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Existing portrayals of women who drink typically fall into two categories: disturbing stories of women hitting "rock bottom," resulting in ruined careers, families, and futures, or amusing stories of fun and harmless "girls' nights out," with women drinking and overindulging as a temporary escape from a never-ending list of work and family demands. Drawing on original research and extensive interviews with a diverse group of women, author Susan Stewart challenges these stereotypes, revealing women's complex relationships with alcohol and factors associated with its use.
In On the Rocks Stewart asks a question others might prefer stay buried: what about women's lives have changed such that they drink more alcohol? Stewart's participants share stories of the many social forces that encourage women to drink: increased marketing of alcohol to women, the growing presence of alcohol in the workplace, pressure to drink from friends and family, and that drinking provides an easy "time-out" from children and housework. Stewarts' unvarnished examination of women and drinking challenges readers to think through its implications to individuals, families, and society.
List of contents
Chapter One: Why are Women Drinking So Much?
Chapter Two: What, Where, When and Why and With Whom are Women Drinking
Chapter Three: Alcohol and Identity
Chapter Four: Alcohol and the Lifecourse
Chapter Five: Work and Family
Chapter Six: Intimate Relationships
Chapter Seven: Women Who Have Stopped Drinking
Chapter Eight: Where Do We Go From Here?
About the author
By Susan D. Stewart
Summary
Women Who Drink addresses the growing public health crisis of alcohol use, overuse, and abuse among American women. The question is, what aspects of women's lives have changed such that they drink more alcohol? Author Susan D. Stewart has interviewed over 600 women of all ethnicities and income levels to provide answers to that question.
