Kyleigh Spratley began drinking alcohol when she was 12 years old.

She said she did so because she wanted to fit in.

As an adult, in the grip of alcoholism, her life came apart, as she lost custody of her five children (by her own choice for their safety), lived out of her car, added drugs to the mix and found herself in an abusive relationship.

“I woke up one morning and just wanted to be done. I couldn’t function without drugs or alcohol in my system and it was destroying me,” she said. “So I packed up a suitcase and took a bus to the ACT.”

The Alcohol, Chemical and Treatment Center at Ogden Regional Medical Center took Spratley in and enrolled her into an intense rehabilitation program that included 28 days as an inpatient, partial hospitalization for six weeks and an intensive outpatient program for three weeks.

Today, the 34 year-old is sober and has regained control of her life again.

“I’ve been sober a little over two and a half years now,” she said. “Checking into the ACT was the best thing that has ever happened to me. I cannot express enough gratitude for their program. I do not crave alcohol. I do not crave drugs. The program changed my life.”

According to a report published this summer in the Journal of American Medical Association, deaths are rapidly increasing among those consuming excessive alcohol — and for the first time, women are drinking greater amounts than men.

But the consequences are huge, especially for women. For one thing, women have a lower amount of alcohol dehydrogenase, an enzyme that breaks down alcohol. That means, they are more susceptible to liver disease, heart disease and cancer, said Jennifer Gorder, clinical manager of behavioral health services at Ogden Regional Medical Center.

“There’s a definite physical difference in men and women and the way they process alcohol,” Gorder said. “Biologically, women have a higher percentage of body fat and less water, and of course, higher estrogen than men. This all makes the liver more vulnerable to being damaged.”

Gorder said the reason for the increase among women may be due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, although other reasons include the fact that alcohol is socially acceptable and has been more normalized as part of family gatherings, celebrations and just a “good ol’ girls’ night out.”

“We have been seeing an increase in women who come here for help,” she said. “By the time they come to us, they are really struggling with addiction, and addiction means disconnection, so in order to heal or find recovery, we have to find connection with other people experiencing the same things, so then we find hope.”

Gorder said the most important aspect of getting help is going through safe and proper detoxification.

“It is 100% dangerous to just stop cold turkey. You can have some very scary things happen,” she said. “We have physicians who give medications that produce some of those same chemicals and hormones in the body until a person gets to the point where they are no longer at risk and then we start an educational and treatment program.”

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, excessive drinking for women is more than three drinks per day and seven drinks per week.

“Alcohol kills many more people than many may realize,” Yusuf Ransome, an assistant professor at Yale’s School of Public Health, told the New York Times. “It is a major contributor to deaths linked to physical injuries, interpersonal violence, motor vehicle crashes, self-harm and other harmful outcomes.”

Spratley said because alcohol is legal, it isn’t looked at as dangerous and deadly.

“Society makes it seem like it’s not a bad thing,” she said. “And society has high standards for women, so it’s easy for them to turn to alcohol for relief. But pretty soon that one glass of wine turns into two and then three and then you’re hiding it in your closet. If you can’t stop at one drink, you have a potential problem.”

Gorder said it’s a matter of life and death for people struggling with alcohol addiction — or any addiction — to get help.

“Your chances of having serious physical concerns are very real. It becomes a matter of asking yourself if you want to stay alive and be here on this earth,” she said. “You’re not alone. There is hope and statistically it takes up to seven times to be in treatment, so don’t feel like you’re a failure if and when you come back. We are actually happy when people come back because that means they don’t want to die, and addiction kills. It’s a disease and it doesn’t discriminate.”

Newsletter