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🇦🇺 Australia /Health & Science

Face of risky drinking 'quietly changing' in Australia

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Midlife women in Australia are increasingly turning to alcohol to cope with perimenopause symptoms, potentially worsening their condition.
  • Addiction specialists note a rise in female patients aged 38-50, a demographic shift from traditional perceptions of alcohol use disorder.
  • Data shows a significant increase in risky drinking among women aged 45-60 between 2001 and 2019, with studies linking it to perimenopausal anxiety.

The landscape of risky drinking in Australia is shifting, with a notable increase in midlife women using alcohol to manage perimenopause symptoms. Mish Wright, a Melbourne woman in her late 40s, described a daily ritual of consuming most of a bottle of sauvignon blanc to cope with life's pressures, a habit that intensified as she entered perimenopause.

I would knock off at five o'clock with a glass of wine and then have another while I was cooking dinner, and then another while I was having dinner, and then there's not much of a bottle left.

— Mish WrightDescribing her daily drinking habits to AAP.

Wright experienced adverse effects, including poor sleep, as her body struggled to process alcohol. Despite being a high-functioning individual, she noticed symptoms like deja vu. After abstaining from alcohol, her sleep and overall well-being improved significantly, leading her to conclude that "alcohol over-promises and underdelivers."

My body just couldn't cope with the alcohol as well; I wasn't sleeping well.

— Mish WrightExplaining the adverse effects she experienced during perimenopause.

Addiction specialist Chris Davis observes that a majority of his patients are women between 38 and 50, a trend that initially surprised him given men's higher rates of alcohol use disorder. He explains this phenomenon by the hormonal changes during perimenopause. Declining progesterone levels can reduce the brain's GABA, a hormone that promotes relaxation, leading to increased stress and anxiety. Alcohol stimulates GABA production, offering a similar effect and making it a natural, albeit detrimental, coping mechanism for some women.

I feel like alcohol over-promises and underdelivers, and it's just easier to be abstinent.

— Mish WrightReflecting on her decision to stop drinking.

Data from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey confirms this trend, showing a significant rise in risky drinking behaviors among women aged 45 to 60 between 2001 and 2019. A Macquarie University study further supported this, finding that many women over 40 use alcohol to cope with perimenopausal anxiety. While health professionals have historically focused on identifying risky drinking in men, this evolving demographic necessitates a broader approach.

It's inextricably linked.

— Dr. Chris DavisExplaining the connection between perimenopause and alcohol consumption.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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