Alcoholism among young women
Mar 13th, 2012 | By Maziyateke | Category: OpinionAs the debate on underage drinking intensifies globally, we come to terms with the fact that alcohol is no longer a problem affecting the adult population alone. In this article I investigate some of the reasons behind the excessive drinking patterns of young people in Britain and Belgium, to understand whether drinking is purely a social lubricant, or whether it is a social drug. Furthermore, I look at how over the years alcohol consumption has become both a symbol of female emancipation and confinement.
Passed out on the street after far too many drinks Source: dailymail.co.uk
Alcohol consumption, in African tradition has long been used to regulate socially assigned gender roles; it is common in African societies for men to consume excessive amounts of alcohol to mark the birth of a child, to welcome a visitor, or to enjoy a wedding ceremony. In recent years however, according to a WHO report, ‘in some societies gender differences in drinking behaviour have grown smaller.’ Since the 1960s in the West and perhaps the 1970s for Africa, women have been more involved in the market economy and thus have access to their own disposable income and can choose to have more leisure time. A Saturday night in any African metropolis will tell you a new story; rows of independent, career-driven and hip young ladies popping champagne bottles and sipping on exotic cocktails.
A survey commissioned by the European Commission in 2010, crowned Britain ‘the binge-drinking capital’ of Europe. This means that British people consume several units of alcohol in just one sitting. At least once a week at university, there was an alcohol themed night called VodBull where white paper cups of vodka and Redbull were sold for £1 each. A £20 note later and the dance floor was something close to a scene from a horror movie. Girls sprawled across the dance floor, swimming in their own vomit, others getting sexually violated in the hallway, broken heels and private parts on free view. The general consensus is that binge-drinking among the youth is a result of the numerous restrictions that are placed on alcohol by the British government. Others argue that nightclubs and bars can only make money from broke young people by inventing these alcohol-themed nights where a shot can cost as low as 20 pence.
Jack Daniels
According to a 2006 study by CRIOC[1] consumption of alcohol in Belgium begins at a very young age, with one in four 13 year olds admitting to be regular consumers of alcohol. This pattern is put down to the popularity of social drinking, as well as the early introduction of alcohol to children by parents, which by teenage years has turned to wine and champagne tasting. There are some clear differences in the drinking patterns between genders (40% boys and 36% girls), as well as regions (Flanders 44% and Wallonia 36%). CODE[2] said that while data shows that on average boys drink more than girls; this difference disappears during the weekend. Furthermore, a study conducted by ESPAD[3] (2003) showed that Belgian youth are among the Europeans who have the largest consumption of alcohol (based on frequent consumption defined as that of a person who consumed alcohol 10 times or more during the 30 days preceding the study.)
For Rwandan youth who have been living in Belgium for the past decade, there is a concern that these patterns are being transferred through a process of integration. While for both Rwanda and Belgium drink is a cultural phenomenon, from my own experience there is a slight difference in which gender it is considered to be acceptable to introduce drink to at a young age especially in a familial context. There are yet to be any social studies to specifically compare the drinking patterns between young men and women, however from a Rwandan youth perspective during the weekend the line of difference, if there is one at all is slightly blurred, as both genders engage in alcohol consumption, which on some occasions can be excessive. Worryingly, the educational attainment of some young people is deteriorating as they struggle to combine their demanding university timetable with their hectic social life. The reasons behind the excessive drinking is yet to be truly defined; while for some it may just be the wish to be free from week-long school/work stress, for others it may be a crutch to avoid facing serious psychological issues.
The blurred line between the drinking patterns of young men and women is not only common in Europe; it is happening on a global scale. While it may give the impression that alcohol consumption among young women is now a socially accepted phenomenon; there are still major stereotypes attached to the woman who will favour a pint of beer over a lady-like drink, especially among African people. As a result of these stereotypes, kitchen cupboard drinking, among women in countries like South Africa is on the rise – this is a term used to describe the person who protects their alcohol consumption image in public but lapses in privacy.
