About a year ago a study came out claiming that it had some interesting new insights into the way women and men handled stress. The article claims that men seek stress reduction though alcohol consumption while women will struggle with depression. The article claims that researchers arrived at the conclusion because men and women follow socialization. Men are socialized to use alcohol to distract themselves from the stressful situation while women are socialized to think more about negative experiences.
There is also the claim that there are gender-specific brain stress pathways that differ in sexes, causing them to respond, or react, in different manners.
Either way, biological or learned, the end result is that alcohol is being abused. If the person, male or female, is not careful enough to monitor and deal with stress in other ways they could find themselves caught in addiction, and eventually seeking a rehab treatment center.
As for what I believe, well, I’ve been around for quite a while and the debate has been there well longer than I have been on this planet. Is it genetic or learned? Is it a disease or a condition? I don’t know either way, but the mere fact is that alcoholism is out there. To me it doesn’t really matter if I’ve learned how to become an alcoholic due to my surroundings or if I was predestined for it. It just is what it is.
Thankfully there is a lot of information out there for those who want the help they so desperately need. In many cases a recovery treatment center is needed to assist and I’m all for that. Some people are best off with that sort of treatment, while others can do it directly through therapy and a twelve-step program like Alcoholics Anonymous.
Either way, again, I’m all for whatever works best for the person who suffers from alcoholism. My only stipulation is that no matter what one tries they should never give up if it doesn’t work for them. There are many different ways to get sober and finding the way that fits for you is a blessing.
One of the many wonderful things about a rehab treatment center is that nearly all of them are based in therapy, single or group, and the twelve-step program. There is an old adage: Take what you need, need what you take.” I think it applies here.