THE LATEST research says India is the largest producer and consumer of alcohol in Southeast Asia.

And urban women, especially young professionals, constitute an ever-growing alcohol-consumption market in the country.

Looking back at Bollywood, a bold Nadira made audiences gasp in the ’50s; in the ’60s, Meena Kumari made them gape.

But today, a woman having a drink isn’t considered a vamp or psychotic. Times have changed and many families feel comfortable with the women in their house indulging in a drink.

Aarti Akali, a teetotaler, doesn’t mind her 23-year-old daughter Gurmeet having a glass of wine.

"I don’t say that drinking is good, but we have a kind of trust in our children," says Aarti.

Gurmeet says her mother’s attitude makes her feel like an equal, an adult and responsible.

"It’s all about choice. I understand and respect the freedom that they give me with this choice," she says.

Gurmeet represents the new urban India, where women drinkers constitute 10 per cent of the market. And spotting potential, wine companies are coming out with brands targeted specifically to the urban woman.

But while some families are opening up to the idea of women drinking, the relationship between women and alcohol still creates a moral dilemma.

With the industry on such a high, it’s easy to ignore the lows and the fact that alcohol has a more detrimental effect on women than on men.

Reformed alcoholic Lakshmi Rana says the emotional toll is often much higher on women. An early marriage, coping with two small daughters and loneliness led Lakshmi to the downward spiral of alcoholism.

Her husband was unaware of her condition initially.

When asked what her husband’s reaction was when he found out about her drinking problem, Lakshmi replies, "I come from a conservative family, my husband was shocked and shattered when he found out."

It was a four-year-long bitter battle, with stories of traumatized children, stealing, betrayal and a helpless family trying time and again to get Lakshmi to quit drinking.