While youth is a time for expression and discovery, for young women especially, it is also a time when society will want to impose several restrictions. We may live in 21st century Europe but our core African values and traditions have not truly left us, and until then alcoholism among young African women will continue to be yet another taboo subject. From a European perspective, it is true that society has become more lenient on women that drink alcohol, however many women have a story to tell about the sugar-coated double standards they face every day.
When they spoke about equality, champions of women’s rights did not mean that they wanted us to behave like men; they wanted a more humane society where a woman was allowed to be a woman in the truest sense. It is not about seeing who does it better, but rather about having the freedom to make the right decision for you as a woman devoid of any external pressure. In the end, it is not so clear whether the consumption of alcohol has made us freer from the chains that have bound us for all these centuries.
[1] Centre de Recherche et d’Information des Organisations de Consommateurs
[2] Coordinations des ONG pour les Droits de l’Enfant
[3] European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs
By Maziyateke
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Nice post. Interesting
The fact that alcoholism amongst African Girls has remained a taboo topic adds to the fact that African girls are indulging in what was know to be ‘White Girl Drunk ‘ behaviour. These issues need to be addressed to us by our parents. The older generation really needs to be stop being so uptight and just for one second talk to their daughters and ask them where their life is going.
There is a new series coming on BET called Shuga, love, sex and money. I’ve only seen the adverts and all I can see is a group of unloved African daughters looking for love and life and the bottom of a shot glass. They call it living the rockstarr life!! because that is what they deem to be acceptable and just like any other drug it offers some sense of elation at that moment.
I would like to point the finger at our elders for this type of behaviour. We are living in ‘diaspora’ in an area where our home traditions and cultures are not dominant. Kids are growing up thinking the behaviour of western kids is acceptable and the ways our parents where disciplined when they were at our age doesn’t work anymore. They need to re-evaluate what it means bringing up a child in the Western World.
It is true but at the same time you have to agree that many parents are also at loss as to how to deal with such a problem. Many of us (Africans) in the diaspora left behind a life that was comfortable to come to this part of the world where paying the bills is the most fundamental thing. Parents work up to 7 days a week to make sure that they scrape a living to support us, and as a result many young people are being raised by the people they call their friends or television/internet. While what you say is true to a certain extent, we have to agree that pointing fingers is not really the solution – everyone (young people, parents, government) needs to sit down and come up with an effective way to manage the problem. So far they have not done a good job, and to be honest the A&E rooms have not stopped admitting young people, who after a dozen shots have grown the courage to jump off buildings.
Thank you for your input Monica.
I was wondering when such a subject would be brought up.
I thought I was the only one noticing a change in Rwandese community towards strong alcohol. I understand that what is pointed out here are the african women, but i think the problem is larger.
All the bariers between genders falling, a group of friends who “hang out” together is equally composed of the two sexes, therefore, the heavy drinking is on both sides.
As it was pointed out before, there must be an education reajustement done by our parents, who “try” to bring us up “the african way”, thus everyday we live a different life. Our personal culture has become a mix of two (or more), and trying to make them all meet sometimes ends up with the “wrong” behaviours of both.
I feel personnaly concerned with this “heavy drinking trend” that is particular in Brussels, and i don’t know if dialogue is possible at this stage with our parents. I would never be able to talk to my mother about this, “they wouldn’t understand” – is what every girl would tell you. I believe we have done such a good job at being “a good girl” at home and in the eyes of our elders, and completely the opposite once out of their sight.
When women are concerned with drunk-drinking, the best option I see is putting up ROLE MODELS: african women, who have been brought up in europe, root-less like us all, but still have managed to work through university, have a decent job, basically, have what a young african girl living in europe is dreaming to achieve. I think those women should come up front and show their achievements, to INSPIRE the next generation to do so.
