Are Rates of Alcohol-Related Deaths among Women in Nevada on the Rise?
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Middle-aged white women across the United States are struggling with heavy drinking and associated alcohol-related disease at higher rates, according to data analyzed by the Washington Post, and Nevada has not been exempt from this trend. This increased rate of alcohol ingestion and resulting disease has created a hike in rates of deaths caused by alcohol use in this group between 1999 and 2015.
Despite the increased rate of lives lost to alcohol among middle-aged white women specifically, alcohol use disorders and related health problems remain an ongoing to threat to women of all ages and racial backgrounds. Rates of death due to alcohol among Asian and Hispanic women have been steadily climbing as well; only African American middle-aged women have seen a slight decline in alcohol-related deaths between 1999 and 2015.
In Nevada, the numbers are not as simple. Deaths among women caused by alcohol increased from 2011 to 2012 but then dropped in 2013 and 2014. The early numbers indicate that rates of alcohol-related deaths among women across the state rose again in 2015, according to data from the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Public and Behavioral Health.
Why are women drinking more? And what can we do to increase awareness of the dangers associated with heavy drinking?
Response to Chaotic Times?
A scan of American history from 1999 to present shows highly tumultuous times. The terrorist attack on the Twin Towers, ongoing wars in the Middle East, the bottom falling out of the housing market and the following depression – all of this has taken a toll on Americans. But war, financial stress, and political upset are nothing new; the last century has been pocked with intense ups and downs. So why is that women are drinking more now than they ever have?
Part of it likely has to do with stigma and changing perspectives on gender roles. In former eras, it was not considered appropriate for women to drink more than a socially acceptable glass of wine at dinner. Actively going out to bars and drinking heavily was looked down upon and caused women to be judged harshly. This caused many of the women who did drink more heavily to do so in secret, and many others to curb their drinking in response. With a lifting of this stigma and an increasing number of women becoming the primary breadwinners in their families as well as an influx of apps making it easy to avoid scrutiny by simply having alcohol delivered to the house in bulk, many have incorporated more and more alcohol into their daily lives, often with disastrous results.
The Middle Class Is Not Immune
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No Safe Level of Alcohol
Another myth that has pervaded middleclass America and perhaps contributed to the development of higher rates of alcohol-related death among some groups of women is the idea that a moderate amount of alcohol may not only be harmless but even good for your health. There have been studies that suggest a half-glass of red wine may contain a chemical that is good for your heart, thus making it a good dietary choice; however, the harm done by alcohol far outweighs these potential benefits. Even researchers who supported these studies made sure to caveat the findings by pointing out that if you don’t already drink, starting is not a good idea.
The fact is that there is no safe level of alcohol use. Alcohol must be converted into a deadly toxin called acetaldehyde in order to be processed out of the body; the amount created by processing one unit of alcohol would be enough to cause any food or beverage to be banned. Additionally, use of alcohol has been proven to increase the risk of a number of diseases that are fatal, from heart disease to certain types of cancer. Then, of course, there is the risk of accident, behind the wheel or otherwise, and the risk of addiction that come with use of the substance. For women, specifically, the fact that damage is done at much lower amounts of alcohol as compared to men and that addiction can happen even more quickly with the same level of use, it is clear that there is no “up” side to drinking.
