Addiction in middle-aged women bereaving them of help
Aging is an uncomfortable period of transition for many females who are struggling with a conflict between their actual life achievements, what they wanted themselves to be and the resulting self-worth. This is especially true with women who have considered themselves as beautiful in their youth. A mere sight of a mirror terrifies their ego. As much as 18.4% of middle-aged women are reported as addicted to substance abuse either due to a depression of some kind or the mid-life crisis itself. This condition called middle-age crisis is steam rolled in people aged between 40-60 by an intense craving to change one’s own identity in order to compete with the existing youth or meet one’s own expectations. This is a mere psychological disorder driven by non- acceptance, although it can co-occur with depression.
Menopause is one of the main culprits that makes life more complex for middle-aged women by inducing depression in them. Midlife crisis adds fuel to the fire by making the situation worse. The societal expectations and double standards that consider men to be in their prime till their 60s and women as old in their 40s is a common trigger. Pre-menopausal depression is a type of depression that is specific to women and is in part, picked on by the fluctuating levels of oestrogen.
The bodily changes that women experience quite similar to men in their 40s are generally magnified to the point until women start believing that they are no more attractive/simply ugly for the society to care for them anymore. Also, Pre- menopausal symptoms such as painful or abnormal menstrual bleeding, hot flashes, and intense mood swings are often physiological manifestations of hormonal imbalances that middle-aged women experience. As a result, many women resort to alcohol use, substance abuse or abuse painkillers to alleviate such symptoms. But, little do they know about the repercussions of substances.
It is a bitter truth that middle aged female addicts not only pay frequent visits to emergency rooms on account of overdoses and heart failures but also experience higher medical, physiological and psychological impairment earlier in their addiction process. They tend to develop alcohol liver disease within comparatively shorter duration and less amount of alcohol consumption as compared to their male counterparts. Also, more women die from cirrhosis than men. Cases and consequences are however, believed to have been under reported as studies of gender perspective in addiction/sociological settings prove pragmatism in an evident manner while the concerns related to risk from higher impact in females are escalating with time.
Women having a drink or two in public settings is still considered a taboo in countries like India. Many women rather preferring to succumb to addiction than expose their addictions via joining a rehab is increasingly becoming a worrisome affair. Leave alone the affected women, the families of such women are in strong denial to seek treatment for them. Right from responsibilities in a marriage, parenting, body image to competition at work, women are expected to be perfect in every component where a mere incompetency results in comparison and a great deal of disappointment if they didn’t match such expectations.Gender power imbalance contributes to the death of almost 10% of middle-aged women addicts annually. These addicts are forced to believe that they are unworthy of any help and respect, pushing them further down the dirty drain.
Increasing number of middle-aged women falling prey to addiction may be due to several other factors ranging from feelings of emptiness and loss of purpose, feeling under-appreciated for their efforts, chronic reminiscence about the past, stress due to bumpy relationships, Intense feelings of regret and worthlessness, failed marriages, diminishing self-confidence, gender discrimination, career discontinuation due to responsibilities in marriage, having autistic children to having no children. Females who were beautiful during their younger years particularly find middle-age burdensome with lost attention and lost perks of beauty and age. These negative feelings arising from gradual, irreversible transition into aging result in various physical manifestations including depression, insomnia, changes in body weight (unplanned loss or gain), frequent attacks of nausea, loss of interest in sex, irritability, elevated levels of anxiety, fear and worry.
Where a dash of love and a hug of warmth could prevent so many females from resorting to substances, acceptance of the ways of life could keep them grounded and in touch with reality. Aiding them in overcoming their feelings of worthlessness. Women need to cater to a common ground where the contribution has dual impact. Women should provide to the needs of their own family and society in such a way that it also generates feelings of fulfilment and happiness in them.
For example, they should involve in community service programmes apart from performing household chores to add dignity to the family as well as render the advantage of positive interaction. Women need to understand that society has always been judgemental towards them from times immemorial (times of religious significance where God was present around, according to the religious scriptures) and it only matters until we care. A simple thought of logic goes back to the period of nomads where survival of the fittest was the only norm. People did not have time or opportunity to judge or criticise and gender bias is the side effect of luxury. Therefore, it makes sense for women to practice self-love regardless of what people say and do. And self-love in this context is to seek treatment for your addiction at the earliest.
