Tag Archives: drinking

I Promise Not to Drunk Dial You; Alcohol You Later.

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Memes have become synonymous with modern pop culture. Accounts dedicated just to posting memes exist on every social media platform and according to many, often outnumber posts by friends and family members in feeds. It is easy to understand how they became so popular; they are funny, and often speak a relatable truth. In a society where it is increasingly less cool to talk about your feelings, it is less pressure to double tap a meme and keep scrolling, instead of type out a whole post and wait nervously to see what social feedback will be like. While this can make you feel like you are not alone in your opinions or quirks, it can also make bad behavior seem relatable or encouraging.

One example of this is alcohol related behavior and consumption. Dr. George Koob of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism discusses in his presentation that a fundamental difference between male and female alcohol consumption is the reason behind drinking. Dr. Koob asserts that men drink for positive reinforcement – because they enjoy the experience and sensation that comes with being drunk, while women drink for negative reinforcement – to lessen anxiety or to combat a tough day or uncomfortable experience. Meme culture has really grasped onto this concept and flourished into something that perhaps it shouldn’t have. This is evident by many memes that hint at, or outright state, alcohol should be consumed as a fix for anxiety or stress.

Take for example this meme: “It’s not alcoholism, it’s a stress intervention”. This suggests when dealing with high or continued stress, alcohol consumption is a perfectly legitimate way to handle it. Generally, interventions are considered good or necessary, as a way of remediating a poor habit or behavior. Sending the message that alcohol should be the appropriate response to a high stress environment is dangerous, especially since it reinforces the negative reinforcement mindset women already have. Will Ferrell is featured in this meme and as a renowned comedian and celebrity his likeness attracts attention. While of course he did not endorse this meme, his image will increase its popularity and viral nature. This brings us to another danger of memes. They were first popularized by taking still images with interesting facial reactions and adding a funny descriptive caption. This eliminates any sourcing, citing, or required condoning from subjects of these images. There are now ‘meme generators’ where you can insert any photo and add a captain, or have one created for you. With zero regulation, and zero current copyright precedence, memes can be created to push any idea, behavior, or concept with minimal backlash. This in turn only encourages the churning out of ‘funny’ memes.

Women are particularly targeted by these memes as now companies marketing graphic tees and sassy mugs are using meme accounts to draw you in to their site. Mouthymerch on Instagram is a prime example. “This vodka tastes like I’ll be texting you later.” and “I cant wait to get home and pour myself some dinner….maybe even 2 dinners”. The first expresses how the narrator clearly knows ahead of time that her alcohol consumption will lead to behavior she wouldn’t normally engage in. Based on cultural stereotypes we can infer that the ‘you’ she’ll be texting later is not someone she should be sober texting, but she will after she’s imbibed = bad decision. The second example refers to how after a tough day the narrator cant wait to get home and relax, and that means a liquid (inferred, alcoholic) dinner. Furthermore, a second ‘dinner’ starts to get into the fuzzy discussion of alcohol limits and proper quantity consumption. This insinuates the tougher the day, the more dinners you can have. The message here: the harder you work, the more you should be rewarded, with alcohol.

Similarly, another meme featuring celebrity Aubrey Plaza chugging from a wine bottle says “Just when I think I cant take it anymore… But then I remembered that alcohol existed.” Grammar aside, this makes reference to at best a tough day and at worst depression and other mental health concerns like suicide. Plaza is a comedic actor known for taking roles with dramatic substance and alcohol consumption central to the characters personality. While this image was sliced from a show that would have had context around this scene, this meme does not. There are many versions of this same message featuring different celebrity women or popular TV shows so as to capture the relatability among all women despite their particularly TV preferences.

Peer pressure is another form of negative reinforcement that encourages women to drink more. This meme “I saw a husband cheering on his wife to chug her margarita at dinner….that’s the type of relationship I want.” Is scary for many reasons. When there is a mismatch of genders present when alcohol is consumed it often is more dangerous for the women than the men. While this meme clearly describes a married couple, domestic violence and sober consent are still issues at play. If you removed the ‘husband’ and ‘wife’ from this scenario it sounds like a predatory man trying to get a women drunk for potentially nefarious reasons…and the onlooker being envious of this situation. While this is likely not the case here, the meme still normalizes chugging of hard liquor and makes it sound like an ideal significant other is one who encourages you to do so.

Recently, posts by twitter users have been screenshot and turned into memes. “One time when I was drunk a guy asked me if I’d go on a date with him and I said ‘ok! But when I’m sober I’m not going to want to anymore’ and I think about that a lot.” This one delves deeper into the potentially dangerous situations women can end up in when making inebriated decisions. Dangerous or not, they are often decisions women just don’t want to be in. This author at least is self reflecting and acknowledging the difference between her sober and drunk decision making, but this example is unique in that her reflection came while drunk – not the next day when hungover wondering why the night before turned out as it did.

