LIPSTICK & LIQUOR: Powerful Documentary Exploring the Secret World of Women Who Drink to Open in Theaters Across the U.S. and Canada

LIPSTICK & LIQUOR: Powerful Documentary Exploring the Secret World of Women Who Drink to Open in Theaters Across the U.S. and Canada

Film Targets Mothers and Career Women: Women Ages 35 to 55 Resist Treatment 12 Times More than Men

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Lipstick & Liquor, a timely and compelling documentary that explores the hidden world of suburban women who drink, as well as the stigma that causes them to refuse treatment, will premiere at New York City's REEL Recovery Film Festival on Sunday, September 30, 2012 at 3:00PM at the Quad Cinema. A Q&A session with the filmmaker and women profiled in the film will immediately follow the showing. Screenings in Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale, and Vancouver will take place in October and November. A Washington, D.C. premier of the film is planned for early 2013. This is the first time the film fest will be held in Manhattan. From Friday, September 28 to Thursday, October 4, moviegoers will get an up-close look into the world of substance abuse and those affected by it.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), alcoholism is the third leading cause of preventable death among women between the ages of 35 and 55. "The statistics are startling," says filmmaker Lori Butterfield, who spent the past two years researching the topic of women and alcohol. "DUI arrests of women are up 30% from a decade ago, while arrests for men are down. Binge drinking among women is also on the rise. Through this film, I have learned that there is a real double standard in our society; women drinkers are treated differently than men."

Lipstick & Liquor begins with the haunting story of Julie Kroll, a 39-year-old suburban mother from Woodbridge, Virginia. Julie went missing on December 16, 2009 when she stumbled away from a minor car crash in the dead of winter, leaving her eight-year-old daughter behind in the car. Police also found an open container of alcohol in the car. At the outset, Prince William County Police treated Julie as a criminal instead of an endangered missing adult. After the story broke, Julie was vilified online for being an irresponsible and neglectful mother.

Butterfield, an Emmy award-winning producer and writer, felt compelled to create Lipstick & Liquor after reading Julie Kroll's story in the newspaper. Through her research, Butterfield discovered that many women turn to alcohol to cope with the intense pressure of juggling work, family and financial demands. "Many women become 'kitchen drinkers' and hide the fact that alcohol is taking over their lives," says Butterfield. "What starts out as a drink to take the edge off after work, or when the kids go to bed, leads to drinking even more, which can progress over time to alcohol abuse."

Psychotherapist and author Dr. Anita Gadhia-Smith, one of the experts in the film, agrees. "In my practice, I see a lot of professional women who are also mothers, they have marriages, families and careers, and they are trying to be all things to all people," says Dr. Gadhia-Smith. "They have less and less time to take care of themselves and that can show up in all kinds of ways, like alcoholism and other health issues."

Today, a growing number of adult women drink to excess, and the consequences they face are dramatic. Alcohol plays a role in thousands of bankruptcies and divorces. Yet the families and friends of women who abuse alcohol often fail to recognize--or acknowledge-- the problem.

In the film, Dr. Deidra Roach, Medical Project Officer in the Division of Treatment and Recovery at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), talks about the barriers for women seeking help. "Sadly, women who have a problem with alcohol are much more harshly judged by our society than men. And that stigma has caused women to be 12 times more likely to resist seeking treatment than men."

Among women, alcoholism is less likely to be recognized by a doctor, and more likely to reach advanced stages before it's discovered. Through the film, Butterfield hopes to spark a new dialogue about the issue. "I want to start a new conversation about this issue among families, friends, the media and the medical profession. I hope the film inspires women to feel safer coming forward about their problem and getting help. I also want people to truly understand that alcohol dependence is a disease."

Lipstick & Liquor also profiles four remarkable women in various stages of recovery. National experts help viewers understand the depth and complexity of the problem including, Senior VP of Treatment Services and Medical Director of Father Martin's Ashley Dr. Bernadette Solounias, and author and senior editor at The Atlantic Hanna Rosin. Rosin's book, The End of Men: And the Rise of Women, is out this month.

To watch the documentary trailer, please visit our website at www.lipstickandliquor.com and our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/lipstickandliquor.

To learn more about the festival, please visit http://reelrecoveryfilmfestival.org/

Clips from the film will be made available to the media and interviews can be arranged with the women and experts featured in the documentary, as well as the filmmaker.

After debuting in NYC, the film will be shown in the festival's three other venues: Vancouver - October 20th at the District 319; Los Angeles - October 26-30 at the Laemmle Monica 4-Plex; and Fort Lauderdale- November 2-4 at the Hyatt Bonaventure Resort and Spa.

About REEL Recovery Film Festival: This unique seven-day film festival is designed to engage people in a frank and open conversation about the issues surrounding substance abuse. Now in its fourth year, the REEL Recovery Film Festival is coming to New York City and Fort Lauderdale for the first time. Los Angeles will hold its fourth festival, and Vancouver, Canada will hold its second international festival.

CONTACT: For more information about Lipstick & Liquor and to schedule interviews, please contact Joann Donnellan with JD MEDIA, LLC at joann@jdmediapr.com Tel: 703-966-1990, or the filmmaker Lori Butterfield at lipstickandliquor@gmail.com, Tel: 202-255-1537.





SOURCE REEL Recovery Film Festival

REEL Recovery Film Festival

Web Site: http://reelrecoveryfilmfestival.org/


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