As she approached her 50th birthday, Joanna, a Pennsylvania information-technology specialist, grew tired of hiding her 1.5-liter empties from her husband. Joanna (who asked that her name be changed to protect her privacy) began attending meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous at the suggestion of her psychiatrist. In the U.S., the 12-step abstinence- and faith-based program is embraced by the nation's courts, much of the medical establishment, insurance companies and popular culture as a one-size-fits-all approach to harmful drinking.
快过50岁生日时，宾夕法尼亚州信息技术专家乔安娜(Joanna，她要求隐瞒真实姓名以保护隐私)厌倦了向丈夫隐瞒自己1.5升的空酒瓶。乔安娜开始在心理医生的建议下参加“嗜酒者互诫协会”(Alcoholics Anonymou，简称A.A.)聚会。在美国，这个12步戒酒及建立信心的项目受到了国家法院、大部分医疗机构、保险公司及流行文化的欢迎，其被视为是应对酗酒问题的通用方法。
A.A. was founded in 1935 by two men who believed that alcohol dependence could be tamed by regular attendance at group meetings with other recovering alcoholics. Its doctrine calls for members to tame their egos, abstain from all drinking and acknowledge they are in the grip of a force they can combat only with help from a 'higher power.''
A.A.于1935年由两位男士创立，他们认为对酒的依赖可以通过定期参加与其他正在恢复的酗酒者的聚会而得到抑制。其宗旨是号召成员控制自我意识，完全放弃饮酒，并承认他们正被一种力量所控制，只有在一种“更高力量”的帮助下才能与之抗衡。
It doesn't take an advanced degree in gender studies to realize that this approach─which has worked well for millions of people─may not be perfect for women whose biggest problem is not an excess of ego but a lack of it. Women are twice as likely to suffer from depression and anxiety as men─and are far more likely to medicate those conditions with alcohol.
不需要在性别研究领域取得多高的学历就能意识到，虽然数百万人已经通过这种方法得到很好的效果，但对那些其最大的问题是自我意识太强而非缺乏自我意识的女性来说，这种方法并不完全适用。女性得抑郁症和焦虑症的几率是男性的两倍，而且用酒精来治疗这些症状的可能性也大得多。
Many women who drink heavily are also the victims of sexual abuse and have had eating disorders. The idea of being powerless can underscore a woman's sense of vulnerability, researchers say. 'Women need to feel powerful, not like victims of something beyond their control,' says Dr. Barnes. 'It gives women power to feel they themselves can change.'
许多酗酒的女性同时也是性虐待的受害者，并患有进食障碍。研究人员说，无力感会加强女性的脆弱感。巴恩斯说：“女性需要感到有力量，而不受制于超出自己控制的东西。酒精赋予女性力量，让她们觉得自己能够改变。”
Scientists are continuing to explore the biochemical differences in the way that alcohol affects men and women. Studies show that after drinking, men report feeling more powerful, often overstating their capabilities and accomplishments, while women say that it makes them feel more affectionate, sexy and feminine.
科学家们正继续探索酒精对男性和女性在生物化学上的不同影响。研究表明，在饮酒后，男性表示感觉到更有力量，通常会夸大自己的能力和成就，而女性则表示饮酒后她们觉得自己更感性、性感和有女人味。
In Europe, Hong Kong and elsewhere in the industrialized world, clinicians treat alcohol-use disorders with a variety of techniques developed in the nearly eight decades since the founding of A.A. (Researchers favor the term 'alcohol-use disorder,' which encompasses a range of severity, over 'alcoholism.') Many combine different behavioral therapies with medications such as naltrexone and topiramate, which help block cravings. Both drugs have proved to be effective in helping patients abstain or moderate. Studies around the world have found that for those who are not severely alcohol-dependent, controlled drinking is possible. Advocates of the 12-step program reject these findings and continue to maintain that abstinence is the only remedy.
从A.A.创立后的近八十年以来，欧洲、香港及其他发达国家的临床医生运用各种不同的方法治疗酒精使用障碍。（研究人员觉得用“酒精使用障碍”比“酗酒”要好，前者可涵盖各种程度饮酒。）很多医生将不同的行为疗法与纳曲酮(naltrexone)和托口酯(topiramate)等抑制酒瘾的药物相结合。这两种药物均被证明能够有效帮助病人戒掉或节制酒瘾。世界各地的研究发现，对酒精依赖不是很严重的人来说，控制性饮酒是有可能的。12步戒酒项目的倡导者对这些研究结果表示排斥，继续坚持认为戒酒是唯一的治疗方法。
For Joanna, wine was a nightly antidote for her pressure-filled job. It also provided a respite from a decade of depression after her parents' deaths.
对乔安娜来说，葡萄酒是晚上从压力重重的工作中解放的良药，它也能对自己自父母去世后已患十年的抑郁症起到缓解作用。
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