A bimonthly publication for and about Maine women, recently featured Crossroads for Women in its cover article “Women and Alcohol: What Gender Gap?” The article, written by Linda Hersey, takes a look at the story of one Maine woman recently charged in the deaths of 2 people, including one child, after her SUV struck an oncoming car while driving the wrong way on the Maine Turnpike. The 52-year old mother of 2 was drunk at the time. She is a real example of how the effects of alcohol have no boundaries. Hersey notes that arrests of women drunk drivers have been on a steady increase, citing a study by Washington State University that showed the percentage of female drunk driving arrests rose sharply from 9% in 1980 to 20% in 2004.
While the article focuses on women driving under the influence of alcohol, Hersey also takes a look at the different needs that women have when it comes to substance abuse treatment. Hersey writes about how alcohol can take a much harder toll on women, and how many women alcoholics have histories of trauma in their lives. Hersey sat down with Crossroads for Women’s outpatient program clinical team to find out more about our women-focused approach, which uses a relational model. As Georgana Prudhomme, director of outpatient services, explains in the article, “Women interact with each other and the world through relationships. We focus on fostering those relationships and teaching women to trust again.”
Read the full article “Women and Alcohol: What Gender Gap?” (PDF)
technorati tags: Crossroads for Women, Maine Women, article, alcohol, drunk driving
