This tentative model for understanding the causes
of problem drinking is offered in the report
of the Cooperative Commission on the Study
of Alcoholism: «An individual who (1) responds to beverage alcohol in a
certain way, perhaps physiologically determined, by experiencing intense relief and relaxation, and who (2) has
certain personality characteristics, such as difficulty in dealing with and overcoming depression, frustration, and anxiety, and who (3) is a member
of a culture in which there is both pressure to drink and culturally induced guilt and confusion regarding what
kinds of drinking behavior are appropriate, is more likely to develop trouble than will most other people.»
It is not that retailers ignore us (M&S caters for Older Women — if you like the
kind of dreary stuff older women are supposed to wear), it is that there is such a heavy expectation that women
of a
certain age must dress in a particular way irrespective
of our
personalities and wishes.
It takes a
certain kind of pride in that knowledge, which is as varied and complex as the
personalities of its makers, and each painting in itself is a record
of that radical self - awareness.