April is Alcohol Awareness Month. Let's redefine recovery — especially for women

This year let’s use the occasion of Alcohol Awareness Month to rethink our approach to imbibing and the addiction that too often comes along with it. Every tool available — from communities on social media to individual counseling strategies — should be deployed to create inclusive solutions that target the root causes of binge drinking and alcohol dependence, especially among women.

I started drinking at the age of 14 and continued until my 30s, using alcohol as a way to cope with anxiety and ADHD. In 2021, I created a new Instagram account to publicly hold myself accountable after I decided to take a break from booze. Social media and the community that emerged from my Instagram presence became a lifeline for long-term sobriety and a healthier mindset. That digital community led to in-person events — safe spaces for sober people to build their support networks in real life. Now I dedicate my time and energy to those events, recovery coaching, and working with non-alcoholic beverage brands to ensure that liquor-free options are on menus throughout New York.

In the past two decades, the United States has witnessed a stark increase in alcohol-induced deaths, with a significant surge during the COVID-19 pandemic, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, deaths from excessive alcohol use increased by almost 30% between 2016 and 2021, The New York Times reports. And shockingly, although alcohol use has historically affected men more than women, the data shows that excessive drinking is now leading to higher rates of death among women than men. New research from the Journal of the American Medical Association’s Health Forum sheds light on the crisis, finding that during the first year and a half of the pandemic, women ages 40 to 64 were at a higher risk than historically expected of experiencing serious alcohol-related complications, including liver disease, heart disease and intense withdrawal symptoms.

For far too long, the narrative surrounding alcoholism and recovery has been predominantly male-centric, neglecting the unique challenges and experiences faced by women. This is not just a failure in representation — it's a glaring indicator of systemic failures in our health care and support systems, leaving countless women to navigate their recovery journey without the resources they desperately need. For many women, drinking is not just about partying and relieving stress, it is about self-medicating and managing anxiety, depression and — as studies are finding — undiagnosed ADHD.

The rate of adult women newly diagnosed with ADHD nearly doubled from 2020 to 2022, according to recent research. This uptick in ADHD diagnoses among women coincides with a broader acknowledgment of how mental health issues can fuel substance use disorders. For many, alcohol becomes a coping mechanism for untreated mental health conditions, creating a vicious cycle of dependency that exacerbates the underlying issues. Young people with undiagnosed ADHD are more likely than their peers to turn to alcohol to self-medicate, especially when coupled with anxiety and depression.

That’s why my mission is to foster a community online and in person where individuals, especially women, can break that cycle, find support and learn practical solutions for navigating life without alcohol. Quitting alcohol was the best decision I’ve ever made. I am eternally grateful that I put myself first and broke from the vicious and toxic trap that drinking created in my life. Telling my story through social media and building an engaging and accessible community has been critical. I have been able to connect people with the help they need and offer solace and solidarity to those navigating the complexities of addiction. My goal is to use my platform to “recover out loud” and give voice to other women in similar situations.

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The increasing visibility and normalization of non-alcoholic beverage options in bars and restaurants is a testament to the shifting attitudes toward alcohol and sobriety. As I wrote in a recent Instagram and Facebook post, “drinking alcohol is out, waking up without a hangover is in!” These trends, though significant, are just the beginning. We must continue to advocate for more inclusive, gender-sensitive research and recovery programs that recognize and cater to the unique needs of women.

So let’s use this Alcohol Awareness Month as an opportunity to challenge outdated norms, advocate for comprehensive support systems, and create a more inclusive society where recovery is accessible to everyone, and nobody has to suffer in silence.

Rachel Hechtman is a New York-based addiction recovery and sober living advocate and founder of Sober In Central Park. Find her on Instagram at @soberincentralpark.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: This Alcohol Awareness Month, let’s redefine recovery for women