Anxiety is a serious health condition that 23.4%  of women have been diagnosed with. As such a pervasive issue, it has become subject of many memes. Many are relatable, some are nonsensical, but most make reference to alcohol in one way or another. This further strengthens the relationship between women and alcohol, and negative reinforcement that often causes women of all walks of life to imbibe.

 

Alcoholism Among Women: A Human Rights & Feminist Issue

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To understand whether alcohol use among women is a human rights issue or feminist problem, it is important to first understand what these terms involve. The United Nations defines human rights as rights that are inherent to all humans regardless of any demographic status. This entitles all humans to the freedom of speech, right to life and liberty, along with many other rights free of discrimination (Human Rights).

Kathy Caprino of Forbes notes that the dictionary definition of feminism is the advocacy for women on the basis of equality for all sexes. This means that feminists strive to have a society where men and women have equal opportunity, especially in terms of political, economic and social equality (Caprino). Deciding whether women drinking is a human rights issue, or a feminist issue is hard based on these lament terms, but the deciding factor is within the context of drinking. Refraining women from drinking can be seen as sexist, women drinking as a sign of independence is seen as empowerment, and alcohol companies targeting young women with pink bottles of poison is seen as exploitation of women. Ultimately, use of alcohol among women can be seen as truly a feminist problem, or potentially a feminist win. Let’s break down the sociology of alcohol as a feminist topic. 

1. Anything A Man Can Do, I Can Do Better

In Melissa Kravitz’s article titled “We Can Drink It: Imbibing as a Feminist Act,” she touches on a few points as to why the act of women drinking is seen as a feminist issue. For starters, Pamela Wiznitzer was named the first female president of the United States Bartender’s Guide in 2016 after 50 consecutive years of male reign. This stride is huge in negating the notion that the culture of drinking is that of only men. Welcoming a woman into a man’s world means that more efforts will be made to engage women in drinking. Kravitz also explains that the feminist rights come in when dealing with male versus female athletes. Male athletes often get sponsors from alcohol companies and are pushed to be publicly seen drinking the sponsor’s beer, wine, whatever it may be. As for female athletes, their drinking habits are more closely monitored by the public and more negativity is shot at them when they are out having fun, drinking, partying and having one too many. Also, unlike their male counterparts, when women win at sports, campaign is frowned upon to be used as celebration and female athletes are even barred from getting endorsements from alcohol companies (Kravitz). So, when women declare for equality in the alcohol realm, they often do not mean “let us drink just as much as men” but rather “engage us in your policy making, endorse us the same way you would with our male counterparts.”

2. Alcoholism Is A Man’s Disease

According to the CDC, men are more likely to drink alcohol and to drink a larger amount  of it. However, because of the body composition and the ability for women to absorb more alcohol, this makes women more susceptible to long term problems and diseases (CDC). While steadily increasing in numbers, women drinkers have only recently begun to feel it is socially  acceptable to openly discuss their problems. Before, they were often ridiculed or shunned for their habits which deters them from seeking further help. It was almost “normal” for the male head of the family to develop alcohol problems and seek the help but a different story for female leaders. Akshita Prasad writes that this gap between the sex who is seeking help is   sexiest in nature and all those suffering from the disease should feel open and welcome to talk about their problems and seek help in the same manner (Prasad). So, should men and women be  treated the same or just because are more likely to drink more than their female counterpart means we should give them more attention?

 

3. Stop Exploiting Our Livers For Your Sales

Hard to wrap one’s head around yet true, Diageo, the world’s largest spirits company was this year’s sponsor for Women’s International Day. Not only that, but they also launched a campaign dedicated to supporting women in the music industry. The trade-off? Your liver. This is nothing new though, alcohol companies have been trying to increase their sales among women for years and years now. As they use sexualized women to appeal to men, they use women empowerment and sophistication to appeal to women. Seems completely wrong, right? Women being used in both cases, to sell to others and to sell to each other. Not to mention the hundreds of alcoholic drinks that are now painted pink, made fruity, giving the “skinny” label. It is hard to argue against women’s use of alcohol not being a feminist issue. Exploitation doesn’t just stop at sales, these companies invest a lot of coin to change the stigma around women drinking (Alcohol ). Brands “Pinkwashing” their products for appeal to females is a real thing, and at this level it is not just costing women actual dollars, but their health and sanity as well.

