Alcohol Intoxication-Why Alcohol Affects Women More Than Men - Health

<p>Alcoholic drinking or alcohol intoxication may be the last thing on your mind if you're just having a few glasses of wine a night with dinner. But if you're female, you get drunk faster and on less alcohol than a man. It doesn't matter what type of alcohol you drink; any alcoholic drink can cause alcohol intoxication. It also takes less alcohol over time to damage your liver if you're female. While men who drink two drinks a night are considered moderate drinkers, women cannot drink more than one drink a night to remain in the "moderate drinker" category.</p>

<p>Matching your partner drink for drink is a bad idea for women because, fair or not, men metabolize alcohol better than women. Because women have less water weight in their body, they have higher blood alcohol levels than men,even if they weight approximately the same and drank the same amount of alcohol. Women also metabolize alcohol more quickly and may notice the effects of alcohol intoxication sooner.</p>

<p>The effects of alcohol intoxication on the liver for both men and women are well documented. Women develop cirrhosis of the liver after drinking less alcohol for shorter time periods than men. While more men than women develop alcoholism by a ratio of around 2:1, women are actually more likely to die of liver cirrhosis. Women may also have a higher incidence of brain damage related to alcohol intoxication. Heavy drinking also increases the risk of developing breast cancer. While moderate male and female drinkers have a lower rate of heart disease, heavy drinkers have a higher risk.</p>

<p>Compared to men with a similar blood alcohol level, women are more likely to be impaired while driving, although they're less likely to drive while drunk than men. A 150-pound woman would reach a blood alcohol concentration of 0.12, when vomiting usually occurs, after having six drinks over a three to four hour period. five to 10 drinks over a one to four hour period can cause blackouts; this level of acute alcohol intoxication can be fatal in younger women.</p>

<p>Women are more likely to drink more heavily when they're in a relationship with an alcoholic or if they're in or have been in an abusive relationship. Elderly women who are alone may drink more heavily and may be ashamed to admit they have a problem with alcohol. As many elderly patients are admitted to the hospital for alcohol-related problems as those who have heart problems. More women with alcohol problems attempt suicide than women without alcohol-related issues.</p>

<p>Alcohol intoxication is a serious long and short-term problem for women who drink. If you drink regularly, stick to one drink a night.
</p>

<br>0
<br>