June Russell's Health Facts

Alcohol - Women

[Overview] [Rape] [Sexual Assault Statistics] [College Statistics] [Estrogen] [Reproduction] [Menstruation/PMS] [Breast Feeding] [Breast Cancer] [Pregnancy] [Drinking & Driving] [Women's Alcohol Sensitivity] [Healthy Alternatives] [Related Links]

Overview

Women's bodies are more sensitive to the effects of alcohol than men's because of lower body weight, having 10% more fat than men's and having less water in their bodies to dilute the alcohol (so the concentration of alcohol in the body is higher). Women have lower levels of alcohol dehydrogenase (AHD), the enzyme for breakdown of alcohol. In women's stomachs the alcohol stays longer in the system before being metabolized, and this results in a greater effect of alcohol. Due to hormonal changes which affect the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, menopause and sometimes beyond, women have a less predictable response to alcohol both physically and psychologically. Women taking the contraceptive pill tend to show a more predictable response but they metabolize alcohol more slowly so the alcohol stays in their system longer.

Women tend to have a much shorter drinking career than men before the onset of serious medical problems, and incur liver damage sooner too. It is more common for women to be prescribed tranquilizers or sleeping tablets than men, so the combination with alcohol can be dangerous, and can increase vulnerability to dependence and psychological problems. There is a lot of pressure for women to drink that comes from the many pro-alcohol advertisements, the encouragement from male friends or partners, and relatives or work colleagues.

The real freedom women experience lies in making an informed choice whether to drink or not. New research shows that alcohol, even in small amounts, affects the ability of college students to learn and remember new information (Duke University Chronicle). Alcohol use raises the risk of breast cancer, and alcohol is now listed as a carcinogen, along with arsenic, asbestos, benzene and others.

Alcohol plays a large part in unwanted sexual behavior and date rape. Alcohol consumption is no justification or excuse for rape, however, alcohol consumption by men is likely to enhance the likelihood that misinterpretation will occur and lead to sexual assault. It is a 'rape' mentality when a man starts out on a date thinking he is going to have sex and doesn't take the person into account. Alcohol can cause women to miss cues that suggest an assault is likely, and decrease the likelihood that they can successfully resist an assault, either verbally or physically.

Over the last century, the rate of alcoholism has been four or five times higher for men than women, but in the baby boomer generation, the rate is now closer to two to one. Women are gaining in this area unfortunately, says Dr. Robert Morse, a psychiatrist who heads the NCADD medical science committee and is former director of addiction programs at the Mayo Clinic.
{"Drinking takes a very heavy toll on the minds and bodies of those who overindulge," HealthScout.com - May 2002}

Alcohol impairs inhibitions, judgment and decision making in both men and women. Mixing alcohol and sex increases the risk of being sexually assaulted, and getting a sexually transmitted disease, or simply being in an embarrassing and awkward situation in the morning. Over half of the women diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease were drunk at the time of infection. One in five college students abandon safe sex practices when they are drunk, and according to state law, a person who is unconscious, incapacitated (whether from alcohol, drugs or illness), or retarded, cannot give consent to sex. Therefore, if sexual contact occurs under these conditions, it is sexual assault.

The male attacker is often held less responsible for the rape when he was intoxicated than when he was sober. In contrast, the female victim was held more responsible when she was intoxicated than when sober. Thus the costs of intoxication are higher for women. Rape is always the responsibility of the rapist!

Facts about Women and Rape

Some of the myths that are widely held and reinforced in the media:

Myth: Rape is caused by the rapist's uncontrollable sexual urge.
Fact: Rape is an act of power and control, not sex.
Myth: Most rapists are strangers to their victims.
Fact: Most rapists are committed by someone the victim knows: a neighbor, friend, family member, or partner. Only one in five is a stranger.
Myth: If victims didn't drink, they wouldn't be sexually assaulted.
Fact: Alcohol does not cause rape; it is only one of the many tools that rapists use.
Myth: If the victim didn't physically struggle with or fight the assailant, it wasn't really rape.
Fact: Assailants are not looking for a fight and they use many forms of coercion, threats, and manipulation to rape. Alcohol and other drugs are often used.

