Alcohol Differences Between Men And Women

Description of the Problem Both men and women have been consuming alcohol for thousands of years across the globe. In fact, as of 2014, 87.6% of people over the age of 18 report that they have tried alcohol at least once in their lifetime (NIAAA, 2015). Many of these people will drink alcohol within healthful limits, but unfortunately, numerous individuals will consume alcohol in a way that puts their health at serious risk. In 2014, 16.3 million people in the United States had an alcohol use disorder (AUD) and 5.7 million of them were women (NIAAA, 2015). The amount of alcohol considered problematic differs between men and women due to the difference in their ability to metabolize alcohol. Women have lower amounts of alcohol dehydrogenase which slows first pass metabolism. Additionally, they have lower percentage of body water and higher percentage of body fat which interferes with the body’s ability to flush out the alcohol subjecting their organs to large amounts of alcohol for a lengthier amount of time compared to men (Greenfield, Back, Lawson and Brady, 2010). The amount of alcohol a woman drinks determines whether she is considered a moderate, heavy, or binge drinker. Women are considered moderate drinkers with no more than 1 drink per day. …show more content…
For example, between 2002 and 2012 the rate of binge drinking among women rose by nearly 36% (Feder-Ostrov, 2015). Interestingly, the rate of abuse among men has remained stable indicating a great change in how women view and use alcohol (White, Castle, Chen, Shirley, Roach and Hingson, 2015). The increase of alcohol abuse in women is incredibly alarming due to the greater risk of adverse effects of alcohol on women’s health compared to their male counterparts, the effects of alcohol on neonates, increased rate of suicide, and the increased risk of sexual assault (NIAAA,