Women and Alcohol

It is no secret that there are many differences between men and women, including the affects of alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence have on women.  Some differences between men and women that drink heavily are the risks and health effects that are associated with alcohol abuse and addiction.  Women even have different reasons as to why they drink.  And, unfortunately, studies show that the amount of women who abuse alcohol and drugs has been steadily increasing.

Do you ever wonder why recommendations for allowable limits for alcohol consumption are less for women then they are for men?  On average, women are not only smaller than men, they also have about 10% more body fat, which means there is less body fluid to dilute the alcohol.  Of course, this contributes to women getting drunk much faster than men do.

Although there is a strong genetic component as to why women drink, there is also a strong lifestyle component.  According to research women are more likely to drink heavily if they have:

• trouble in their relationships
• never been married, are divorced or separated, or living with someone but not married
• a husband who drinks heavily
• lost their job
• a family history that included violence or incest

Women not only tend to have a lower self-esteem than men do, they also tend to turn to alcohol as a solution to a crisis.

Women’s Health Effects from Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Women who abuse or have a dependence on alcohol are more susceptible to the following health issues than men are:

• Liver Disease:  Develop alcoholic hepatitis (liver inflammation) and to die from cirrhosis.  Women liver’s produce less of an enzyme called alcohol
• dehydrongenase, which helps to break the alcohol down.  Women’s livers also do not repair themselves as quickly as men’s livers do.
• Brain Disease:  Alcohol-induced brain damage, shrinkage of the brain
• Cancer:  Studies indicate that heavy drinking increases the risk of breast cancer
• Heart disease:  Alcohol-related heart disease
• Fertility and childbirth complications
• Higher death rate (suicide, alcohol-related accidents)

More research is being done to determine how to identify women who are at risk so that treatment can be available and effective.

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