On one hand, I agree with other comments that the author may be overly alert to alcohol dependence signals in society. It has become somewhat of a social norm

On one hand, I agree with other comments that the author may be overly alert to alcohol dependence signals in society. It has become somewhat of a social norm to joke about using alcohol to get through unpleasantness, but most people I know don't take the jokes literally. That may be difficult to see when you've had difficulty with alcohol in your own life. On the other hand, the challenges she writes about women facing aren't fabricated, and she's giving herself as an example of someone who used alcohol to deal with those challenges. She sees signs that others are doing the same, and is disturbed by it. Even if there's some projection going on there, obviously there are some other women in a similar situation, and maybe this post would be helpful to them. In some professional and social circles, I don't doubt there is also significant pressure on people of both genders, but women especially, to drink with the guys to fit in; perhaps reading this first-hand account of the effects that can have could change behaviours. It may not be perfectly unbiased, but I don't see it as worthless either. Reading some of these comments, I can't help but notice the parallel to the men on the panel discussed in the post. Commenting on the points made is one thing (ideally while trying to understand where the author is coming from more fully), but dismissing the author and her thoughts outright because you feel you know better seems counterproductive at best.