I really do agree with the point about ROLE MODELS because there needs to be young African women who take it upon themselves to guide the emerging youth. Often, if everyone around you is doing something you may start believing that there is no alternative way. Yes of course the problem is larger than women, but I wanted to focus on women because it is a much more recent phenomenon among this gender.
I agree with what you say about parenting style within African communities, I think there is still a huge communication barrier between parents and their children; which is why many young people feel they cannot talk to their parents about certain things. Parents through pride and often to protect their image can choose to ignore signs that their children are out of control; often you hear Rwandan parents praising their children, and portraying them to be angels in public while you know very well what their child gets up to after 4 or 5 shots of tequila. I think that one of the major issues that needs to be tackled is this ‘talking to a wall’ syndrome which many African parents have. Listening to what their children say, showing interest in what their children say and actively pursuing a solution; furthermore they need to accept that times have changed and that a different parenting style needs to be adopted in order to incorporate the external influences that living in the diaspora have presented.
I also want to cautioned the female folks about this issue of gender equality. As you rightly mentioned the proponent of this idea meant positive rights not the adoption of destructive behaviours of men. Women should spend their potent energy to fight against discrimation, they should promote emancipation. And not what i saw in the UK while i was there on studies. If that is what they call equality then the world is in trouble because like the tap roots of a plant, so are the women folks in any society – I am not talking about procreation, but the power to influence decisions and even change world order.
My dear beauties dont kill yourself drinking, dont waste your energy smoking your lungs everyday with carbon and sooth in the name of gender equality, then when you become a mother, you will be trying to avoid coughing on your baby.
Take Care
I love you all women!!
Good contributions from everybody so far. Interesting to learn about alcohol consumption habits, among women in Rwanda, and all that. Lets apply the West African dimension to this a little bit.
In Ghana, for instance, its rare to see women drink alcohol in public places. However, it is occasional, during festivities, you see women drinking and all that.
My main concern is that, what will be wrong with a woman drinking alcohol, if she sees fit, granted that men do same? My only concern will be women in their teen ages. Why can’t a woman get a shot of vodka or whatever, when she sees fit. I’m still struggling, can we have EXPLICIT reasons why women should not drink but men can.
Thank you for your input. First of all let me clarify that I am not saying that women should not drink and that men should. There is nothing wrong with having a glass or wine or JD and coke at a bar after work or at the weekend. The truth of the matter is however, that it is more socially acceptable for a man to get drunk than a woman to do so – even though it is hardly a good image for a man to have either.
My main concern is the ‘excessive drinking’ at a young age meaning drinking beyond the recommended alcohol units which is 14 units for women weekly, and doing so repetitively (i.e like three times a week every week, which is the case in Britain). According to medical experts at WHO (2005) the female body is naturally unable to absorb the same amounts of alcohol as men do, because we have lower rates of gastric metabolism of alcohol as well as smaller volumes of body water in which alcohol is distributed. So in the end women are drinking as much as men, and end up having far worse medical consequences. The units of alcohol it will take for most men to get drunk is way higher than that of women – that’s where the problem lies.
And your main concern is also another concern of mine, why should women do things because men do them? Why should we base our level of equality by how close we are to being like men? We can’t forever be doing this ‘follow follow’ business.
I can kind of see Alexander’s point. I do not agree with this epidemic of alcoholism amongst young African women, but on gender equality, what do women want?! I am also a young black female (and from Rwanda) but I am struggling to understand what the solution to this gender equality issue should be. Take away a woman’s right to act like a man and get drunk like a man and she complains that she wants equality; make it socially acceptable for her to drink a ‘man’s drink’ and get as hammered/wasted as a man and she complains that she wants that right taken away and for society’s acceptance to do this taken away. I’m sorry to say but in this case I can kind of see why men tend to say that ‘women don’t know what they want’. A woman can’t have her drink and drink it too!
