Why Is Problem Drinking Hitting Women So Hard?

Health problems arising from alcohol and deaths that result from misuse of alcohol are rising in America, particularly among women. In fact, research has shown that a striking 20 percent of all deaths among American adults between the ages of 20 and 49 are caused by excessive alcohol use. According to the director of the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, George Koob, Ph.D., “It’s the addiction that everyone knows about, but no one wants to talk about.”

Understandably, discussions about problematic alcohol use have taken a backseat as the opioid overdose crisis made headlines several years ago and continues to impact our country in profound ways. That being said, many people don’t realize just how common alcohol use disorders are. Considering the fact that there are 7 times more people affected by alcohol use disorders than opioid use disorders, drinking is the “unofficial” public health crisis that needs both attention and innovative solutions.

Why are women getting hit the hardest?

Not only is alcohol use and misuse among women increasing, but collectively, studies of the health effects of alcohol show that compared to men, women:

• Are more vulnerable to long-term effects of alcohol on their health
• Experience alcohol-related medical problems sooner after developing an alcohol use disorder
• Die of chronic alcoholism at a younger age than men with alcoholism
• Have greater risk of developing severe alcoholic liver disease
• Develop cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body, after fewer years of drinking and smaller amounts of alcohol consumption, compared to men
• Experience brain changes (e.g., loss of brain volume) and cognitive problems from alcohol at a faster rate than men

The risk of breast cancer among women who drink alcohol is also 5 to 9 percent greater among those who drink one alcoholic beverage a day, compared to those who are nondrinkers, and for every additional drink they consume on a daily basis, their risk increases further.

Do men and women have different risk factors for problematic alcohol use?

The short answer is yes.

For women, research has found that there are three predictors that are related more strongly to developing an alcohol use disorder than they are for men:

• Family history of alcoholism
• Experiencing an anxiety disorder early in life; and
• Addiction to nicotine

For men, characteristics that predict a stronger risk of alcohol use disorder include:

• Novelty seeking, a personality trait involving tendencies to seek out new experiences that create intense emotions. These experiences often involve risk-taking.
• Behavioral and emotional problems in childhood and adolescence, involving disregard for and aggression toward others. When formally diagnosed, these patterns of emotional and behavioral problems are known as conduct disorder.
• Childhood sexual abuse
• Loss of a parent
• Low self-esteem
• Dissatisfaction with one’s marriage

If you or a loved one is involved with alcohol in a way that concerns you, then having some idea of the types of personality characteristics, personal experiences, and genetic vulnerabilities that place a man or woman at especially high risk for developing problems can inform the steps that you take next.

If you or someone you care about has trouble controlling their alcohol use, consult a professional. I cover this topic in more depth in my book, Addiction: What Everyone Needs to Know, and on my podcast.