Alcohol and Women
24/03/2010
Nowadays it’s more common for women to drink alcohol than it once was and more common for them to drink larger amounts. It’s not unusual for women of all ages to drink, whether it’s underage teenage girls or middle-aged women drinking socially.
The Government recommends that women don’t drink any more than 14 units of alcohol within a week or three units within a day. It also recommends having a few alcohol-free days each week to allow the body ample chance to recover from drinking.
Some women do stick to these recommendations but many don’t and binge drinking amongst women is not uncommon. Research reveals that a third of women regularly drink more than is recommended by the Government and one in 14 females drinks alcohol every day. 6% of women are classed as “at risk” from their drinking because they drink more than 35 units a week.
Alcohol is linked in one way or another to the deaths of about 3,000 women in the UK annually. Some experts suggest the real figure could be even higher. Wine is the most popular drink for women, followed by spirits, beer and cider.
Women are usually smaller than men so their bodies process alcohol more slowly. They usually have more fat on their bodies as well, so the alcohol is less diluted by blood.
