El alcoholismo femenino, una verdad oculta

Abstract

Objective To describe the essential aspects, from a social view, of the alcoholism problem when the one who suffers it is a woman. Material and method The discourse of 15 alcoholic women and 6 experts is analysed by a qualitative method. The techniques used are the focused interview, for researching the information of the professionals, and the life story for the alcoholic women. A bibliographical review and an analysis of secondary facts have also been done. Results One of the most usual characteristics of feminine alcoholism is that woman hide their addiction, mainly because of the guilt feeling. This clandestine drinking of women, shows the necessity of an early diagnosis of risky behaviours that can lead to dependency. Women usually develope also a dependency on other persons, taking care of them, thinking this is the way not to feel alone. Generally, the alcoholic woman does not receive support from her couple when she tries to start treatment, and only a few men go with their wife in the rehabilitation process. Women usually go to medical centres pressed by other members of the family such as their mum, sisters or elder daughters, who play an important roll in decisions. Conclusions The social perception of feminine alcoholism, which is different from men alcoholism, partly explains the addictive characteristics of the alcoholic woman. It is necessary to continue researching the social characteristics from a gender perspective, because there are influential elements in the addict behaviour.