Two words. Two words would influence her decision to stay or leave. Two words might save her unborn baby. Instead, when the 15 year-old girl asked her father for help with her alcohol addiction and pregnancy, the two words that came to mind for him changed everything.
“Drunken slut.”
Three days later, the police are still looking for her.
This is just one of the incidents Carmen Ambrosino, Chief Executive Officer of Wyoming Valley Alcohol and Drug Services, Inc. has dealt with in his 36 years as an addictions counselor. “If it was a 15 year-old boy saying ‘Dad, I’m alcoholic and I got a girl pregnant,’ it would’ve been a completely different reaction,” he says.
Gender-based stereotypes are prevalent in today’s society, and perceptions about drinking are included. “There’s an old saying, ‘Nice girls don’t get drunk,’” says Darcy Brodmerkel, Substance Abuse Specialist and Director of Student Activities.
“A man gets drunk in a bar, it’s a rite of passage,” says Ambrosino. “If a woman gets drunk in a bar, she picks up ten labels that night.”
Equality of the Sexes
Brodmerkel says that women seem to be slowly reaching equality in social perceptions of drinking behavior, but the equal right to get drunk is not an achievement. Human biology makes this truth clear. Although fewer women than men drink, statistics of alcohol-related illnesses and deaths among women have increased. This cocktail of facts seems to be the reason why women could never keep up with men in a drinking game without causing some serious damage.
But plenty of women seem to be up for the challenge.
“One time I saw this girl get so drunk she fell over and knocked over a bunch of glasses,” says Sara Hando, an MU graduate and part-time bartender at Jeff’s Bar and Grill in Exeter, PA. “She kept shouting and fell over. Everyone was laughing at her.” Hando says, in her experience, people tend to be more critical of women drinkers than their male counterparts.
The Folly of Youth
Younger women are more at risk, and with “Ladies Night” drinking specials at bars, that risk does not seem to be diminishing.
“Women usually come in groups or they don’t come at all,” says Hando. “A lot of younger girls come out, more often than not.”
More women tend to frequent the jukebox in the corner or come to socialize with friends. “It’s not all about football, either,” she says.
In fact, some younger women drink more than men do. Turning 21 isn’t only a rite of passage these days – it’s a death wish. Studies have shown that women tend to drink more on their 21st birthdays than on other days, while for men the numbers are reversed. A popular trend for celebrators is the “21 for 21” ritual, when the birthday boy or girl is expected to have 21 drinks in one night. This is a dangerous practice for everyone, but it is especially risky for women.
I’ve seen women go up on the bar and have alcohol poured – literally poured – down their throats on their 21st birthday,” says junior Ann Gownley.
Ambrosino chalks it up to a mix of cultural influences. “Rehab Party,” a television program that showcases the negative effects of the drinking culture, shows young men and women drinking in excess within a sexualized environment. “People drink and try to pick people up,” says Ambrosino. “These are the popular shows of today – the ones parents are fighting.”
Studies from Wyoming Valley Alcohol and Drug Services, Inc. have helped to encourage women to get treatment. “Women who have alcohol problems and suffer from negative events tend to seek treatment sooner,” says Ambrosino. “Years ago, it was not at all like that.”
The Many Roads to Alcohol
Women who have had past experiences with verbal, physical or sexual abuses are more prone to drinking than women who did not. These statistics are linked to a woman’s likelihood to become depressed when drinking. Women lead men in alcohol-related deaths, including suicide, accidents and illnesses, and alcoholic women have a 40 percent chance of attempting suicide, compared to 8.8 percent of women who do not drink, according to the American Public Health Association.
“Sometimes women have more problems than just the alcohol dependence,” says Ambrosino. “We have partnerships with other agencies to deal with these problems.”
Brodmerkel thinks that alcohol use among women could start with psychological issues. “The biggest factor – low self-esteem,” she says.
That’s not something readily associated with female athletes, and yet it is athletes who do the most drinking. In a recent study by the Journal of American College Health, the socialization of team members resulted in more hazardous drinking, including drinking games and heavy drinking. “There are definitely more opportunities to go to parties when you’re on a team,” says Danielle Leonzi, junior. “There’s a certain camaraderie that goes with the drinking.”
No matter what the age of the drinker -- it comes back to noticing there is a problem.
Ambrosino has seen a change in the numbers of alcoholic women who seek treatment. “Back in 1973, there were a small percentage of women getting treatment [for alcoholism],” he says. “Now the numbers are around 55 percent men to 45 percent women who receive treatment.”
But one thing is clear – anyone can become an alcoholic. “There is no known reason why people suffer from alcoholism,” says Brodmerkel. “It’s [caused by] a number of factors.”
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