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29 September 2005
Older Women And Alcohol: Out of Mind And Out of Sight
by Angie Rankman 
The great majority of alcohol research and funding has to date been directed toward male alcohol abuse and dependency. Subsequently, we frequently see images in the media of alcohol fuelled male violence, and the devastating effects that this has on families, society and the abusers themselves. Despite the problems associated with male alcohol abuse, heavy drinking among males is, to a large extent, glorified and accepted by society as a sign of machismo or a rite of passage. By comparison, women are seen as either lushes, or sad, if they are seen to be drinking too heavily, especially the older a woman becomes. Despite social mores, however, substance abuse among women is on the increase, but the entrenched social stigma toward women who drink heavily means that many female alcohol abusers are simply not getting the attention they may need.
Madeleine Brettingham, writing in the British Medical Journal, notes that men’s life expectancy is catching up with women’s, which bucks that frequently quoted statistic that women tend to live longer than men. This can likely be attributed to many factors, including smoking, job stress and obesity, but one of the biggest contributors is alcohol. “The rise of women in the workplace and the increasing prevalence of heavy drinking among women are leaving more women than ever vulnerable to illnesses traditionally experienced by men,” says Brettingham. Figures show that: “heavy drinking among women has more than tripled in the past 17 years, and the proportion of young women aged between 16 and 24 drinking more than the recommended weekly limit is now almost the same as men,” she adds. There are some serious consequences to this unsettling observation, as when it comes to health and societal attitudes toward drinking, it seems, men and women are not on an equal footing.
It seems that while men drink considerably more alcohol than women across all age groups, women are at a greater risk of alcohol related problems, such as dependence and adverse health disorders. According to the Vienna University’s department of psychiatry, “death rates among female alcoholics are 50 to 100 percent higher than those of men.” The Vienna study also showed that women become dependent on alcohol sooner than men. Furthermore, studies conducted by the United Kingdom’s Department of Health show that alcohol is implicated in 40 percent of attempted suicides involving women, and research carried out in Canada and the United States reveal similarly depressing figures. For women, excessive alcohol consumption is both normalized and stigmatized to such an extent that women with alcohol related problems could live their entire lives without any form of treatment or support.
But the really bad news for older women who have alcohol dependence is that they face many more roadblocks to treatment compared to their 16 - 24 year old counterparts. In Canada, 62 percent of women over 65 are current drinkers, with an estimated 10 to 17 percent of these women having significant alcohol problems. Yet less than 5 percent of older women will seek treatment for the problems they are experiencing with alcohol. This comes as no surprise if we consider that the Vienna study shows that these older women are the same women who were drinking at age 24. Drinking is accepted and normalized as a social activity right up to when it becomes a problem for the individual in later life, when it is then conveniently ignored. It would be interesting to understand how younger generations think alcoholics are created and where they come from.
There are many assumptions made by health professionals and society in general as to who fits the bill when it comes to alcoholism, particularly in regard to older women. Generally speaking, the prevailing attitude is that men and the poor are the most likely candidates for alcohol abuse. Other factors that deter women from seeking treatment are also related to social institutions like the family unit. Women who do seek counseling, for example, are less likely than men to be supported by their partner or spouse. And while the Vienna study shows that parents and children are the most supportive and vital to a woman’s recovery, one of the major obstacles for women seeking treatment is the fear that they will lose their children due to their alcohol dependence.
Among middle-aged to elderly women, it seems fairly clear that alcohol dependence is related to family isolation. A feeling of abandonment coupled with the sense that their usefulness to society has expired is common among this age group and is often too much for them to bear. Women who have less contact with family, and little spouse support, are at risk of becoming alcohol dependent or lapsing back into alcoholism after treatment. This can turn into a demoralizing and continuing cycle of suffering and anxiety if the family repeatedly abandons the woman during relapses.
Older women are even more at risk of alcohol abuse if their husband is deceased and their children and extended family do not live close by. Depression is often cited as being the reason for drinking among this group, but medical professionals would tell them (if they got a chance to) that drinking is actually a cause of depression. It is often the case, however, that medical professionals and family do not even recognize the problems encountered by elderly alcohol dependents, as they often view the symptoms of alcohol dependence as a sign of the aging process. Without help the remaining years of the elderly alcoholic are likely to be bleak. Alone, depressed and often in pain, it seems all too easy for them to slip under the radar and be forgotten by a society that once encouraged them to take their first drink.
The way in which elderly women are not considered to be eligible candidates for alcoholism is a reflection of how the elderly are viewed in society generally. Past a certain age, with their family responsibilities seen to, women are somehow considered to be asexual teetotalers who harmlessly and aimlessly potter about the house. It is a dangerous and irresponsible attitude to take, as they can often be some of the most vulnerable people in society with regard to alcohol dependence. While it is unlikely that this attitude will change quickly, or at all, family members and health professionals should become more aware of the kinds of risks faced by middle-aged to elderly women. We owe them that much at least.
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