 

References 

Alcohol Industry, et al. “Time’s Up For Big Alcohol Exploiting Feminism.” IOGT International, 7 Mar. 2018, iogt.org/blog/2018/03/07/times-big-alcohol-exploiting-feminism/.

Caprino, Kathy. “What Is Feminism, And Why Do So Many Women And Men Hate It?” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 9 Mar. 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2017/03/08/what-is-feminism-and-why-do-so-many-women-and-men-hate-it/#2c7492987e8e.

“CDC – Fact Sheets-Excessive Alcohol Use and Risks to Women’s Health – Alcohol.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/womens-health.htm.

“Human Rights.” United Nations, United Nations, www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/human-rights/.

Kravitz, Melissa. “Why Drinking as a Woman Is an Act of Feminism.” Supercall, 14 Feb. 2018, www.supercall.com/culture/why-drinking-as-a-woman-is-an-act-of-feminism

“Mama Needs a Drink!”: The Mommy Juice Issue

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One of the more disturbing trends in the recent shift in the culture of alcohol and women is the promotion of “Mommy Juice”. If you Google the term, you can find a plethora of paraphernalia emblazoned with these words – wine glasses, t-shirts, there’s even a brand of wine called “MommyJuice”. But behind this cutesy phrase is an epidemic of women who have lost control of their relationship with alcohol. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), over 5 million women aged 18 and older in the United States have an alcohol use disorder (AUD).  Women who drink alcohol, especially in excessive amounts, can develop chronic diseases, such as liver and breast cancer, are at a higher risk of sexual assault, and may even experience “memory loss and shrinkage of the brain”. When considering the physical consequences of alcohol use among women, it seems outrageous that it is being marketed as something so innocuous as “juice for mothers”. 

 Women are being encouraged to drink as a way to deal with the stress of their lives as wives and mothers. And women nowadays are experiencing stress, especially married women. The American Psychological Association reports that 28% of women experience a “great deal of stress” (33% of married women and 22% of single women). So, what’s wrong with a few glasses of wine at the end of the day to decompress? 

In addition to the higher risk of poor physical health, women who use alcohol to cope may actually increase their risk for major depression. But the consequences of alcohol use do not just affect the woman: children who observe their mother drinking may be at a higher risk of modeling the same behavior as they get older. This study concluded before the onslaught of “Mommy Juice”, so it’s yet to be determined if this new era will have an even greater impact on the drinking behaviors of children raised by wine-toting parents. 

Maybe there are ways to put a stop to the “Mommy Juice” phenomenon. There has already been backlash on popular websites accurately calling out “Mommy Juice” for what it is – an attempt to normalize alcohol consumption and sweep the issues related to unhealthy drinking behaviors under the rug. However, our society needs to find better ways to support stressed-out moms and dads, give them outlets for dealing with stress in healthy ways, and tone down the “you can have it all” mentality that is pervasive among women who want careers, families, friends, and lives outside of the home. 

If children grow up with parents who don’t have to turn to “Mommy Juice” in order to cope, we may be able to prevent another generational increase in rates of binge drinking. However, we all need to work together to find ways to combat the influence and power of a multi-billion dollar industry, that has spent an enormous amount of time and money targeting men, women, and children in order to sell them on a way of life that they argue can only be achieved through a nightly glass of wine/beer/liquor. We need to be vigilant in spreading the message that we know women are stressed, but there are ways to relax and enjoy life – even without “Mommy Juice”. 

Women Drinking: A Lifestyle on the Rise

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Bubbly, fruity drinks are amongst most women’s favorite type of alcoholic beverages. Often associated with women are pink, girly drinks, a booming market where the alcohol industry is spending billions of dollars developing and marketing drinks geared towards women. According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), Women’s drinking patterns are significantly different from men’s – especially when it comes to how much and how often they drink. It is has concluded that women’s bodies react differently to alcohol than men’s bodies due to metabolism and other bodily mechanisms. That means women face more particular health risks from alcohol compared to their male counterparts.

Drinking Levels among Women
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the following statistics have supported a peak interest in research related to the rise of excessive alcohol use and risks to women’s health:
• Approximately 46% of adult women report drinking alcohol in the last 30 days.
• Approximately 12% of adult women report binge drinking three times a month, averaging five drinks per binge
• Most (90%) people who binge drink are not alcoholics or alcohol dependent
• About 2.5% of women and 4.5% of men met the diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence in the past year

*Statistics obtained from the CDC fact sheet on excessive use and risk to women’s health* 

So Why Do Women Face Higher Risks?
Research has shown that women start to have alcohol-related problems sooner and at lower alcohol volumes than men and for several reasons (NIAA,2017). Women tend to have less water in their bodies than men, meaning that after a woman and a man of the same weight drink the same amount of alcohol, the woman’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) will tend to be higher, putting her at greater risk for harm (CDC, 2016). Amongst these reasons and others, women have become more susceptible than men to alcohol-related organ damage and trauma resulting from traffic crashes and personal violence (CDC,2016).

