Alcohol provokes great side effects to anyone that consumes it in excess, but it definitely poses greater consequences to women.

Besides the obvious fact that women get drunk with lower alcohol consumption than men, there are numerous side effects associated with excess drinking that women are more susceptible to experiencing. First, there is the social danger that a woman exposes herself to after binge drinking. With lowered self-control and impaired judgment, a woman can easily endanger herself to a compromising situation she may not really desire with a man. She is a lot more likely to participate in unprotected sex, promiscuous behaviors and even be a victim of crime.

Alcohol abuse takes a greater toll on women also. Women are more prone to develop alcoholic liver disease, particularly  and hepatitis, faster and with less alcohol consumption than men. What causes this? There are a few characteristics that are responsible: One, women have a lower total body water content than men, causing that women achieve a greater concentration of alcohol in the blood stream than men after consuming comparable quantities of alcohol. Secondly, hormonal levels throughout the menstrual cycle can elevate blood alcohol concentrations at different points in the cycle.

There are studies that also suggest a connection between alcohol abuse and breast cancer, assuring that the risk augments with a daily consumption of just one ounce of pure alcohol.

Drinking also takes a heavy toll on a woman’s reproductive health. Chronic alcohol abuse can cause uncomfortable and painful periods, irregular or absent periods, premenstrual discomfort and can even affect women’s fertility and can lead to early menopause. All that without even mentioning the effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy or breast-feeding.

Along with the extra health and social effects that heavy drinking imposes on women, there are also psychological factors that make it more difficult for women to seek treatment because of alcoholism. The responsibility of caring for their family and lack of support from their spouse, make it more challenging for women to seek help and combat alcoholism.

If you are a woman that suspects you have a drinking problem and are not sure of how to get help, think about how your disease affects your family, make them your main motivation for combating this disease and remember that you have to be well in order to take care of the ones you love.   Consider and alcoholic detox programme and see our links page for more help.

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