But no one is talking about the tight correlation between alcohol and women’s health. «There needs to be more education around the harms related to alcohol use, the normalization and the kind of heightened risk that alcohol has specifically to females relative to males,» he said. «We need more education around the harms of alcohol use and how the same amount can pose greater health risks for women than men,» Shuey said. Many risk factors influence the development of AUD in both men and women such as genetic factors like a family history of alcoholism.19 However, research has shown that women have a higher chance of developing alcohol-related health issues, both earlier and at lower levels of use than men do.10 Below are some ways in which alcohol use, abuse and alcoholism can affect women’s mental and physical health. In 2019, 4% of the overall female population and 8% of women between the ages of 18 and 25 had an AUD.1 The younger a person starts drinking, the more likely they are to become addicted.
In general, for both men and women, chronic drinking carries with it an increased risk of long-term detrimental health effects. Taken together, the papers included in this virtual issue on women and alcohol highlight important new knowledge on sex differences in patterns of alcohol use, consequences of alcohol misuse, and approaches to identification and treatment. Across studies, patients in women-only treatment averaged significantly more days in care, were more than twice as like to complete treatment and were more than two times less likely to report substance abuse at follow-up compared with women in mixed-gender treatment (Greenfield et al, 2008; Grella, 2009, Prendergast et al, 2011).
Finally, of particular interest to women is that alcohol use increases the risk of breast cancer, which could affect personal decision-making regarding alcohol. Clearly, these types of evidence can be meaningfully reflected in low-risk drinking messages and guidance. Finally, there are no standard definitions regarding what a standard drink is or what a social drinker is, and the findings from one study cannot be generalized to another study. Conveying sex-related differences is especially important for individuals in assessing their own risk and potentially changing their behaviours. Advances in knowledge translation and implementation suggest that it is important to work with subpopulations to tailor messaging to effectively convey sex/gender and equity-related vulnerabilities related to alcohol use beyond basic population level messaging .
Starting in the ’90s, alcohol companies launched products like Smirnoff Ice that were meant to appeal to young women. In the 1970s, women’s magazines advised readers that wine could be part of an “Anti-Tension Diet,” as the journalist Gabrielle Glaser writes in Her Best-Kept Secret. Though the blockbuster antidepressant was marketed toward both genders, “there were some explicitly gendered Drug Treatment and Recovery Prozac ads that had to do with pitching Prozac to help women handle the double workday.
Acute intoxication increased perfusion in bilateral frontal regions in males but not in females. There are numerous indications that brain function post-alcohol use is different in males and females. These findings suggest that females develop and have more progressive liver injuries, even when consuming lower quantities of alcohol . Sex-related factors play an important role in the development of alcoholic liver cirrhosis and in the progression of alcoholic liver disease .
This is generally more damaging to the health and well-being of females; however, all genders experience differential social and biological factors that impact their health. These results may not be wholly applicable to other countries with different approaches to gender issues, women’s health or the inclusion of sex and gender in policy. In the countries mentioned in the Introduction, there are varying degrees of cultural diversity, underscoring the importance of a gendered intersectional lens in building and assessing evidence and designing low-risk drinking guidelines that reflect the impacts of culture, SES, education, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and age. Thus, messaging in low-risk drinking guidelines needs to identify these and other gender-related vulnerabilities related to alcohol use.
1.2. Impact on Disease Processes
One might dismiss the spike as attributable to the stresses of the pandemic, except that women’s high-risk drinking was increasing rapidly before then, too. During the first year of the pandemic, women increased their “heavy drinking” days—days on which they had four or more drinks—by 41 percent, compared with 7 percent among men. Compared to men, women are more at risk for developing health concerns sooner, with some consequences of excessive alcohol consumption only occurring in women. Some choose not to include this sex- and gender-specific evidence, perhaps based on overarching risk curves that imply little population-based sex difference in overall morbidity and mortality from alcohol 6,9,83.
Risk Factors that May Contribute to AUD in Women
Thirteen of the fourteen identified studies report at least partial support for intoxication impairing the attention to cues, interpretation of social information, or intended behavioural response in a hypothetical sexual assault scenario. The possibilities of modifying gendered beliefs and patterns linked to risk behaviours is an important aspect of prevention, and more precise development of gender measures is necessary to further deepen the study of these relationships. The prevailing social roles are the standard or normative behaviours expected of girls, boys, women, and men, including norms and behaviours regarding the use of, amount of, or intoxication related to alcohol use in a particular cultural or subgroup context. These elements are temporal and culturally specific and interact with sex-related factors to produce how to write a goodbye letter to addiction banyan heartland effects or impacts, and potentially have differential impacts in different countries or societies.