In saying that, looking at the bigger picture, it is hopeless to think that this issue amongst young African women can even be changed or helped since getting drunk IS one of the biggest highlights of a young woman’s emancipation seeing that it is so deeply engraved in Europe’s society’s culture (as you say, even for those of us who were born in Africa now), but on the other hand, if everyone does their bit maybe something can be changed. As you say, I do also believe on some level that it would take everyone’s contribution (young people, parents, government) to change all this. Since we can be very influenced by the media, I think there needs to be some sort of campaign addressing the REAL issues of alcoholism and it’s effect on all areas (body and mind, social status, social issues, work, family life etc). I think there was a campaign that tried to tackle these issues not too long ago, but if I remember correctly, it failed miserably. Cos the other issue is, when people’s rights to do something are taken away, that’s when they want to do that thing even more!
If all else fails, I say “bottoms up!”
Let’s not get excited about the prospects of getting into a drunken stupor.
I said it in the last paragraph, the goal of the great feminists and other champions of women’s right is not to see women become men —- when you are uninformed as many of us are, we assume that was the aim. Just like many will assume that being a feminist means you hate men, have a box cut and you put down bra burning as your hobby. The danger of basing our level of freedoms on the things that men have the right to do means that all our efforts are bound to be ridiculed. Take for example the Syrian Nobel Peace Laureate, Tawakkul Karman whose peaceful struggle for women’s rights and gender equality has led her to be described as having more strength than 1000 men … Why can’t she simply have strength FULL STOP? So you see, it is not that women do not know what they want, it is simply that the message that was initially brought forward has gone through a Chinese Whispers-style transformation and the true meaning got lost in translation. As a result there needs to be some sort of forum to re-educate women and to instill in them the values and vision that our predecessors as well as current change-makers brought forward.
That said, YES it can be changed if there is enough action. European cultures differ and to be honest what we are calling European is so diluted at times you can barely get to the root! Problem with the media, as you mentioned is that they have to keep moving, rarely will they stick to one issue for long, especially if it is not in their interest to do so. So then really, the answers and solutions lies with all of us.
I am not convinced by the link of the 90s events to rising drinking levels.
I think it’s because of the changing world we live in. If this research was done in Europe, everyone in Europe drinks, and therefore it is easy to give into peer pressure. Some may see alcohol consumption as a way to raise self esteem as peers drink also…. etc etc
Drinking is a personal choice, just like eating is.
Anyone who results to alcohol to get over issues has no self control or self confidence.
Thank you Valence.
I did not mention the 90s, and the information I provided was based on some research I read in a WHO report on alcohol and substance use. It is a changing world, but changes happen because of certain events that have happened. That is like saying that when women got the right to vote there were no consequences. And it is not true that everyone drinks in Europe – big generalization there. While it is true that peer pressure is raw globally, it does not always explain some drinking patterns because in some group of friends you can also find a variation.
Yes drinking is a personal choice, but your personal choice will always be influenced by your experiences in life. If for example you grew up in a home where you had an alcoholic mother and father – it can go both ways : either you abstain because you saw the effect it can have, or you follow the same route because it seemed like the norm. The main concern is not necessarily whether one lacks self-control and/or self-confidence, the main concern is what events took place and caused these two things to be stripped off a person.
Why always the comparaison between men and women??? we should condemn the drinking habits of young people.( older ones are not doing better). I have no problem with someone drinking the weekend if its a girl or a boy. it becomes a problem when it prevents them to doing their work or studies. if a girl can handle 1 bottle of jack let her have it. i repeat again we should tackle the drinking problems in rwandese community and not only by the young people. For those who grew up here i am sorry to say so but we are no longer rwandese by culture. Its normal to see a girl drinking and smoking. its normal to see people holding hands on the street, its normal to see people kissing in public. so i guess its also now normal to see rwandese ladies( belgo-rwandese) drunk-drinking.
Thank you Victor for your honest response.
