Women who develop alcoholism have death rates nearly 75 percent higher than those of male alcoholics. Death from suicide, alcohol-related accidents, heart disease, stroke, cirrhosis of liver, etc., occur more frequently in women than in men.
When you compare women and men of the same height, weight and build, men tend to have more muscle and less fat than women. Because muscle has more water than fat, alcohol is more diluted in a man than in a woman. Therefore, the blood-alcohol concentration resulting will be higher in a woman than in a man, and the woman will feel the effects of the alcohol sooner than the man.
A woman's pattern of drinking is most likely due to one or a combination of factors:
Having parents, siblings, and/or blood relatives with alcohol problems.
Having a partner, lover and/or spouse who drinks heavily.
Having the ability to "hold liquor" (tolerance for) more than others.
Having a history of anxiety and/or depression.
Having a history of childhood physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse.
Marty Mann, NCADD's founder, was the first woman to recover from alcoholism in Alcoholics Anonymous. NCADD is dedicated to increasing public awareness and support for women struggling with addiction to alcohol and drugs. www.ncadd.org
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