Utilizing programming focusing on gender-specific needs and issues gives them a higher chance of success. Treating the whole person is a common goal in treatment plans for women because addressing all their needs simultaneously will enable them to maintain recovery long-term. An increase in hormones during this time means some women will experience an increase in alcohol’s effects for more extended periods. In women, alcohol remains in the system longer, increasing its effects. Gender makes a difference in how alcohol affects health. Sunnyside Med offers access to compounded naltrexone (50mg + B6 5mg), paired with behavioral tools to help you reduce your drinking over time.
For her part, when Whitaker quit drinking, she switched to healthier coping mechanisms, such as exercise, breathwork, and essential oils. It can be tempting to shut down any anti-alcohol message with the argument that women should be allowed to drink heavily if they want to. In 2014, the head of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism promised an executive at the Distilled Spirits Council that it would not fund research on the relationship between alcohol advertising and underage drinking. In the 19th century, doctors prescribed opiates such as laudanum for menstrual cramps, “nervous dyspepsia,” and other “female problems.” Women soon comprised the majority of morphine and opium addicts, among them “our weary sewing-women and … our disappointed wives,” as one writer put it. Each additional drink a woman consumes daily increases her breast-cancer risk, and alcohol accounts for about 15 percent of all breast-cancer cases. Women’s use of alcohol to regulate stress is a problem because women develop alcohol-related health issues more rapidly than men.
- Thirteen of the fourteen identified studies report at least partial support for intoxication impairing the attention to cues, interpretation of social information, or intended behavioural response in a hypothetical sexual assault scenario.
- And yes — we hate to be the bearers of bad news, but even moderate drinking carries some risks.
- Researchers said the study calls attention to the health risks of alcohol consumption and underscores the importance of considering alcohol use in heart disease risk assessment and prevention efforts.
- For example, a small study from New Zealand found women who reduce their drinking or do not drink at all during fertility treatment were twice as likely to conceive as those who did not alter their drinking patterns before treatment .
- Thus, alcohol screening, brief intervention and referral for specialty treatment as needed is critical across health care settings, including primary care and mental health services, particularly for women.
- If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol misuse or addiction, it’s important to know that there is help available.
This Canidate article highlights the need to continue to use rigorous research designs to study differences in the efficacy of naltrexone on women versus men. Historically, gender has typically not been taken into consideration in psychopharmacologic treatment for AUD, and women have been underrepresented in AUD medication trials.29 However, research has begun to improve in this area. Relatedly, women have shown a preference for AUD treatment settings that offer childcare.23 Thus, more easily accessible, children-friendly treatment centers with wide availability are also likely to improve treatment utilization among women with AUD. Women with AUD are more likely than men to be in an intimate relationship with a partner who also has AUD,16 and women tend to have less spousal and family support for recovery.17 Further, women generally report more logistical barriers to treatment utilization, including greater difficulties with transportation, lack of available childcare, and inadequate insurance coverage.17
It is not intended as a statement of the standard of care. Women can develop alcohol use disorder no matter what stage of life they’re in. “We really need to be focused on a personalized medicine perspective—particularly in regard to addiction and alcohol.” McKee hopes her program will help contribute to a healthier society overall.
1.5. Impact on the Brain
The benefits of exercise for our mental and physical health are well documented. Buy a lovely notebook and keep a daily record of how your alcohol-free month is going. Drygoodsdrinks.com have a fantastic selection so order a sample and find your favourites.
- The impacts of binge drinking are also sex-specific as acute intoxication increased cortical perfusion in bilateral frontal regions in men but not in women .
- Two studies compared behavioral couple therapy to individual treatment for women with AUD and their male partners.50,51 O’Farrell and colleagues compared behavioral couple therapy to individual treatment for women with SUD and their male partners.52 All three studies found that the behavioral couple therapy led to positive changes in alcohol or drug use, with better alcohol or drug use outcomes for the women receiving couple therapy.
