Alcohol Dependence More Deadly Among Women

alcohol dependence can be deadlyWe all know that alcoholism is a serious disease and that drinking too much can be deadly. A recently released German study on women and alcohol has found that those with alcohol dependence have lost their lives, on average, 20 years earlier than their peers in the population who aren’t alcoholics.

Perhaps even more interesting is another fact reported in the same study that women who suffer from serious alcohol dependence are four times more likely to die than women who aren’t addicted, and twice as likely to die as alcoholic men.  Now you see just how alcohol dependence can be deadly to such an extreme.Why are women so much more affected by alcohol? Simple: they’re more vulnerable to the toxins.

Why Women with Alcohol Dependence Suffer More

Dietary guidelines say that women should drink less than men. How much less? While men aren’t considered “heavy” drinkers unless they have at least 14 drinks each week, women fall into that category by having half as much.You read that right. If you are a woman and you have one drink a day, you’re considered a heavy drinker.The guidelines are so stringent because women can suffer from so many different health problems—even by drinking what seems like a relatively small amount of alcohol.


Health experts say that the harsh effects of alcohol dependence in women are largely due to biological differences. For example, men are able to dilute more alcohol because their bodies contain more water than women; but it goes beyond that, because women also have more fat in their bodies, a substance that retains alcohol. Basically, for women, less is more when it comes to alcohol.

Problems Alcohol Dependence Can Cause in Women

Besides dying prematurely, women who are dependent on alcohol put themselves at risk for a host of other diseases and health problems. Several risks that have been associated with excessive drinking include:

  • Increased risk of getting breast cancer
  • Greater chance of developing heart disease
  • Higher likelihood of suffering from liver disease
  • Increased chance of having to deal with brain damage due to alcohol

Not only are alcoholic women more likely to experience these kinds of health problems than non-alcoholic peers, just like with the death rate, they’re more likely to suffer from them than alcoholic men.

All of this comes back to the fact that women really need to be careful when they drink because it’s far easier for them to develop alcohol dependence, and the problems it brings come much more readily for them. There are many alcohol treatment options available for women, finding the right one is key for recovery. If you love someone struggling with alcohol dependence, please call us today. We can help you find her the best treatment available.



But how does one go about finding the right program?


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