She represents a growing phenomenon that has started to worry health experts in recent years, says assistant director of Alcohol Concern in the U.K., Sue Baker. Professional women in their 20s and 30s are drinking more and incidences of alcohol-related conditions such as cirrhosis are increasing. They are single, independent, and professional women who are not marrying at such a young age or having children. Women have more fat in their bodies than men and this means alcohol circulates around the body in a more concentrated form. The perennial problem with alcohol is that society does not perceive it as a problem drug, says Nigel Hughes, chief executive of the British Liver Trust.
Plant is the co-director of the alcohol and research center in Edinburgh, Scotland.
She tells WebMD that using alcohol to cope with stress is OK as long as it's one of a range of coping mechanisms. If it's becoming her only coping tool, then alarm bells start to ring. This diary should include information about what she is drinking, whether she's drinking at home, who she is drinking with and how she is feeling when she drinks. And there are simple steps Bridget can take to reduce her alcohol intake. Alternating an alcoholic drink with a soft drink or a low-alcohol substitute is one way she can cut down.