- The impact of alcohol on breast cancer is of particular importance to females and women 15,16.
- In this report, it is stated that the evidence base on women’s breast cancer risk had grown since the previous drinking guidelines in 1995, specifically, that this risk starts from any level of alcohol consumption, and rises in a dose-response manner.
- Rates for White males and females increased by 32.4% and 85.0%, respectively, whereas rates for Black males and females declined by 27.5% and 10.7%, respectively.
- Such situations are unique to women and girls and reinforce a range of biological and social factors that operate together in the context of myriad intersectional factors, characteristics, and processes.
Since 2012, alcohol has been classified as a group one carcinogen by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer . Studies first indicated a correlation between alcohol use and breast cancer in the mid 1990s. This is reflected in the guidelines from the UK Chief Medical Officers’, which highlight that recent evidence suggests “net benefits from small amounts of alcohol are less than previously thought and are significant in only a limited part of the population”. Liver enzymes which process alcohol and medication lose effectiveness with age, and the central nervous system becomes more sensitive. This is consistent with women in developed countries having a generally higher burden of chronic disease morbidity – but not mortality – than men .
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Messages in support of sex-specific lower risk drinking guidelines can include information on the faster and more damaging effects of alcohol for women, thus helping women gauge how much and how frequently they will drink. Another study concluded that transgender compared with non-transgender first-year students engage in higher-risk drinking patterns and experience more alcohol-related blackouts (ARBs) and other negative alcohol-related consequences (ARCs) . However, several individual studies show comparable gender influences on drinking for young people identifying as transgender, including influences, such as the links between alcohol use and risky sexual behaviour and with identity formation as college students 66,67,68. These relational gender influences on women’s alcohol use prompt consideration of settings, such as schools, colleges, and sexual health clinics, as locations for sun rocks thc sharing lower risk alcohol use guidelines. Evidence from a study that examined drinking history associations with regional white matter volumes in abstinent alcoholic men and women reported differences by sex. With respect to women’s health and alcohol use, it is important to clarify which aspect of sex may be of importance in developing and denoting specific advice regarding alcohol consumption.
For example, 89% of victims reporting four or more incidents are women, and women are more likely to have injuries that require medical attention than men . The 2018 Crime Survey for England and Wales found seven in ten victims of partner abuse in the past year were women . A recent study in England indicated as many as 17% of children screen positive for FASD , requiring assessment to determine whether a diagnosis should be made. However, knowledge of the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines was lacking as these guidelines had not been communicated to midwives and there was limited training on alcohol available. The guidance also stated parents should not share a bed or sofa with their babies if they have drunk any alcohol, as this has a strong association with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) . There is evidence that some of the negative impact of alcohol on fertility can be reversed.
Women with alcohol use disorder (AUD) experience more barriers to AUD treatment and are less likely to access treatment than men with AUD. Through its world-renowned family of JACC Journals, NCDR registries, ACC Accreditation Services, global network of Member Sections, CardioSmart patient resources and more, the College is committed to ensuring a world where science, knowledge and innovation optimize patient care and outcomes. As the preeminent source of professional medical education for the entire cardiovascular care team since 1949, ACC credentials cardiovascular professionals in over 140 countries who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is the global leader in transforming cardiovascular care and improving heart health for all.
And yes — we hate to be the bearers of bad news, but even moderate drinking carries some risks. This makes them more vulnerable to the long-term health effects of heavy drinking. That’s because, although men are more likely to drink excessively, women tend to metabolize alcohol more slowly. In fact, in 2025, the Surgeon General published an advisory that highlighted alcohol as the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the US, and that women are at higher risk. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over time, drinking alcohol has been linked to several types of cancers, and excessive alcohol use can lead to heart disease, liver disease and alcohol use disorder. «That has big implications just for health down the line … including the progression to alcohol related liver disease,» said Dr. Bryant Shuey, lead author of the study, which was published in JAMA, and a physician at the University of Pittsburgh.
If you suspect that you or someone you know may have a drinking problem, consult with a health care provider. ABC News Medical Contributor Dr. Darien Sutton told «Good Morning America» that there is a physiological difference between men and women when it comes to the effects of drinking, making women less able to metabolize alcohol as quickly as men. Societal pressures and other community factors may influence people’s decisions to take certain health risks.