Women’s Drinking Patterns Become More Like Men’s

A 10-year US research study has revealed that the drinking patterns of men and women have narrowed, as have alcohol-related “harms.” It confirms a number of other recent reports that suggest similar changing patterns of alcohol use by men and women in the USA.

Undertaken by researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), and CSR, Incorporated, the study was led by Dr Aaron White, a senior scientific advisor at the NIAAA. Based on existing data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. It started with the premise that there is a seemingly universal gender gap when it comes to the consumption of alcohol, with men throughout history consuming more than women and experiencing more alcohol-related problems, irrespective of culture.

The study looked at drinking patterns, as well as statistics relating to driving under the influence of alcohol, the prevalence of binge drinking, and DSM-IV alcohol abuse. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4^th Edition (DSM-IV) differentiates between alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence and lists specific criteria for each. Although not relevant to the findings of this particular research study, the fifth edition of this publication (DSM-5) released in 2013 integrates alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence, calling it alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Results of the NIAAA Study

The study published online late last year (2015) by the US National Library of Medicine’s PubMed.gov found that between 2002 and 2012, percentages for women increased from 44.9 to 48.3 percent and decreased for men by 57.4 to 56.1 percent. The average number of so-called “drinking days” in a month also increased for women (from 6.8 to 7.3 days) and decreased for men, from 9.9 to 9.5 days.

The only divergence in drinking habits was a tendency for adult men in the 18 to 25 age group to combine marijuana with alcohol. The statistics indicated that this figure had increased from 15 to 19 percent, while it had remained steady amongst women in this age group (10 percent.)

In terms of binge drinking, researchers found notable differences between the drinking patterns of college men in the 18- to 25-year-old age group and those of the same age not attending college. While there was no change for male college students, binge drinking amongst those not in college decreased significantly. On the contrary, there was a significant increase in binge drinking amongst women of this age group who weren’t attending college. This indicated that the gender gap in binge drinking for men and women who weren’t studying had narrowed substantially. 

Even though the study found that the gender gap of alcohol-related harms had narrowed, men are still more likely to:

• be arrested for DUI (driving under the influence of alcohol) than women,
• die in traffic accidents where alcohol was a factor, and
• be admitted to hospital for alcohol poisoning.

But they found that women were more susceptible to negative outcomes, including liver inflammation, neurotoxicity, cardiovascular disease and cancer relating to the effects of alcohol. 

READ Alcohol And Cancer: Drink At Your Own Risk

Conclusions of the NIAAA Study

Ultimately, the study found that both consumption of alcohol and related outcomes had narrowed between men and women. However, these converging patterns of alcohol use (and abuse) were not clear, and could not be easily explained by recent trends in marital, employment or pregnancy status. For this reason the researchers recommended that more research be done to identify environmental and psychosocial contributors to these changes so that implications for both prevention and treatment can be assessed.

The Impact Of Alcohol Consumption

Generally people drink to celebrate, when they socialize, and also to help them relax. This in itself is not considered to be a problem – unless you drink “too much.” But the scary part is that the effects of alcohol vary from person to person, and depend on a number of other factors – which means that there is certain unpredictability in terms of identifying when or whether there is a problem. It also means, in reality, that some people who over indulge will become addicted, while others will not. And the reasons for this are still not known.

The NIAAA alerts us to the fact that because alcohol enters the bloodstream immediately we start drinking it, the effects can appear in as few as 10 minutes. As one continues to drink, the body’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level will continue to rise.

Effects of rising BAC are varied, typically starting with inhibitions being reduced and then slurred speech. As a person becomes “drunk” there is commonly confusion and both memory and concentration problems, as well as motor impairment. Especially severe effects might result in breathing problems and even coma or death. Additional risks include accidents including car crashes, risky or violent behavior, and suicide or homicide.

The NIAAA identifies longer-term risks as:

• Alcohol use disorder (AUD) which, in 2012 affected 11.2 million men and 5.7 million women over the age of 18.
• Health problems that can affect every part of the body including the brain, heart, liver, pancreas, and the body’s immune system.
• Increased risk for certain cancers including breast cancer, and cancer of the throat, liver, esophagus and mouth.

How Drinking Levels Are Defined

The official dietary guidelines for American, developed jointly by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHA) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), state that acceptable “moderate drinking” for women is one drink per day, and two drinks per day for men.

Their updated guidelines for 2015 have not been released, so it is not known if the newly published NIAAA research findings will alter this definition. But in any case, the NIAAA definition for “low-risk drinking” also gives men a higher capacity. They say that men shouldn’t consume more than four drinks in one day and no more than 14 in a week. Women, on the other hand, shouldn’t have more than three drinks a day, and no more than seven a week (which is half of what they say men can consume.) Other NIAAA research indicates that only two percent of people who drink within these low-risk levels have an AUD.

The NIAAA also defines “heavy drinking,” stating that this implies five or more alcoholic drinks consumed on the same occasion on five or more days over a 30-day period.

READ Alcohol Effects On The Body

The NIAAA defines binge drinking differently to the dietary guidelines, stating that this is a particular pattern of alcohol consumption that results in BAC levels of 0.08 g/dL. Typically, they say, this level is attained in about two hours, when women have had four drinks, and men have had five. Similarly, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) that conducts an annual national survey that considers health and drug use, defines binge drinking as having at least five alcoholic drinks on a single occasion on at least one day in a 30-day period of time.

So What Does This Mean

Men still drink more than women, but even if women are catching up, statistics show that more women than men (37 percent versus 25 percent) don’t drink at all. And as the NIAAA researchers say, more studies are needed for all this info to help with prevention and with treatment of alcohol-related diseases and problems.