Women Downing More Than Men These Days
Women have caught up with men with the quantity of alcohol they drink and it's playing a big part in their health as a result. A recent global study that looked at the consumption habits of four million people over a period of over a century. The study saw a that successful marketing campaigns and the creation of sweeter products aimed at young women or girls were largely to blame. On top of that they saw prices being diminished. Politics is not the only place women are looking to subdue men, Some studies have even suggested that younger women may be out-drinking men.
We commonly view alcohol or drinking problems a predominantly male disorder. However, with current evidence it's suggested that young women should be targeted in reducing substance abuse. A
Historically speaking, far more men drank alcohol than women. Men born between 1891 and 1910 were twice as likely as to drink alcohol than women AND three times more likely to have a problem with drinking.
Women's Increased Drinking:
Women’s drinking has increased for a number of reasons. for starters, women have started to get jobs that were once considered "men jobs". Women have felt a need to fit in and become "one of the guys." In fact, the Office for National Statistics figures from 2011 show that women in management and professional jobs drink more than the average woman and drink more on weekdays.
People often don’t realize that alcohol has become a habit rather than a pleasure, with most women having at least one glass of wine a night during the week. Drinking consistently too much can really add up to having future health issues in the physical as well as mental areas. A lot of people don't realize how easy it is to go over the limits. Alcohol guide lines recently changed, advising both men and women that they risked harm if they drank more than 14 units a week. Previously the upper limit for men was 21 units.
Just in case you're curious, one alcohol unit is measured as 10ml or 8g of pure alcohol. This equals one 25ml single measure of whisky (ABV 40%), or a third of a pint of beer (ABV 5-6%) or half a standard (175ml) glass of red wine (ABV 12%). (Drink aware)
Experts caution that we health warnings to become mandatory on all alcohol products and media campaigns that spread awareness of the true guidelines when it comes to alcohol consumption. Historically women did not drink as much as they do today and it has been noted in many studies there has been a definite incline by the manufactures to proactively entice women to drink more.
Women’s bodies were not made to process alcohol like men's bodies. Because women have a higher fat to water ratio. Because women have less water, the alcohol in their system remains more concentrated. Unfortunately, women also were not blessed with the large livers men have.
Sarah Boseley Health editor
Monday 24 October 2016 18.30 EDT
SOURCE : © 2017 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
LINDSAY"S TAKE :
So, I know i'm not the only one who felt like they needed to slow down on the drinking this month. Especially after enjoying so much delicious wine over the holidays. Lots of people participate in something called "Dry January." Last year was the first time i had heard about it and decided to do it last year, unfortunately for the same reason; over indulgence over the holidays.
I did find, in actively avoiding consumption, i had been actually consuming a lot for really any reason. Being bored being the most prominent. I would grab a bottle if I knew my husband wouldn't be home until late and i din't have to be anywhere particular the next morning. But I soon began to realize how poisonous alcohol really is. Unlike in my college days, i couldn't bounce out of bed like tiger, I was getting old. On my last hoorah i found myself hung over in the shower the next morning trying to re-hydrate by osmosis and lacking the ability to stand for long periods of time....It was official. My partying days were over and alcohol had finally exposed it's self as the poison it truly is.
I have now, made a bet with my husband that if i stay completely sober in 2017 i get to choose our family dog. It is fairly silly, but if the health benefits i have found in just the past month are any indication of how i'll feel in the next year it will keep me motivated for a long time!