Comparison must be made because the rights that women seek, were first and foremost given to men. In your argument you are reiterating what I said, I did not say that drinking is a problem but rather ‘excessive drinking’. Furthermore, saying that if a young woman can handle a bottle of Jack let her have it, is putting a lid over the fact that there are major consequences attached to that sort of alcohol abuse – yes she may be able to handle it, but why does she need a whole bottle, and not one serving or two?
The point is that drinking problems are usually more pronounced in the adult population so it is refreshing to move the debate over to the youth – my article is not meant to be a panacea of all the societal problems brought on by alcohol, it is more like a general observation of the emerging patterns, and to see whether dialogue can be facilitated to sort out these issues from every angle. Just because something is normal does not mean it cannot be challenged for the betterment of society, do you agree or not? It all boils down to individual/societal values because they are interdependent.
We need to do more of this debating in open spaces and invite our parents to also participate.
No one said it was wrong for a woman to drink a bottle of jack or william. what the author here does is only a constatation of the evolution of the kind of alcohol that woman used to drink in the past and what they now drink. “Worryingly, the educational attainment of these young people is on an all-time low as they struggle to combine their demanding university timetable with their social life” . So as you see, drinking is not the problem but the consequences of it.
Why the comparasion between men and women? because unfortunately in our community we still make a difference between the two. Saying that we are not rwandese anymore by culture is also false because in everything you do, you will still act like a rwandese.. it can be towards parents or elder people, you will still act like one. Once a rwandan girl has built up a bad reputation because of the drinking problem and the consequences, it will be very hard for her to find husband because of her reputation. For a man it is almost not a problem. So I think the comparasion is necessary. We have to be honest with ourselves. The ideal we lived in a world where there is no difference between men and women, but unfortunately we do not live in a perfect world.
to answer to Valence, I think there is a link between the use of alcohol and our refugee status. But first of all a difference must be made between drink and DRINK! you can have a couple glasses of alcohol with friends, now and then, just to enjoy the drink itself or you can drink just to get drunk! unfortunately i observed that more and more ppl drink just to get drunk. And when you talk with them and ask them about their personal life and situation, you come to the conclusion that it’s because of the fact that they are refugee and have to deal with “refugee problems” that in fact they drink so much. And to realize that, one has to be honest with himself and look at the very deep reason of all the drinking. Because someone who is busy with other projects, whether school, work or whatever will not find the time or will not permit himself to be drunk every week or twice/3 times / month.
there are several consequences of our statuts as refugee and rwandan seem to forget about it or minimize the situation.
I double approve your comment, and thank you for helping me to clarify the issues that I am trying to put across.
I don’t think that the rising of Rwandan youths drinking beverages has any link with our refugee status nor with the tragic event that took place last decade. I believe that this new trendy way to have “fun” or simply to socialize has something to do with the new generation of youngsters. Mentalities have changed, like the world switches position each second. Since our parents youth, new concepts have been developed, always keeping going further in some extreme ways, they will for sure be pushed forward when our own kids will be in their teens.
So guys, live your life but, DRINK RESPONSIBLY ^^
The issues here for me are way beyond the bottle,i could care less what you are drinking,sniffing or smoking for that matter,as long as you wake up the next day,sober up and get on with your life,the Russians & the Irish have done it for years, people need to understand that there is a portion of this generation that is a lost generation,there is nothing as bad as being a refugee without knowing what you fled from.
I am saying that because most of these young people we are talking are 25 years or younger( not to say that the older generation is doing any better). In Europe or America you are considered to be an adult at the mere age of 18 years old and we have seen where that has led their societies with disastrous consequences,the teenage pregnancy rates are high,depression is killing more people than the war in Afghanistan and we haven’t even touched the cancel that is mostly been administered in cigarettes packs daily.
So yes it is sad and sometimes shocking to see our young sisters trying to emulate their western friends but all they are doing really is trying to belong,all they need is love and mentorship of those that have been there before but it is often the case that the parents are also fighting their own internal wars,looking for acceptance and trying to make ends meet. That’s life in the 21st century,it ain’t safe no more unless you are focused of course but that’s for next article.