Health effects
Liver damage
Women who regularly misuse alcohol are more likely to develop alcoholic hepatitis, and liver scarring and shrinkage called cirrhosis (NIAA 2017). Loft et all, released a study that has been cited by many health organizations on the Increased susceptibility to liver disease in relation to alcohol consumption in women. They concluded that results support the concept that women may develop similarly, and sometimes even more severe, liver disease after use of less alcohol than men, the apparent difference in susceptibility to alcohol may be partly explained by differences in the volume of distribution ( Loft S, Olesen KL, Dossing M, 1987).

Heart Disease
Studies have shown that women who drink excessively are at increased risk for damage to the heart than men even for women drinking at lower levels (CDC, 2016). Cardiomyopathy and myopathy are as common in female alcoholics as in male alcoholics; these findings indicate that women are more sensitive than men to the toxic effects of alcohol on striated muscle (Urbano-Marquez A, Estruch R, Fernandez-Sola J, Nicola JM, Pare JC, Rubin E, 1995).

Brain Damage
NIAAA documents that research suggests that alcohol misuse produces brain damage more quickly in women than in men. Girls who drink in their adolescent years may be more vulnerable to brain damage than teen boys who drink, and women have become more susceptible than men to alcohol-related blackouts; periods of memory loss of events during intoxication without loss of consciousness (NIAA, 2017).

There are many other health conditions affected by excessive alcohol use that affect women. For more information, the CDC has produced a Fact sheet listing more statistics associated with women and excessive alcohol use listed here (https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/womens-health.htm).

You should always drink responsibly, which means abiding by the NIAAA guidelines for moderate drinking, never getting behind the wheel while intoxicated and avoiding all forms of alcohol while pregnant.

Sources:
CDC. March 7, 2016. Fact Sheets – Excessive Alcohol Use and Risks to Women’s Health. Content source: Division of Population Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/womens-health.htm
Loft S, Olesen KL, Dossing M. Increased susceptibility to liver disease in relation to alcohol consumption in women. Scand J Gastroenterol. 1987;22(10):1251–6.
NIAA, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. June 2017. Women and Alcohol, Understanding the impact of alcohol on human health and well-being. National Institute of Health. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/special-populations-co-occurring-disorders/women
Urbano-Marquez A, Estruch R, Fernandez-Sola J, Nicola JM, Pare JC, Rubin E. The greater risk of alcoholic cardiomyopathy and myopathy in women compared with menExternal. JAMA 1995;274(2):149–154.

How Does Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages Impact Women?

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Gone are those days when you would think excessive alcohol drinking was a man’s problem. The shift in excessive alcohol drinking patterns among women is on the rise particularly in younger age groups. Findings from the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimated that about 5.3 million women suffer from Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD).
Women tolerate alcohol differently than men. Do you know why? Perhaps this may be since women have a lower body weight than men, less body water and higher percentage of body fat. In addition, women metabolize alcohol at a slower rate than men, so alcohol may remain in their tissues longer (1). There is evidence from studies that for equivalent doses of alcohol, women are more vulnerable than men to tissue damage and the onset of certain diseases such as cirrhosis of the liver and physical alcohol dependence (2). Heavier alcohol use by women is also thought to increase risk of bone fracture and osteoporosis (3). Furthermore, women can be more vulnerable to physical risks through violence or abuse when intoxicated (4).

But the harms done to women by alcohol are many, and most do not seem to know. You will be surprised to learn this. Consumption of alcoholic beverages is now recognized as a known human carcinogen. This is stated in the Report on Carcinogens by the National Toxicology Program of the US Department of Health and Human Services.

What is more alarming is the fact that alcohol is a risk factor for breast cancer in women. It is estimated that about 2.1 to 4.0% of breast cancers are primarily due to alcohol consumption accounting for 9000–23,000 new invasive breast cancer cases each year. Studies suggest a 7–10% increase in risk for each 10 g (~1 drink) alcohol consumed daily by adult women. And the risk increases for every additional drink they have per day. This raises a clinical and public health concern because nearly half of women of child-bearing age drink alcohol and 15% of drinkers at this age have four or more drinks at a time.

Do Women need to be informed about the association of Alcohol and breast cancer? Definitely? What can be done? Some strategies to consider: – Use mass media advertising campaigns involving television, billboard displays and Transit advertising on modes of public transportation or in public transportation areas), social media platforms to disseminate this information.


