Signs of Alcoholism in Women

Alcoholism is a condition where the body becomes dependent on alcohol, often causing a person to feel powerless to control her consumption of alcohol, despite serious problems that result from its abuse. The signs for alcoholism in women are similar to those in men, but women tend to exhibit certain symptoms with greater regularity than men.

Dependence

• The constant need to drink, drinking alone, and planning or coming up with reasons to drink are signals of alcoholism.

Appearance

• Neglecting to take care of one's physical appearance is a sign of alcoholism. This sign is especially important for women. Since women tend to spend more time on their appearance, a lack of effort is more noticeable.

Blackouts

• Forgetting things that happened recently, or blacking out, is a sign of alcoholism that may be more common in women than men. Women generally have less body mass and therefore take fewer drinks to get drunk and be afflicted with blackouts.

Withdrawal

• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms, such as shivering, shaking, nausea, headaches or irritability, when one hasn't had a drink for a while is a sign of alcoholism.

Secretive Drinking

• Drinking secretively or hiding alcohol in places where one shouldn't drink, such as in the car and at work, are indicative of alcoholism.

Quantity

• For an average woman, consuming more than 12 drinks in a week or three drinks on any given day signifies possible alcohol dependency.