Sexual Assault Statistics

More than 75% of college students who experience unwanted intercourse are under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the incidence.

Sixty percent of college women who have acquired sexually transmitted disease (including AIDS) were under the influence of alcohol at the time they had intercourse.

Between 15 and 30% of college women had been the victim of acquaintance rape at some point in their lives.

Two-thirds of rape victims between the ages of 18 and 29 know their attacker and over 60% of the rapes occur in residences.

National College Statistics on Sexual Behavior

From Sexual Assault Services, George Mason University - www.gmu.edu:

Only 5% of victims report the crime because of the moral ambiguities fostered on campus, and only a small number of those cases go forward. Forty-two percent never mentioned what happened to anyone at all.
{Bohmer and Parrot, 1993}
Eight in 10 college rapes involve someone the attacker knew, more than half involved a date. Eighty-six percent of these rapes occurred in off-campus housing or in a car. Prior to the rape, 42% of the victims had been virgins.
{Koss, Mary, Rape on Campus; Facts and measures, Planning for Higher Education, Spring, 1992}
Ninety percent of all campus rapes occur under the influence of alcohol.
{1994, Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse} Men are more likely than women to assume that a woman who drinks alcohol on a date is a willing sex partner. Forty percent of the men who think this way also believe that it is acceptable to force sex on an intoxicated woman .
{Journal of American College Health, 1991}
Alcohol use at the time of the attack was found to be one of the four strongest predictors of college women being raped (Koss and Dinero, 1989). One in 12 male college students committed acts that meet the legal definition of rape.
{Mary Koss, PhD, in interviews with more than 9,000 students}
Forty-three percent of college men admitted using coercive behavior to have sex, including ignoring a woman's protest, even physical aggression, and forcing intercourse. Fifty percent had acknowledged they had committed acquaintance rape. Eleven percent acknowledged using physical restraint to force a woman to have sex.
{Koss, 1987}
One out of every four college women polled were sexually assaulted during their four years of college .
{Ms. Magazine study on sexual assault and rape}
In 25% of the on-campus assaults, the assailant used no identifiable form of pressure, slightly less than half the incidences occurred on campus, and most assaults occurred on weekends.
{State Council of Higher Education of Virginia, 1995}

Alcohol has been linked to risky sexual behavior among youth. It influences judgment and increases the risk that an individual is more likely to have sex without a condom, and have multiple or high risk partners.
Ninety percent of all campus rapes occur under the influence of alcohol. As many as 70% of college students admit to being engaged in sexual activity primarily as a result of being under the influence of alcohol, or to having sex they wouldn't have had if they had been sober.
Alcohol use by the victim or perpetrator is frequently associated with acquaintance rape (over half of both the victim and the perpetrator are under the influence of alcohol).
Rape is defined as having sexual intercourse with another person without consent and with an element of force (intercourse is defined as penetration).
One in four college women have either been raped or suffered attempted rape.
Fifty percent of the women surveyed reported some form of sexual assault, twenty-five percent being the victims of rape or attempted rape.
Only one rape out of 10 is reported (some reports say only five percent).
College students are more vulnerable to rape than any other age group.
One in 12 college men admit to rape. Over half the college men report they would rape a woman if they were certain they would get away with it. In one study 40% of the men felt that it was acceptable to force sex on a drunk date, and in a different study 75% of a group of acknowledged date rapists said that they sometimes got women drunk in order to increase the likelihood of having sex with them.
Sexual assault includes all forms of unwanted sexual activity.

