EXTRACT FROM JANEY LEE GRACE INTERVIEW AT NOON.ORG (LINK)
How women’s drinking has changed Women have been cajoled into keeping up with the lads, and it’s us baby boomers who are the worst, while many millennials are choosing not to drink at all, the biggest rise in drinking is in older women, and yet we are the ones the toxic liquid hits hardest. Alcohol is responsible for 200 different illnesses, including cancer, and it’s notably terrible for exacerbating menopausal symptoms....so many women are being offered medication, without being asked whether they are in fact self- medicating. I’ve lost count of clients who have told me they rocked up to a GP or a practitioner complaining of mood swings, anxiety, insomnia, wondering if they were menopausal, only to be sent away minutes later with a prescription for anti- depressants, sometimes HRT too, but they were never asked about their drinking. It’s a disaster waiting to happen, that so many women are being offered medication, without being asked whether they are in fact self-medicating. wasn’t sure how to stop drinking to be honest, it was such an ingrained habit, and I was worried about what others might say, whether I’d be ridiculed, “sober shamed”, rather than congratulated for the sober badass I really was! When you stop smoking everyone says “well done!” But if you stop drinking people tend to look concerned and ask if you “have a problem”. ‘ Alcohol is the only drug you have to justify not taking’ You see, alcohol is the only drug you have to justify not taking, and when I finally decided to quit just for Dry January 2018, I didn’t tell anyone close to me. I felt a sense of shame and guilt that I couldn’t explain. In reality, I found that if I stood my ground and said “Thanks I’d love a drink, I’ll have sparkling water”, people accepted that, if I hesitated and looked unsure, then they steamed in with “Can’t you just have one?” This time it was different, it was as if a light had come on, and I didn’t ever go back."
"You see I loved my nightly glass (or two or three) of wine, I was fully functioning, never had a DUI, never missed a day off work, I just drank most days…doesn’t everyone? I couldn’t just have one either, I wasn’t born with an ‘off switch. But to be clear, there was no rock bottom moment, I was what’s known as “high functioning” – “high bottomed” (sadly not true for a woman my age!). I would wake at 3 am almost without fail, heart racing, berating myself for yet again drinking too much, and on a Tuesday to boot! I would hear a voice telling me “This has to stop’ It’s not authentic with who you are. You are meant to care about your health and practice self-care, Stop poisoning your body with alcohol!’ Everyone is drinking! You can just have one! By 6 pm the next evening, a much chirpier voice arrived. The voice of the “wine witch”. You’ve had an exhausting day, time for a cheeky chilled Sauvignon…You might give up? Don’t be ridiculous! Sober – anagram of Bores! Everyone is drinking! You can just have one! When you look, alcohol is everywhere Alcohol is so ingrained in our culture. From baby showers, christenings, and playdates to parties, weddings, fresher’s week, and funerals – from celebrations to commiserations, it’s the “social glue” that sticks everything together. We have been brainwashed into thinking we are either ‘good drinkers’ or alcoholic losers. Clearly, there are rock bottom drunks who have a serious issue, and the rest of us – happy social drinkers – are occasionally lightweights who just can’t hold their beer. I learned over time that it’s a spectrum, there are many “grey area drinkers”. I’d suggest there are at least 50 shades of grey – but sadly not so sexy! …the biggest rise in drinking is in older women, and yet we are the ones the toxic liquid hits hardest.
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker