Females More Vulnerable To Alcohol’s Effects

A recent report from the Drug Free Action Alliance advises that when it comes to problem drinking, many people assume it mostly involves males. That assumption however, is false. In fact, when it comes to young females, girls have not only caught up to boys when it comes to drinking, but in many cases have surpassed them.

According to results from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, among youth aged 12 to 17, the percentage of females who were current drinkers (13.2 percent) was higher than their male counterparts (12.6 percent). When it comes to women and alcohol, 60% of U.S. women report having used alcohol over the past year. Among those women, 13 percent said they had more than seven drinks per week (which goes beyond the recommended limits published in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.)

Females are more vulnerable to alcohol’s effects than males, and here’s why:

• Females have less water in their bodies to help dilute the alcohol in the bloodstream;
• Females absorb alcohol at a slower rate;
• Females naturally produce less “alcohol dehydrogenase” (a gastric enzyme that breaks down ethanol in the stomach – that otherwise is toxic).
• What this means is that a female and male of the same size and weight can drink the same amount of alcohol and yet the female will have a higher concentration of alcohol in her blood. It also means that females who go “drink-for-drink” with males are likely to become intoxicated more quickly and are more susceptible to alcohol poisoning.

According to Talbot Partnership for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention, women and girls are the fastest growing segment of the population impacted by the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse, representing a generally unrecognized serious issue for the women and girls of Talbot County and our country.

Underage drinking is damaging and dangerous. Parents are encouraged to talk early and often, sharing clear anti-use messages with daughters and sons alike; including in your talks, especially with our daughters, the fact that that drinking impacts females more intensely.

For further information on the dangers of alcohol and other drugs, contact Talbot Partnership at 410-819-8067. Please also visit our website at www.talbotpartnership.org or find us on Facebook.