--- Alcohol and High-risk Sex ---

As men report decreased sexual arousal as a function of alcohol dose, there were accompanying lowered erection levels, but as women's BAC's increased, however, their physiological indicators of arousal decreased; yet women reported they felt more sexually aroused. Men's sexual arousal is influenced by expectation, so if they believe they have consumed alcohol, whether or not they really have, they exhibit increased sexual arousal. There is definitely a relationship between alcohol use and high risk sex.
{"Women and Alcohol," National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 1996}

Sixty percent of college women diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease were drunk at the time of infection.
{MADD Online: Youth Statistics, Nov. 2001}

Both men and women expect drinking alcohol to have a positive effect on sexual experience, despite the fact that physiologically, alcohol tends to decrease sexual arousal. Women's alcohol use may lead to increased vulnerability for violent victimization, and women's violent victimization may lead to an increased use of alcohol. The link between alcohol and aggression was different for women and men; men's drinking was more likely to be connected to their aggression, whereas women's drinking was more likely to be related to their victimization. About half of college men used alcohol to make their dates more sexually responsive. Alcohol disrupts cognitive abilities, and it is probable that the connections between alcohol and rape may be that drinking disrupts the perpetrator's ability to interpret cues from the victim, and/or the victim's ability to assess situations and protect herself.

--- Alcohol and Sexual Assault ---

For a new college student, the first weeks of school can offer a world of opportunities, but it is also the time when the greatest dangers exist. The majority of the sexual assaults occur within the first weeks of school. "The stranger in the bush scenario just isn't the case," said Matt Sanders, program assistant at the Oasis Center for Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence. "Most incoming freshmen believe the greatest risk from sexual assault is from a total stranger."

Irene Anderson, program coordinator for Oasis, says clear communication is the key to prevention. Sanders cautions that men sometimes think they have consent because the woman does not say anything, and alcohol use can confuse the situation.

If a woman is using alcohol, she can't really give consent. Legally under the influence of alcohol a woman can't give her consent to sexual behavior.

Antonia Abbey, Assistant Professor at Wayne State University, states that over half of campus sexual assaults involve the use of alcohol by the man, the woman, or both. In the past, less than five percent of sexual assaults have been reported. However, with the opening of Oasis, both Anderson and Saunders are hoping the statistics will rise.

Alcohol can affect those skills that can protect a person from being involved in sexual assault. When drinking alcohol, people's thinking can get distorted. Therefore they can miss important signals such as voice or behavior changes, and they are also less likely to avoid or talk their way out of a conflict. Communication is very important but men and women who have been consuming alcohol can be less able to communicate about what they want and what they do not want out of a sexual relationship. The odds that "maybe" or "no" may be interpreted wrong, increase when either party has been drinking. Some perpetrators may even push others to drink so the victim will be less likely to resist physical or emotional pressure to resist sexual activity. Regardless of how much a person drinks, no one is ever justified in forcing sex if the other party says 'no' or is under the influence of alcohol.
{www.edc.org/hec/pubs/rapefly.htm} and {www.ksu.edu/counseling/daterape.html}

--- Alcohol and Rape ---

"Rape most often occurs in the first few weeks of school, campus research shows."
{by Jimi Jo Story, Arizona Daily Wildcat, Aug. 23, 1996}

Alcohol plays a role in 70% of the date rape cases. Consent in some states is not meaningful if under the influence of alcohol, drugs or prescription medication.
{"Sexual corrections," Mary P. Koss, Professor of Psychology at the University of Arizona, author of the survey of rape and college-age students. Newsweek, Oct. 25, 1993}

One out of five women worldwide will be the victim of rape or attempted rape during her lifetime. Alcohol is involved in sexual assaults ten times more than GHB, the date rape drug, yet it is the GHB that is being demonized by the media! .
{"Will the real date rape drug please stand up?" by Ward Dean, MD, in Vitamin Research News, June 2000. J. Analytical Toxicology, 1999}

When a partner drinks alcohol, it is a red flag for risky sex. If the man is going to be drinking, don't go out with him.
{HealthCentral.com - Nov. 2000}

A study by Mary Koss, Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Arizona, states that eight out of ten rapes involve someone the victim knows, and over half the rapes involve a date situation.

Alcohol, Estrogen and Breast Cancer

Just a half-a-glass of wine almost doubles the level of estrogen in women on ERT.
{"Estrogen and Alcohol Don't Mix," Optimum Wellness newsletter, Winter 1997}

Studies have reported that for women who are at risk for breast cancer, one drink a week raises the risk by 50%, and a 100% for more than three drinks a week.
{in the book "Understanding Alcohol," by Jean Kinney, 1992} For more information see Alcohol - Cancer on this Web site.

Alcohol may work to increase in the risk of breast cancer by raising IGFs (insulin-like growth factors), which, like estrogen, can promote breast-cell growth. Some studies have indicated that alcohol, which is high in carbohydrates, increases the level of insulin and of receptors for IGF. The overall effect is to make breast cells more responsive to IGF.
{susanlovemd.com, Nov. 2001}

Both alcohol and vitamin C are reported to boost estrogen levels, also grapefruit, like many medicines, can interact with estrogen. Be aware of potential problems.
{"Frequently Asked Questions," the peoplespharmacy.com, July 1999}

After pooling the studies of 32,000 women, Harvard School of Public Health researchers concluded that a half-a-drink of alcohol a day increases breast-cancer risk by 6%, one or two drinks a day by 16%, and two to five a day, by 40%.
{"Limit your drinking," goodhousekeeping.women.com, Nov. 2001}

Reproduction

In men, alcohol lowers sperm count that can cause impotence. In women, alcohol can cause hormonal changes that result in irregular menstruation and infertility.
{“Healthy Lifestyle,” intelihealth.com, Harvard Medical School’s Consumer Health Information, Nov. 2002}

The effects of alcohol use can impair and deteriorate sexual functioning, resulting in impotence and infertility, sometimes irreversible. Females also have a high risk of developing breast cancer.
{“Alcohol - The effects on the body: reproductive system,” Cambridgeshire Alcohol Advisory Service, England, gurney.co.uk/drinksense, Nov. 2002}

Alcohol - Menstruation and PMS

Tolerance for alcohol decreases during PMS and causes an increase in depression.
{in the book, "You are what you drink," Luks and Barbato, 1989}

According to a report in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, regular alcohol consumption reduced the probability of having cramps, however, it increased the duration and severity of cramps in women who got them.
{Reuters, 1996}

Forty percent of women who are of childbearing age have PMS for a week or two before their period. It is vital to keep blood sugar on an even keel. Be careful with alcohol because it takes a smaller amount of alcohol to affect women during this time. The recommendation is 'no alcohol.'
{Premenstrual Institute Web site, Aug. 2000} Editor's comment: Check Alcohol - Diabetes on the negative effects of alcohol on blood sugar.

According to the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH), PMS affects 3% to 7% of women, but the symptoms linked to the syndrome are far more widespread. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) says that about 80% of women experience emotional or physical changes in advance of their menstrual periods, with 20 to 40% of these women finding themselves problematic.
{"PMS: Pretty miserable symptoms," Washington Post Health, Aug. 1, 2000}

Alcohol use interferes with the normal production and maintenance of male and female hormones. For women this can result in changes in the menstrual cycle such that irregular menstruation occurs. It can also result in a decreased ability to get pregnant or the loss of a pregnancy.
{"The effects of alcohol on your body," according to the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program (Virginia ASAP), 2000}

Researchers from New York City University claim that women are more vulnerable to addiction from alcohol and drugs, especially during certain times of the month because of their menstrual cycle. However, they are less prone to the side effects like heart damage.
{"Women more likely to get hooked on drugs and alcohol than men," Health Media Ltd 2001, Health-secure.net, Oct. 2001}

Women with moderate to severe anxiety, mood swings, and depression due to PMS, should avoid alcohol entirely, or limit its use to occasional small amounts.
{"Foods to avoid or limit," Susan Lark, MD, HealthWorld Online, June 2001}

When liver function is compromised by alcohol, estrogen levels can become elevated. This can be a risk factor for the aggravation of many common female problems, such as heavy menstrual bleeding, fibroid tumors of the uterus, endometriosis, fibrocystic breast disease and PMS. Alcohol can actually intensify almost every type of menopause symptom, menopausal fatigue and depression.
{“Foods to Avoid or Limit,” Health World Online, from the book, ‘The Women’s Health Companion,’ by Susan Lark, MD, June 2001}

HRT is made of two known carcinogens. If hot flashes are a problem, there are many safe alternatives. Reduce or cut out alcohol.
{"Study gives HRT the thumbs down," HormoneWise Digest, July 6, 2002}

Alcohol - Breast Feeding

Maternal alcohol consumption during lactation can alter the milk’s composition and may impair the offspring’s suckling behavior. Animal studies also indicate that maternal alcohol exposure even long before pregnancy may affect lactation by interfering with normal mammary gland development.
{Alcohol Health & Research World, NIAAA Journal, 1998, vol. 22, No. 3, pages 178-184} Author’s comment: New mothers need to be especially vigilant and mentally alert, and even low doses of alcohol "tranquilize" or "drug" the drinker (not true ‘relaxation’). Our government has declared alcoholic beverages to be classed as a “A” human carcinogen, along with arsenic and asbestos. Avoid alcohol if you breast feed your baby. Be aware that alcohol is a drug, tranquilizer, depressant, and alcoholic beverages are carcinogenic: none of these would be desirable for a new mother. Also new mothers don't need added stress! For more information see Alcohol - Stress on this Web site.

Alcohol - Breast Cancer

As little as one drink a day increases the risk of breast cancer about 7%, and the more women drink, the higher their risk of breast cancer. Smoking did not increase this risk.
{British Journal of Cancer study, on alcoholism.about.com, Sep. 2003}

The results of several studies have suggested that diet during adolescence may influence the risk of breast cancer in adulthood.
{Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Jan. 15, 2003} Editor's comment: Dr. Susan Love has mentioned that alcohol use in adolescence could be one of the risks for breast cancer.

Alcohol - Pregnancy

Investigators have discovered that the number of human embryos that are completely normal is actually very low.
{HealthCentral, Oct. 23, 2000} Editor's comment: There is added risk, when either parent uses alcohol, to further increase the abnormal eggs/sperm before or during conception (also mother's risk after getting pregnant).

Alcohol lowers fertility. Women who drink any alcohol, beer, wine or spirits, had more difficulty getting pregnant than those who did not drink at all, say Danish researchers, in a study in the British Medical Journal (1998).

In 1998 over half women age 15 to 44 drank while pregnant.

A study from Denmark shows that drinking even small amounts of alcohol during pregnancy can harm an unborn child. This study showed it can increase the risk of stillbirths, having a very small baby at birth, giving birth prematurely, or having a deformed baby.
{American Journal of Epidemiology 2002} and {Dr. Merkin's E-Zine.com, June 2002}

No amount of drinking alcohol, not even one glass of wine, is safe for pregnant women without possibly affecting the behavior of the child, according to new research from Wayne State University. "We do not know what a safe level of alcohol intake is during pregnancy, if there is one," Dr. Virginia Delaney-Black, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Wayne State. What is known is that children are affected by the alcohol consumption of their mothers.
{"No drinking 'safe' for Moms," alcoholism.about.com, Apr. 2002}

The scenario of a couple sipping wine to get in the mood with plans of getting pregnant is now looked on a dangerous because of the risk of genetic damage and an increase in the occurrence of mental and physical handicaps in the child due to the effect of the alcohol on the egg and sperm.

Even small amounts of alcohol consumed during pregnancy may affect the fetus in damaging ways. When a pregnant mother drinks an alcoholic beverage, the concentration in her unborn baby's bloodstream is the same level as her own. The liver of a fetus cannot process alcohol at the same rate of an adult (one ounce every two hours). High concentrations stay in the fetus longer, often up to 24 hours, and in the second and third hour after an alcoholic drink is consumed, the unborn baby's alcohol level is higher than the mother's. Some children born to drinkers appear normal at birth, but as they grow, the less obvious physical, intellectual and psychological problems resulting from alcohol exposure during pregnancy can become evident. There is no known safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
{The ARC, a national organization on mental retardation}

Those who are pregnant, or are planning to become pregnant, should refrain from taking in any toxic substances (such as alcohol), because of its possible effect on the fetus. Half the women who get pregnant do not suspect they are pregnant until after several weeks, and during this time they may not know they are exposing their fetus to alcohol. There is so much material on this, I suggest those that are interested in this to pursue it further in library or online.

The same chemicals responsible for infertility and miscarriage (alcohol is one of them) are being identified as increasing the risk for having a child with mental retardation, learning disabilities or behavior problems (such as A.D.D.)
{"Environmental causes of infertility," Wayne Sinclair, MD, chem-tox.com/infertility}

Despite the warnings that using alcohol during pregnancy puts a fetus at risk of premature birth, mental and physical retardation and death, a study found that more than one in ten pregnant women drink alcohol. Some 15% of pregnant women reported the use of any alcohol while 6% indicated they had had one or more binge drinking episodes: defined as five or more drinks at one’s sitting. The majority of women who reported alcohol use during pregnancy said they had one or fewer drinks per week.
{Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, Jan. 2002}

Studies in animals and in humans indicate that consuming alcohol during pregnancy can decrease immune resistance in the offspring.
{Clinical and Experimental Research and Pediatric Research, NIAAA, on alcoholism.about.com, March 2003}

In humans, alcohol (ethanol) is a developmental toxin, and it crosses the placenta. Both ethanol and acetaldehyde can cause embryonic developmental abnormalities in vitro.
{1988 - IARC - Cancer Spectrum, Apr. 2003}

Alcohol can restrict nutrition flow to the fetus.
{American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1985 and Neurobehavioral Toxicology and Teratology, 1984) as cited on alcoholism.about.com, Apr. 2003}

Women who drink moderate to high quantities of alcohol during pregnancy can increase the risk of breast cancer among their daughters, according to a study presented at the first annual Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research meeting conducted by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).
{“New breast cancer risk found,” alcoholism.about.com, Sep. 2003}

Researchers have known that a pregnant mother’s diet can have a lasting impact on her child’s susceptibility to cancer, diabetes, obesity and depression. When nutrients, such as B-12, folic acid, choline, and betaine, were added to the diet of one group of genetically identical mice, there was a reduction in the expression of a gene that causes obesity, diabetes and cancer in the offspring. The ‘off switch’ for those leftover bits of unnecessary genes and DNA fragments (introduced by viruses) require just the right amount of raw materials to function properly. The expression of some genes in the child will be permanently altered if the mother is nutritionally deprived or over-supplemented at the times of the embryo’s rapid cell division when only a few cells old. This alteration is passed along with the rest of the DNA to future generations.
{“You are what your mother ate,” Discover, Nov. 2003, Randy Jirtle, an oncologist at Duke University} Editor’s comments: Half the pregnancies are unplanned, so women are not aware they are pregnant until after the first few weeks (or more) of gestation and do not know to avoid alcohol. Alcohol depletes vitamins and minerals.

Alcohol is more toxic than any other drug on developing fetuses (New York Times Review). There is nothing quite so heart-rending as a debilitating birth defect, an innocent child confronted with a lifetime of struggle. Even more disturbing are birth defects that could have been avoided. A study published last year found there are small but significant impacts on the fetus if the mother drinks as little as one and a half alcoholic beverages a week. The study’s author reported that the children were in the normal range of growth, but when compared to the children whose mothers did not drink at all, they weighed less, were shorter, and had smaller head circumferences. What this means is that a child who had the potential of having a 105 I.Q., instead has 100, or that the child’s motor skills are good enough for walking but not good enough to make the football team. Alcohol exposure may also show up in behavior problems, learning difficulties (especially arithmetic), speech problems, impulse control, poor judgment and a host of related issues. There is no safe level of alcohol use during pregnancy. Giving up booze for nine months is a small price to pay so that your child can achieve his or her full potential for 90 years.
{“Abstinence during pregnancy,” The Daily Astorian (editorial), Nov. 2003} Editor’s comments: The problem is that half of the women are not planning conception, so that alcohol can damage the fetus in those few weeks when the woman is not aware she is pregnant and drinks that glass of wine or martini.

The discomforts of pregnancy may tempt you to use a few drinks as a sleep aid, however, the alcohol can be transmitted into the unborn child’s bloodstream. After the child is born, he or she may suffer from disrupted sleep and frequent arousal. If you are a nursing mother, you may find that baby falls asleep more quickly. If the baby obtains a bit of alcohol from mother’s milk, baby could then suffer later in the night from disrupted sleep patterns, nightmares and frequent arousals the same as an adult who imbibes. Drinking alcohol while pregnant entails the risk of your baby developing fetal alcohol syndrome and all the side effects it entails.
{sleepdisorders.about.com, Nov. 2004}

--- Alcohol Use While Using Oral Contraceptives ---

Both alcohol and the hormone in oral contraceptives are processed in the liver. Because the body is busy working on more than one substance at a time, the rate at which women on the pill will eliminate alcohol from their bodies is slowed. Therefore, they will feel the effects of drinking for a longer time than those not on the pill, and may even get intoxicated faster (no matter at what point in her menstrual cycle a particular woman is or what her body size and composition is like). Drinking alcohol can decrease the effectiveness of the pill if it impairs one's ability to use it consistently and appropriately.
{"Can alcohol decrease the pill's effectiveness?" goaskalice.columbia.edu - Dec. 2001}

Women Drinking and Driving

Data indicates that increasing numbers of younger women drink and drive. There has been a marked increase in alcohol-related crashes among younger women (Popkin 1991) which may reflect gender-role changes, as women become increasingly likely to drive themselves to and from social occasions where drinking may occur. Some women drive (even though they have been drinking), because their male companions have consumed even larger amounts.

Women more Sensitive to Alcohol than Men

Alcohol-related problems are more prominent for women than men; serious reproductive and sexual dysfunction; rapid development of dependence; more serious liver disease; victimization.
{Department of Health and Human Services report to Congress on 'Alcohol and Health,' 1990 and 1993}

Women's bodies differ from men's in a number of ways that make them react differently to alcohol. For example, if a woman drinks the same amount of alcohol as a man she will have a 25 to 30 percent higher blood alcohol level because women are smaller, and have a larger percentage of fat.

A woman on the pill can expect to feel the sedating effects of alcohol for a longer period of time than a women who is not. Women who drink are at a significantly greater risk for liver damage than men even if they drink less alcohol or drink for a shorter period of time, and women are substantially more likely to develop high blood pressure at even moderate levels of drinking. Most of the effects of alcohol on sexual functioning are bad, even though a person may feel sexier, and alcohol use can impair some sexual and reproductive functions. The young brain doesn't finish developing until a person is around 20 years old, and studies show that the young brain is vulnerable to some of the dangerous effects of alcohol, especially on learning and memory function.
{in the book, "Buzzed," by Cynthia Kuhn, PhD, of the Duke University Medical Center, 1998) Editor's comment: The young brain (up to around age twenty) then pertains to both high school and college students.

Women's bodies have more fat and less fluid than men's, so even if they are a similar size and weight to a man, and drinking the same amount of alcohol, the concentration of alcohol in the blood will be higher in the women. Women are more sensitive to the effects of alcohol during ovulation (about two weeks before her period). Women who use the contraceptive pill do not experience this effect, but alcohol may take longer to process.
{alcoholconcern.org, May 2001}

Women become addicted to alcohol more easily than men.
{"Women and alcohol: overlooked dangers," Nancy Snyderman, MD, Health Check columnist for Good Housekeeping, August 1995}

Women attempt suicide about twice as often as men, but men are four times as likely to die from the attempt. Suicide is more common among women who are single, recently separated, divorced or widowed. In 1998, the suicide rate among women was 4.4 per 100,000, while for men it was 18.6 per 100,000.
{NIMH, "Suicide facts," Jan. 2002}

Improving Cardiovascular Health: Alternatives to Wine

You don't have to drink wine to improve cardiovascular health. A new study suggests that following a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains and fish but low in processed foods and red meat, can lower a woman's heart disease risk by up to one-third. The women who followed this diet also had healthier lifestyles in general; less smoking and drinking less alcohol.
{"Fruits, veggies may lower women's heart risk," August 2001 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. healthcentral.com}