Alcohol Physiologically Affects Women Differently

Alcohol simply affects women differently than it does men, and no, that is not a sexist statement. It's backed up by years of scientific research into the gender differences concerning alcohol consumption.

Not only are female drinkers more susceptible to some health-related consequences of alcohol consumption, but research shows they are also more vulnerable than men to traumatic injuries from both traffic crashes and interpersonal violence.

While consuming the same amount of alcohol as men, women are at greater risk for liver damage, brain damage, hearth disease, and breast cancer. They are also at higher risk for developing alcohol use disorders at lower levels of consumption.

Whether it is caused by gender differences in metabolism or brain chemistry, women face higher risk that their male drinking counterparts to the medical and social negative effects of alcohol, as the articles below explain.

Alcohol's Health Risks Are Greater for Women
Women who drink heavily are at significantly greater risk of developing liver disease, heart disease, hypoglycemia and diabetes, breast cancer, fertility problems, and mental illness.

Women More Sensitive to Alcohol's Effects
Drinking the same amount of alcohol, women will get more intoxicated and more quickly than their drinking male counterparts.

Wives of Alcoholics More Likely to Abuse Alcohol
Women who are married to alcoholics are three times more likely to abuse alcohol themselves and three times more likely to work outside the home.

Heart Risks Greater for Women Drinkers
Women appear to be more sensitive than men to alcohol's toxic effects on the heart, developing problems at an earlier stage of drinking and at a lower consumption level than those noted in men.

Women Get Worse Hangovers Than Men
A study of 1,230 college students found that women get worse hangover symptoms than men even when you account for the differences in the amount of alcohol consumed.

Brain Damage Quicker for Female Drinkers
Multiple research studies have found that women with alcohol use disorders lose cognitive function more quickly than males, even among teen and college age female drinkers.

Brain Shrinkage Greater for Woman Drinkers
Women who drink to excess experience more brain shrinkage and sooner than males who drink the same amount and may experience even more severe long-term effects than men.

Drinking Alcohol and Breastfeeding
Mothers who breastfeed are receiving conflicting advice, on and off the Internet, about whether it's okay for them to consume alcohol without affecting their babies' health.

Domestic Abuse and Alcoholism
Find out more about alcohol's role in domestic abuse, why domestic violence happens, warning signs that a relationship is abusive, and more.

Return to The Alcoholism Guide.