Most common co-morbid psychiatric disorders are ones that occur in women who have addiction to alcohol are: anxiety disorder, mood disorder and eating disorder. Researches throughout the past twenty years provided a much better understanding of distinctions of alcoholism in women and consequential to that, the necessity of creating a treatment program adjusted to their needs