| HAPPY HOURS - Alcohol in a Woman's Life | |
Her alcoholic sister's brush with death led writer Devon Jersild across the country to find out how other women had been helped. Now, she shares what she discovered in a compelling journey into the under-explored territory of women and alcoholism.
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News Release
Her sister had been struggling with alcoholism for years when writer Devon Jersild began the research that would become her first book. She always knew her sister was slowly killing herself with alcohol. Then, three years ago, she got a wake up call. Her sister had been checked into an emergency ward with a near lethal blood-alcohol level, and Jersild realized she might lose her - sooner than later.
One counselor she spoke with advised her to cut off all ties. Another listened to her story, then looked her in the eye and asked what she was doing to prepare for her sister's death.
Jersild refused to give up contact or hope. Instead, she began to investigate the subject of alcoholism and discovered that while a wealth of literature exists on men's experiences, little is available on the particular experiences of women. She decided to do some first-hand research of her own-to fill that gap and learn how other women had been helped.
Looking for Answers
In HAPPY HOURS: Alcohol in a Woman's Life (Cliff Street Books, An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers; February 2000; $24.00), she shares what she learned, combining information culled from treatment specialists, physicians, scientific studies, therapists, and counselors with the dramatic, true stories of women battling alcoholism.Though her sister's story would have been a book in itself, Jersild felt that by exploring the stories of women who had recovered from the disease, she might find answers her sister's experience had not provided.
"I cast my net wide in selecting women to interview," says Jersild. "I wanted my research to be as broad and inclusive as possible. But as unique as each woman's story seems, I found important similarities."
From the Northeast to the South, from the Midwest to the West Coast, and everywhere in between, the women Jersild interviewed ranged from age 18 to over 60, and come from a variety of social and racial backgrounds-black, white, Native American, Hispanic, from well-to-do professionals to the working poor.
What she found was that for most women, their struggle with alcoholism was deeply rooted in life problems. Many struggled with a mental illness, usually depression, and a history of trauma, relationship problems, eating disorders, and problems of sexuality were common.
"This intertwining of alcohol problems with other areas of their lives is what makes women's stories so similar-and why they resonate amoug women who are not alcoholic," says Jersild. "For women, more than men, alcohol seems to have a greater impact on all areas of their lives. Everything tends to go wrong at once. When they fall, they fall harder and faster."
Important Differences
Among important differences between men and women struggling with alcoholism, Jersild discovered that:- Women get addicted to alcohol more quickly than men
- Female alcoholics are twice as likely to die as male alcoholics in the same age group-and male alcoholics die at three times the rate of the general population
- Women alcoholics are less likely to be diagnosed with alcoholism, largely because it so often perceived as a "man's disease."
About the Author: Devon Jersild's articles and short stories have appeared in Glamour, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, the New York Times, USA Today, and the O. Henry Prize Anthology. She has taught creative writing at Middlebury College and for the past five years has been the administrative director of the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. She lives in Weybridge, Vermont.
HAPPY HOURS: Alcohol in a Woman's Life can be purchased online in the Alcoholism Bookstore.