Image source: CDC

These can aim at reduction of alcohol consumption in women, influence risk perceptions of women on alcohol consumption and increase their level of awareness on Alcohol as a risk factor for breast cancer.

Another strategy- Make the women aware through their Family Physicians. Family Physicians could screen female patients and provide behavioral counseling and make them aware of association of alcohol with breast cancer. How about using cancer centers to do some outreach to the community? Appropriate staff in these centers could post position papers in peer reviewed journals on how alcohol affects risk of cancer in women.

Yet another strategy would be to have warning labels on alcohol bottles, however this is not easy as it seems, and this is some food for thought I suppose.

 

References
1. Plant M. Women and Alcohol: contemporary and historical perspectives. London: Free Association Books, 1997.
2. Kalant H. Absorption, diffusion, distribution and elimination of ethanol: effects on biological membranes. In: Kissin B, Begleiter H, eds. The biology of Alcohol ism, vol 1. Biochemistry. New York: Plenum Press, 1971.
3. Baron JA, Bahman YF, Weiderpass E, et al. Cigarette smoking, Alcohol consumption and risk of hip fracture in women. Arch Int Med 2001; 161:983 ± 90.
4. Jacobs J. The links between substance misuse and domestic violence: current knowledge and debates. London: Alcohol Concern and ISDD, 1998.

My Thoughts on Why Women Drink & Drunkorexia

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Alcohol use among women has been increasing at an alarming rate. In fact, according to the JAMA Psychiatry article published in September 2017, there was a 34% increase in high-risk women drinkers and alcohol use disorder (AUD) from 2002 to 2013 compared to a 13% increase in men. This demonstrates that alcohol use among women is a growing public health issue that needs to be addressed. However, with the media, marketing strategies employed by alcohol companies and the normalization of alcohol in our society, addressing this issue is becoming increasingly harder to do.

There are several ways that women are targeted by both the media and marketing strategies which appeal to them to drink. One of the best-known examples of this is the wine company, “MommyJuice”. The marketing strategy behind this brand is that it is stressful to be a mother – to juggle taking care of yourself, your kids, and work – and that even moms need a way to unwind. And what a better way to de-stress than with a glass of MommyJuice? While moms do work incredibly hard (and absolutely need to take time for themselves), is encouraging them to relax with alcohol the best way? Especially when it’s branded in such an insidious way, it appears to be taking advantage of women and their situations.

It is common for kids to have playdates, and while the kids are playing so are the parents who use this as an excuse to socialize and drink. There are potential consequences that can result from an afternoon of drinking such as the safety of both the adults and children and the normalization of alcohol. After the play date, the mom might have to drive herself and her children home. If her inhibitions are impaired from the “mommyjuice”, the potential for car accidents increases. The act of moms drinking during a child’s playdate can also normalize alcohol for the child. If they are constantly around it as a child because their parents drink in front of them, they may be more likely to drink in adolescence and adulthood.

Another example is the Skinnygirl Cocktail line, with the advertising campaign of “Drink Like a Lady.” The marketing strategy here is that women can still drink but without the worry of extra calories. This will appeal to women because of the societal norms regarding appearance. The other day I saw an advertisement for spiked sparkling water – with only 100 calories, the can reads. I was shocked that an innocent beverage such as sparkling water now needs to be spiked to be enjoyed. Even beer companies have been marketing low-calorie options for women. The reaction the alcohol industry is hoping to elicit from women is, “What’s better than being able to indulge in an alcoholic beverage without the guilt from the empty calories that come with it?” The way these brands are being marketed towards women, many of whom are susceptible to succumbing to them because they address issues that affect women, is manipulative.  A quick google search for “low-calorie alcohol” will bring up several articles with suggestions on how to select drinks that will still get you drunk minus the extra calories. Other websites like beer100 offer charts with the caloric content of the different brands of beer. This information is easily accessible, and if the internet says it works, then people believe it.

This leads me into another drinking phenomenon to which I was completely unaware of until recently: Drunkorexia. The name is what it implies; it is a pattern of starvation, excessive exercise or binging and purging in order to consume multiple drinks. This pattern is often seen in women who are concerned about their calorie consumption and body image. Because there is no food in their system, the individual is more susceptible to the effects of alcohol. They will become drunk quicker and are at a higher risk of passing out and of alcohol poisoning. From basic human anatomy differences between women and men, we know that women are more vulnerable to alcohol’s effects. Women tend to have a higher body fat percentage and less body water. Because there is less water in body fat, alcohol is diluted in the blood at a slower rate. Women also have a lower level of alcohol dehydrogenase, which is an enzyme that assists in metabolizing and eliminating alcohol from the body. The bottom line is that women suffer from the effects of alcohol more than men, especially if they are drinking spirits in order to avoid extra calories.

