Research shows that women who drink at least one alcoholic beverage a day have a 5-9% chance of developing breast cancer and that percentage increases with every drink consumed per day. The long-term health effects of heavy drinking in women are reason for concern. According to research, women who drink excessive amounts of alcohol are at a higher risk for developing certain serious diseases and conditions. One of the major points of concern is the increase in excessive alcohol consumption by adolescent girls.

• Menstruation may stop or become irregular due to alcohol use, or women may fall into an early menopause.
• Cooper plans to return to school this fall for a master’s degree in social work, with the goal of working to change those gender disparities in the field.
• Child, I. L., Barry, H. III, and Bacon, M. K., 1965, Sex differences, in A cross-cultural study of drinking, Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol Suppl.
• In the same study, women were discovered to produce less of these metabolizing enzymes.
• When a mother drinks, the liquor gets passed on to the baby through the umbilical cord.

Some women have a hard time maintaining close friendships and romantic relationships. They are prone to drinking alone, which is a sign of alcoholism when it happens often. Treatment providers are available 24/7 to answer your questions about rehab, whether it’s for you or a loved one.

Excessive Alcohol Use is a Risk to Women’s Health

They may be concerned about losing custody of their children if they reveal that they have an alcohol problem. Changes in hormone levels during the menstrual cycle may also affect how a woman metabolizes alcohol. Women have lower levels of two enzymes—alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase—that metabolize alcohol in the stomach and liver. As a result, women and alcoholism women absorb more alcohol into their bloodstreams than men. Our mission is to provide empowering, evidence-based mental health content you can use to help yourself and your loved ones. A significant other who misuses drugs and/or drinks excessively. “That’s when I got scared, when I tried to not drink and only made it two days,” says Cooper, now 30.

The rate of binge drinking in all-female colleges more than doubled between 1993 and 2001. Until the 1990s, most research on alcohol focused on men. Now, as women approach parity in drinking habits, scientists are uncovering more about the unequal damage that alcohol causes to their bodies. This trend parallels the rise in mental health concerns among young women, and researchers worry that the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic could amplify both patterns.

Alcohol Rehab for Women

Because a developing baby absorbs all of its nutrients through the mom’s bloodstream, alcohol can pass from mother to child, affecting brain development, critical organs, and other bodily systems. But even that may be too much for many women, depending on their mental health or family history of drinking, Sugarman said. For someone who’s otherwise healthy, the cardiovascular risk was still “fairly modest” at low levels of alcohol consumption — one drink a day or less — but it escalated exponentially beyond that amount, he noted. People who had three or more drinks per day had several-fold increases in risk, the investigation found. Women, particularly in the mom age group, have been “just bombarded” with alcohol advertising over the years, Sugarman said.

• Even if women remain reluctant to enter traditional alcohol-treatment programs, it’s important to seek medical and emotional support from other sources.
• From serious physical health issues to debilitating mental health issues, women are suffering from alcohol abuse more than ever.
• Large fluctuations in hormonal levels can cause the body to go haywire.
• When I began thinking about sobriety, I knew alcohol could be bad for the liver, but was disturbed to learn that it also attacks the immune system and is connected with over 60 different diseases.
• TheNational Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines low-risk drinking for women as no more than seven drinks a week and no more than three on any given day.

Alcohol consumption was more acceptable for women once they started working, but the stereotypes concerning what women could and could not do have changed. In extreme cases, an overdose can be life-threatening and deadly. If you notice someone drinks excessively, this is likely a sign that she has built up her alcohol tolerance.

Drinking More Than Planned

She moved back home and was soon taking a shot or two of vodka each morning before heading to the office for her finance job, followed by two more drinks at lunch. Victoria Cooper thought her drinking habits in college were just like everyone else’s. Sure, she got more refills than some and missed classes while nursing hangovers, but she couldn’t have a problem, she thought. Women can reduce the amount of alcohol they drink to reduce their risk of harms. Help your loved one by contacting a treatment provider today. Between 1999 and 2008, the number of inebriated women who were hospitalized increased by 52 percent.

Women who drink excessively are at increased risk for heart damage than men. Approximately 12 percent of all women engage in binge-drinking three times a month with an average of five drinks per binge. It is unclear why more women are developing an AUD, although some addiction experts believe this is caused by increased stress.

Women And Alcoholism: How a Male-as-Norm Bias Affects Research, Assessment, and Treatment

They may also be less affectionate or may seem less pleasant to be around. There is no known safe amount of alcohol consumption for women who are pregnant or might become pregnant. Prenatal alcohol exposure can cause children to experience physical, cognitive, and behavioral problems, any of which can be components of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders .