Alienation, Attachment Style, and Alcohol Addiction “A Study of Young Women Habitual Drinkers”

Alcohol addiction has been considered as a male phenomenon but, since past few years there has been a steep rise of habitual drinking among young women also. The researches on habitual Indian young women population are sparse. This paper tries to understand alcohol addiction only among college going young women students from the perspective of their attachment style that develops early in life and alienation.

To study the effect of attachment style on alcohol addiction among young Indian women. To study the association of alcohol addiction and alienation among young Indian women.

Present study uses Ex-post facto design and a sample of 100 college going young Indian women (50= addictive and 50=non addictive) in the age group of 18–24 years.

The Insecure attachment is significantly associated with alcohol addiction as well as feeling of alienation whereas, secures women who are habitual drinker show low score on alienation. Present study refutes the old association of alcohol addiction and resultant feeling of alienation among young women. On the contrary they form drinking group affiliations.

The results demonstrate that styles of attachment at an early age determines the pattern of association between alcohol addiction and alienation. Women with insecure attachment style are more likely to exhibit distrust and fear, and avoid closeness and intimacy in relationships with people around. Such circumstances could encourage alcohol addiction and “alienation” as the resultant feeling or cause of alcohol addiction among Indian women students. We need to systematically study reasons like paradigm shift in value system, changed life style etc.