In addition to alcohol companies marketing their products specifically to women, there are several other consumer products that use this as a way to sell products while contributing to the pattern of women and drinking. For example, wine glasses are sold with the mottos “MommyJuice” or “Surviving motherhood one glass at a time” written on them. Cup towels, aprons, magnets, and several other similar products are sold which perpetrate this increasing trend of women who drink. These novelty items are given as gifts, oftentimes as a joke, but they still carry that message that drinking for women is a necessity to cope with the stressors of daily life.

                                                                         

I understand that some people don’t necessarily see this as a problem – they think these products are funny and is meant to be taken as a light-hearted joke or that indulging in alcohol isn’t the worst thing they could be doing – but if they take the time to look at the national trend in high-risk drinking and AUD mentioned earlier, I would hope that they would change their minds. Alcohol companies have noticed this upward trend in the number of women who drink, and are using that information to exacerbate a public health issue. Because drinking is so normalized and engrained within our culture, it is not viewed as a problem and the alcohol industry, unfortunately, takes advantage of this. 

The Potential for “Mommy Juice”

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In the past few years a phenomenon that has been dubbed “Mommy juice” has dominated a variety of social media platforms and marketing techniques. The term mommy juice was made to represent the drinks mothers may need in order to cope with a long day of parenting stress. In addition to dealing with the everyday stresses and anxieties, these women are facing additional pressures navigating through modern parenting. Unfortunately, the common consensus for dealing with these issue have seemed to turn towards drinking as a mechanism. Memes depicting this social structure are shared constantly on Twitter and Facebook.  Products such as Mommy juice wines and accompanying novelty glasses can be found at most retails store, and drinking now more frequently occurs at events where not previously found, such as children’s sporting events and play dates. The potentials for this increasingly popular behavior are dangerous on many levels.

Children whose mothers regularly partake in their, perhaps nightly, indulgence of mommy juice can grow up with the unhealthy idea that alcohol is a safe coping outlet for dealing with stress, which could not be further from the truth. Children learn drinking habits from their parents and heavy drinking observed by children is a major indicator of how their relationship will be with alcohol in the future. The dangers of long term drinking are well known. If these children grow to adapt their mothers ideas of drinking to alleviate negative feelings, they are potentially at risk for the effects such as addiction, unhealthy coping tactics, and liver damage. Children are often observant to such behavior and it is entirely possible they pick up the habit of the necessity of mommy juice if exposed often enough.  Beyond that, these children can also grow up with a notion of normalized drinking in inappropriate places.

Small anecdote from my own life. My younger brother competes in baseball tournaments during the summers; they’re often all day events with multiple games spread out. I went to one Saturday tournament and as I watched I noticed so many of the moms never strayed far from their large colorful thermoses; at one point I leaned over to my own mother and naively asked if they were all that caffeine addicted to be drinking coffee in the middle of a summer day. My mom kinda laughed and told me they fill them up with wine in between games. Sure enough, at one point most of them huddled together and took turns filling up their thermoses. Little was done to hide this fact. I felt that it was somewhat shocking. I’m not unfamiliar with the idea of alcohol at sporting events, but for it to be a children’s game, in the middle of the day, it just seemed out of place. I didn’t attend every game, so I can’t say for certain whether this was a regular occurrence or not, but assuming so, these children can become confused with the social appropriateness of when and where alcohol is seen as acceptable. This concept is not an uncommon event. The following link (IDGAF Mama’s) shows a meme that was shared in a Facebook group titled “IDGAF Mama’s”. The meme encourages an undercover mommy juice blend that can be concealed to look like a Starbucks drink. The picture has been liked more then 3,000 times and shared almost 9,000 times. Moms are undoubtedly relating to it. 

On the other hand, in a point that was brought up both in class, and in Drink by Ann Johnston, it can seem somewhat sexist to question mothers and their drinking habits. Men have been enjoying happy hour drinks for decades, and the post-work beers have never been questioned for them. This could be because of the traditional notion that women are mostly responsible for activities related to raising children. If parental drinking is a concern in raising healthy children, and it is, then both parents should be aware of the dangers related to the situation. However, because women are currently being targeted by the alcohol industry in the form of these mommy juice advertisements, products, and memes they should be more attentive and aware than their male counterparts. There is something inciting in being told you deserve a break, you deserve to reward yourself, and you deserve to indulge a little; the alcohol industry knows this and is throwing everything they can into this marketing scheme. I’m sure a lot of the mothers that relate to the promises of “mommy juice” absolutely do deserve the breaks these companies promote at the bottoms of their bottles, but for the sake of their health and their children’s, alcohol is likely not the outlet to turn to. 

