Women drinkers are on the rise. In fact, according to health surveys, more women are drinking now than at any time in recent history. In 2010, Gallup pollsters reported that nearly two-thirds of all American women drank regularly, a higher percentage than any other time in twenty-five years. Over the past 15 years, the number of women arrested for drunken driving has risen 30%, while male arrests have dropped nearly 0%.
Recent studies found the following:
- According to the Wine Institute, an industry trade group, women buy the lion’s share of the nearly 800 million gallons of wine sold in the U.S. annually—and they are its primary drinkers.
- Women absorb alcohol into the bloodstream faster and metabolize it slower than men.
- For women, drinking in moderation is defined as no more than one drink per day. (One drink is measured at 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits.)
- The risk of breast cancer increases as alcohol use increases.
- The risk of cirrhosis and other alcohol-related liver diseases is higher for women than for men.
- 40% of alcoholic women attempted to commit suicide, compared to 8.8% of non-alcoholic women.
- 58.8% of women age 15-44 drank while pregnant.
- Girls who start dieting in sixth grade are more likely to engage in alcohol misuse later in life.
- Women with eating disorders, especially bulimia, have a greater incidence of alcohol abuse than in the general population.
- 40% of women committing violence were perceived by the victim as being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs at the time of the crime.
