02 February,2009 10:49 AM IST | | Kaumudi Gurjar
Pressure of juggling work and home leads several women to alcohol, nicotine addiction
A STRESSFUL lifestyle, the pressure of juggling work, deadlines and familial responsibilities are having a deadly impact on working women. Many women from IT and the corporate world are succumbing to different kinds of addiction, which is affecting their chances to conceive.
Dr Swati Kiran, medical and research officer at Nishigandh, a newly opened De-addiction Centre for women at Muktangan, which offers a 35-day programme, told MiD DAY about a case she had treated.
She said that an aspiring model in her early thirties, who has the habit of smoking three packs of cigarettes a day, is now facing lot of difficulties conceiving.
"Consuming excessive alcohol at parties and smoking away the pressures are common activities today, which trigger the addiction syndrome later," said Swati.
"The addiction quotient among women has gone up drastically and now our de-addiction centre treats many cases where the addicts are between 14 and 22 years of age. "Addiction has an overall impact on your body.
Nicotine and alcohol consumption affects the functioning of pituitary glands, which affect the secretion of hormones. It also affects the dopamine secretion in the brain, leading to imbalance and disorders in the reproductive system," added Swati.
Lethargy too
Prafulla Salunkhe, project director of Nishigandh, said, "The rate of addiction in the age group of 14 to 30 years in women is very alarming. Girls are facing a lot of difficulties in conceiving and addiction also results in lethargy and forgetfulness."
Salunkhe added, "Two years ago, this was an OPD for women at Muktangan. It was while treating women addicts here that we had a number of enquiries for rehabilitation facilities. This compelled us to start this all-woman de-addiction centre."