 

Alcohol and Women: What You Should Know

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If you’re reading this, you’re probably familiar with alcohol. Maybe you drink it occasionally, maybe you drink it often. Maybe you’ve never tasted it. The bottom line is, most people are familiar with the substance and to some degree, it’s effects. But if you’re female, you may be surprised to learn that the relationship between alcohol and women has a rocky past—and it is continuing to worsen. Not only do women metabolize alcohol differently than men, but we’re targeted differently, we drink differently, and we now abuse it differently than men.

Women’s prevalence of alcohol abuse has increased at a faster rate than men’s in recent years.

According to a study featured in JAMA, the amount of women reporting alcohol use disorders increased heavily within a period of ten years. From 2001/2002 to 2012/2013, men’s prevalence of alcohol use disorders increased by 13.2%. During the same time frame, women’s prevalence of alcohol use disorders increased by 34.7%.

Reprinted from “Prevalence of 12-Month Alcohol Use, High Risk Drinking, and DSM-IV Alcohol Use Disorder in the United States, 2001-2002 to 2012-2013,” by Bridget F. Grante, S. Patricia Chou, Tulshi D. Saha, et al, 2017, JAMA Psychiatry, 74, p. 911-923.

The difference is staggering. What happened to the culture of drinking among women to cause such an increase? Perhaps the recent uptick in alcohol marketing to females can offer some explanation.

In recent years, women have been specifically targeted by alcohol companies as the ideal consumer.

Doug Beatty, Vice President of Marketing for Colio Estate Wines, explains that “eighty-five percent of the purchase decisions in the twelve- to fifteen- dollar range are ‘female-driven’.” Colio Estates produces a wine called ‘Girls Night Out’ that is marketed to, and made for, women specifically. A quick visit to their website and you can see why women may choose this when making a grocery run: wines such as Red Velvet Cheesecake Macaron, Raspberry Rosé Lemonade, and Pineapple Mango Tango are just a few of their flavored options.

Beatty’s female-focused products are not alone in the market. In recent years, the alcohol market has been inundated with products that target women and feature, promote, or encourage drinking in some way. Of course, these products by themselves are not the sole issue. But combine them with the chemical differences in the way women metabolize alcohol, and we begin to understand why women’s relationship with alcohol is worsening.

Women are biologically different than men, and therefore metabolize alcohol differently.

It is no secret that men and women are biologically different. However, what may be less known is that our sexes also differ in how alcohol is metabolized in our bodies. According to a publication from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), women’s higher liver volume lends to a quicker metabolism of alcohol, as alcohol is processed almost entirely in the liver. Consequently, women typically achieve higher concentrations of alcohol in the blood after drinking equal amounts of alcohol as her male counterpart. Women also suffer from liver disease after a shorter period of exposure and after consuming less.

And lastly, women drink for different reasons than men.

In Dr. George F. Koob’s presentation on Alcohol and the Female Brain, the Director of the NIAAA explains that women drink based on negative reinforcement whereas men drink for positive reinforcement. A seemingly small distinction, the reality is actually stark. What this really means is that while John may drink to have a good time, Jane is most likely drinking to quiet her anxiety, her depression, or even just take the edge off of a bad day. When alcohol becomes the answer to a problem, that is when the true problem takes shape.

Overall, alcohol use can hurt people of all shapes, sizes, races and ages. However, we need to begin having conversations around why the landscape is changing for women—and what we can do to prevent it.

Women and Drinking: The Memes & Some Solutions

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The Memes related to women and drinking – are they tapping into the motivation to drink, the negative reinforcement?

Alcoholism, also called dependence on alcohol, is a chronic relapsing disorder that is progressive and has serious detrimental health outcomes. The development of alcoholism is characterized by frequent episodes of intoxication, preoccupation with alcohol, use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, compulsion to seek and consume alcohol and emergence of a negative emotional state in the absence of the drug.

Reinforcement is a process in which a response or behavior is strengthened based on previous experiences. In negative reinforcement, a response or behavior is strengthened by stopping, removing, or avoiding a negative outcome or aversive stimulus. Memes like “shout out to the liver for handling what the heart cannot” or “if you combine wine and dinner the new word is winner” and a text reading “according to chemistry, alcohol is a solution” are tapping into the motivation to drink. Although they are funny sometime, they are also insidious, since they get inside our head and make us want to drink. Experts says that such memes create a strong effect on the mind of an individual as they encourage excessive drinking and promote alcohol as a solution to problems and are portrayed as a way of ‘’escaping reality”. So, people keep drinking for longer periods of time. Researchers also suggest that such memes encourage unwise drinking and trivialize alcohol addiction.