Je, Viwango vya Kifo Kinachohusiana na Kileo Miongoni mwa Wanawake katika Nevada Vinaongezeka? "Wanawake wazungu wa umri wa kati kote Marekani wanashindana na kunywa pombe kupita kiasi na magonjwa yanayohusiana na pombe kwa viwango vya juu zaidi, kulingana na data iliyochambuliwa na Washington Post, na Nevada haijawa huru kutoka kwa mwenendo huu. """ Kuongezeka kwa matumizi ya pombe na magonjwa yanayotokana nayo kumesababisha ongezeko la vifo vinavyosababishwa na matumizi ya pombe katika kikundi hiki kati ya 1999 na 2015. "Licha ya kuongezeka kwa idadi ya maisha yaliyopotea kwa sababu ya pombe miongoni mwa wanawake weupe wa umri wa kati, matatizo ya matumizi ya pombe na matatizo ya afya yanayohusiana nayo bado ni tishio kwa wanawake wa umri wote na asili ya rangi.""" Idadi ya vifo vinavyosababishwa na pombe miongoni mwa wanawake wa Asia na Hispania pia imekuwa ikiongezeka kwa kasi; ni wanawake wa Afrika wa Amerika wa umri wa kati tu ambao wameona kupungua kidogo kwa vifo vinavyohusiana na pombe kati ya 1999 na 2015. Katika Nevada, namba si rahisi kama hiyo. Idadi ya vifo vya wanawake vinavyosababishwa na pombe iliongezeka kutoka mwaka 2011 hadi 2012, lakini kisha ilipungua mwaka 2013 na 2014. Idadi ya vifo vya wanawake vinavyohusiana na pombe nchini Marekani imepanda kwa kasi zaidi mwaka huu, kulingana na Idara ya Afya na Huduma za Binadamu ya jimbo la Nevada. Kwa nini wanawake hunywa zaidi? Na tunaweza kufanya nini ili watu wajue hatari za kunywa pombe kupita kiasi? Jibu kwa Wakati wa Mvurugo? Uchunguzi wa historia ya Marekani kuanzia mwaka 1999 hadi sasa unaonyesha nyakati zenye msukosuko sana. Mashambulizi ya kigaidi dhidi ya Twin Towers, vita vinavyoendelea katika Mashariki ya Kati, kushuka kwa soko la nyumba na mvurugo uliofuata - yote haya yameathiri Wamarekani. Lakini vita, matatizo ya kifedha, na machafuko ya kisiasa si jambo jipya; karne iliyopita imekuwa na matatizo makubwa. Kwa nini wanawake wanakunywa zaidi kuliko wakati mwingine wowote? Sehemu ya uwezekano ni kufanya na stigma na kubadilisha mitazamo juu ya majukumu ya jinsia. Katika nyakati za zamani, haikuonwa kuwa jambo linalofaa kwa wanawake kunywa zaidi ya glasi moja ya divai iliyokubalika kijamii wakati wa chakula cha jioni. Kuenda kwenye baa na kunywa pombe kupita kiasi kulionwa kuwa jambo la aibu na kulifanya wanawake wahukumiwe vikali. Hii ilisababisha wanawake wengi ambao walikunywa sana kufanya hivyo kwa siri, na wengine wengi kudhibiti kunywa kwao kama jibu. Kwa kuondolewa kwa stigma hii na idadi inayoongezeka ya wanawake kuwa wazalishaji wa msingi katika familia zao, pamoja na kuongezeka kwa programu zinazofanya iwe rahisi kuepuka uchunguzi kwa kuwa na pombe iliyotolewa nyumbani kwa wingi, wengi wamejumuisha pombe zaidi na zaidi katika maisha yao ya kila siku, mara nyingi na matokeo mabaya. Je, bima yako inashughulikia matibabu katika Desert Hope huko Las Vegas? Angalia bima yako au utume ujumbe wa ujumbe kwa maswali yako ili kujifunza zaidi juu ya matibabu ya American Addiction Centers (AAC). "Mfano mwingine wa hadithi ambayo imeenea katika Amerika ya tabaka la kati na labda imechangia maendeleo ya viwango vya juu vya vifo vinavyohusiana na pombe kati ya vikundi fulani vya wanawake ni wazo kwamba kiasi cha kiasi cha pombe inaweza kuwa sio tu haina madhara lakini hata nzuri kwa afya yako. """ Kuna utafiti unaonyesha kwamba nusu glasi ya divai nyekundu inaweza kuwa na kemikali ambayo ni nzuri kwa moyo wako, hivyo kufanya uchaguzi mzuri wa chakula, hata hivyo, madhara ya pombe ni kubwa kuliko faida hizi. Hata watafiti ambao waliunga mkono masomo haya walihakikisha kuwaonya matokeo kwa kuonyesha kwamba ikiwa haujawahi kunywa, kuanza sio wazo nzuri. Ukweli ni kwamba hakuna kiwango salama cha kutumia kileo. Kwa mfano, kileo lazima kiwe na sumu ya acetaldehyde ili kiweze kutolewa kwenye mwili, na kiasi cha kileo kinachotengenezwa kwa kutumia kileo kimoja kinapaswa kuondolewa kwenye chakula au kinywaji. Kwa kuongezea, matumizi ya pombe yameonyeshwa kuongeza hatari ya magonjwa kadhaa ambayo ni ya kuua, kuanzia ugonjwa wa moyo hadi aina fulani za kansa. Pia kuna hatari ya kuanguka, kuendesha gari au kutegemea dawa za kulevya. Kwa wanawake, haswa, ukweli kwamba uharibifu unafanywa kwa kiasi kidogo cha pombe ikilinganishwa na wanaume na kwamba uraibu unaweza kutokea hata haraka zaidi na kiwango sawa cha matumizi, ni wazi kwamba hakuna upande wa juu wa kunywa.