Alcohol affects women differently than men. There are increased dangers and risks for women who drink. Know your risk before pouring that second glass of wine.
1. Increased Risk For Breast Cancer
• Women who consume a drink a day have a 10 percent higher risk of developing breast cancer than women who do not drink. [1]
2. Can Endanger Pregnancy
• Pregnant women who drink heavily put their fetus at an increased risk for learning and behavioral problems and abnormal facial features.[1]
3. Alcohol Abuse
• Women are the fastest growing segment of the alcohol-abusing population.[2]
4. Higher BAC levels
• Due to lower levels of water retained in the body, women reach higher blood alcohol concentrations than men who drink the same amount.[2]
5. Alcohol breakdown
• Women break down alcohol less efficiently than men.[2]
6. High consumption negatively affects women’s cycles
• Excessive drinking may disrupt menstrual cycling and increase the risk of infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth and premature delivery.[3]
7. Increase Risk of Disease
• The risk of cirrhosis and other alcohol-related liver diseases is higher for women than for men.[3]
8. Brain Damage
• Research suggests that women are more vulnerable than men to the brain damaging effects of excessive alcohol use.[3]
9. Moderate Consumption
• Moderate drinking is defined as no more than 1 drink per day for women and no more than 2 drinks per day for men.[4]
10. Higher Income, Higher Consumption
• Women with household incomes above $75,000 are more likely to binge drink than those in lower income brackets.[5]
11. Seeking Help
• Women who abuse alcohol tend to seek out help four to five years earlier than their male counterparts.[5]
12. Deadly Dependence
• Alcohol dependence is twice as deadly for women as for men.[5]
13. Early Dieting, Later Misuse
• Girls who start dieting in sixth grade are more likely to engage in alcohol misuse later in life.[6]
14. Birth Control
• Birth control pills slow down the rate at which alcohol is eliminated from the body.[6]
15. 4.6 Million
• Approximately 4.6 million (about one-third) of alcohol abusers in the U.S. are women.[7]
16. Runs In the Family
• Women’s drinking tends to resemble that of their husbands, siblings and close friends.[7]
References
- http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/womensfact/womensfact.htm
- http://depts.washington.edu/uwcoe/healthtopics/alcohol/facts.html
- http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/womens-health.htm
- http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/03/women-alcohol-facts_n_3831152.html?slideshow=true#gallery/314718/6
- http://www.brad21.org/facts.html
- https://www.promises.com/articles/women-and-alcohol/women-and-alcoholism-2/