 

                                                                      

But, there are some methods by which one can stay sober despite all the pervasive messages and drinking environments. The first is the Dory method in which you can remember the top ten ‘bad drinking memories’ where you place them in the back pocket and whip them out whenever you find yourself romanticizing alcohol. One study found that even if you don’t have a time for long work out sessions, just 10 minutes may reduce or eliminate a booze craving for alcohol drinking.

 

There is also motivational model of alcohol use which suggest that individual differences in sensitivity to the acute subjective effects of alcohol, which may serve as a mechanism underlying alcohol reinforcement and the motivation to consume more alcohol during a drinking episode. The results demonstrate that drinking motives are linked with individual differences in sensitivity to the effects of alcohol, which may serve as a mechanism underlying alcohol reinforcement and the motivation to consume more alcohol during a drinking episode.

Women’s bodies also react differently to the alcohol than men’s bodies. That means women face particular health risks from alcohol.According to one study problems with alcohol increased by nearly 50 percent. Among women, alcohol abuse and dependence increased by 83.7 percent. Among the poor it rose by 65.9 percent. because of the increased drinking among women the prevalence of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) in the united states also raised. It was observed to be between 0.5 and 3.0 cases per 1000 by the institute of medicine in 1996 but more recent reports from specific U.S. sites report the prevalence of FAS to be 2 to 7 cases per 1,000 and the prevalence of Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) to be as high as 20 to 50 cases per 1,000.

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Alcohol & Breast Cancer

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The Problem: Alcohol Attributable Breast Cancer

     Alcohol consumption and the effects that it has on increasing the risk that a women will develop breast cancer in the future is something that has been studied extensively the past 20 years. Some of these studies date back to early epidemiological data that suggests that “Increased estrogen and androgen levels in women consuming alcohol appear to be important mechanisms underlying the association.” (Singleton, 2001). According to a study that was conducted in 2012, globally about 144,000 breast cancer cases and 38,000 breast cancer deaths were attributed to alcohol consumption (Shield, 2016). The report stated that a sizable amount of the 38,000 breast cancer deaths were attributable to light drinking which was classified as having 3 to 6 drinks a week. This same study found that the highest incidences of alcohol attributable breast cancer deaths and cases were located in Northern and Western Europe (12.4 cases of breast cancer per 100,000 women) followed by North America and Oceania (9.8 cases per 100,000 women). The map that was included in  the research studpage8image429650960y which visually illustrates the geographic distribution of the alcoholic attributable breast cancer cases globally in 2012 is shown here to the right. This map shows a concentration of alcohol attributed cases and deaths in regions of the world that are highly developed. With this research still being relatively new the researchers noted that further research would be done to determine how drinking patterns, age in which alcohol is consumed, and genetic differences increase or decrease your risk for dying from or developing breast cancer. With the growing buzz around this research the question begs itself, how can this information be disseminated to women? Through public advertisements? At screenings? These are questions that should be asked to try combat this issue.

 

 

Spreading the Word: From the Doctor’s Office to Your Bar

     With all of the new research coming out each day regarding alcohol consumption and breast cancer awareness, the next step would be to inform the women who may be at risk. As mentioned in the research study above, researchers found that even being a light drinker (3 to 6 drinks per week) has the potential to increase women’s chances of developing breast cancer. In my opinion, some of the best ways to disseminate this information would be during physicals initially. This will be a very good method to enforce preventive methods of reducing alcohol-attributable breast cancer cases. During a woman’s annual physical, her primary care physician can explain to her the research being done in the field and include information about how the weekly consumption of alcohol may increase their risk of getting breast cancer. For women that may be uninsured, although it may be a bit of a stretch but literature that illustrates the risk of constantly consuming alcoholic beverages and its potential ties to breast cancer in stores and establishments where alcohol is sold could go a long way in potentially preventing women from indulging in habits that may increase their breast cancer risk. For an intervention to disseminate information through bars in liquor stores and bars would probably require some type of policy to be written. It can be expected that liquor companies and any other interested parties will provide all sorts of push back to stop advertising that would hurt sales. If women are more informed, public opinion may put enough pressure on these companies to ensure that they are informing their patrons of the risks they are exposing themselves to.

 

 

Sources:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/194343

http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=4b82059a-90f5-4e69-b46b-bd59c573ec7f%40sessionmgr102