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Drink

the Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol
ksoles
Jan 02, 2014ksoles rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
In her compelling sociological study-meets-memoir, Canadian journalist Johnson expands her "Toronto Star" series on women and alcohol. Coming of age in the 1970s, Johnson played her part in closing the gender gap by acting as both a devoted wife/mother and a career-driven editor at "Maclean's." And, more centrally to her book, she fell into the trap of using alcohol as a crutch to ease the stress of this balancing act. Johnson uses her own experience of alcoholism to viscerally illustrate a broader, worsening trend among young North American women: out-of-control, binge drinking. One in five high school girls binge drinks, and, among women of childbearing age, the number only increases. Young women who drink to excess not only make themselves vulnerable to sexual abuse; they also endanger themselves physiologically. According to "Drink," a misplaced idea of female entitlement takes partial blame for this disturbing trend but the alcohol industry also plays its part by marketing trendy cocktails for women with names such as “MommyJuice" and “Skinnygirl." Ultimately, Johnston writes a lucid, gripping account that asks, “has alcohol become the modern woman's steroid, enabling her to do the heavy lifting necessary in an endlessly complex world?”