Background: Alcohol use among women is an emerging public-health concern in Sikkim, where alcohol consumption is closely intertwined with social and cultural practices. Despite comparatively high levels of alcohol use among women, alcohol-related problems may remain under-recognized because of stigma, normalization of drinking, gender-related barriers and limited help-seeking. Understanding the pathways through which social drinking progresses to problematic alcohol use is important for developing culturally appropriate community-based interventions.
Case Presentation: This case study describes a middle-aged woman living in a rural community of Sikkim whose alcohol use progressively increased from occasional social and culturally sanctioned drinking to problematic consumption. The progression occurred in the context of family stress, psychological distress, low self-esteem and inadequate family support. Initially, alcohol was consumed primarily during social gatherings and cultural occasions. Over time, drinking became more frequent and was increasingly used as a coping strategy for emotional and family-related difficultiesThe case illustrates the interaction of individual, family and community-level determinants in the development and maintenance of problematic alcohol use among women.
Discussion: Women's alcohol use in Sikkim should be understood within its broader sociocultural and psychosocial context. A study among women of reproductive age in urban Sikkim reported an alcohol-use prevalence of 36.6%, with social customs and stress identified among the reported reasons for consumption. National Family Health Survey-5 data also indicate a substantially higher proportion of women aged 15–49 years reporting alcohol consumption in Sikkim than at the national level. These findings underscore the need for gender-sensitive, culturally responsive and community-based approaches to screening, early intervention and relapse prevention.
Conclusion: The progression from socially accepted drinking to problematic alcohol use among women may involve an interplay of cultural normalization, psychosocial stress, family relationships, self-esteem and motivation for change. Community health nurses are strategically positioned to contribute to early identification, brief intervention, counselling, family engagement, relapse-prevention support and linkage with appropriate de-addiction and mental-health services. A community-based, family-inclusive approach may help address the multiple determinants contributing to women's problematic alcohol use.
Womenalcohol useSikkimproblematic alcohol useself-esteemfamily functioningpsychosocial stresscommunity health nursing
Background: Alcohol use among women is an emerging public-health concern in Sikkim, where alcohol consumption is closely intertwined with social and cultural practices. Despite comparatively high levels of alcohol use among women, alcohol-related problems may remain under-recognized because of stigma, normalization of drinking, gender-related barriers and limited help-seeking. Understanding the pathways through which social drinking progresses to problematic alcohol use is important for developing culturally appropriate community-based interventions.
Case Presentation: This case study describes a middle-aged woman living in a rural community of Sikkim whose alcohol use progressively increased from occasional social and culturally sanctioned drinking to problematic consumption. The progression occurred in the context of family stress, psychological distress, low self-esteem and inadequate family support. Initially, alcohol was consumed primarily during social gatherings and cultural occasions. Over time, drinking became more frequent and was increasingly used as a coping strategy for emotional and family-related difficultiesThe case illustrates the interaction of individual, family and community-level determinants in the development and maintenance of problematic alcohol use among women.
Discussion: Women's alcohol use in Sikkim should be understood within its broader sociocultural and psychosocial context. A study among women of reproductive age in urban Sikkim reported an alcohol-use prevalence of 36.6%, with social customs and stress identified among the reported reasons for consumption. National Family Health Survey-5 data also indicate a substantially higher proportion of women aged 15–49 years reporting alcohol consumption in Sikkim than at the national level. These findings underscore the need for gender-sensitive, culturally responsive and community-based approaches to screening, early intervention and relapse prevention.
Conclusion: The progression from socially accepted drinking to problematic alcohol use among women may involve an interplay of cultural normalization, psychosocial stress, family relationships, self-esteem and motivation for change. Community health nurses are strategically positioned to contribute to early identification, brief intervention, counselling, family engagement, relapse-prevention support and linkage with appropriate de-addiction and mental-health services. A community-based, family-inclusive approach may help address the multiple determinants contributing to women's problematic alcohol use.
Womenalcohol useSikkimproblematic alcohol useself-esteemfamily functioningpsychosocial stresscommunity health nursing