The following section provides a review of research on the prevalence and risk of alcohol-related problems in different subgroups of women defined by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and sexual minority status. Problems examined in this literature include alcohol use disorder (AUD) and negative consequences of drinking. In nearly all of the studies reviewed, AUD was defined according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV),11 which includes and distinguishes alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. In 2013, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5)12 was released, which replaces DSM-IV alcohol abuse and dependence diagnoses with a single AUD diagnosis that is classified as mild, moderate, and severe. Identifying racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in alcohol-related problems is not always a straightforward task, partly because of differential abstinence rates across racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups.
- But those same light-to-moderate drinkers also tend to have healthier behaviors such as regular exercise, lower rates of smoking and maintaining a lower body weight.
- For starters, women are more likely to be depressed and anxious than men — and are also more commonly victims of sexual violence — and drinking can be one way that women cope with these experiences.
- Multiple studies have reported the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in alcoholic women to range from 12 to 63% 21, 23–26.
- Follow-up of a cohort of women with AUD at 3 to 6 years post–baseline testing after an average of 3 months of sobriety41 reported recovery of nonverbal short-term memory and psychomotor speed.111 Postural instability, however, was still noted, even after this extended length of abstinence.
- Another paper reported that the rate of alcohol-related cirrhosis from 2009 to 2015 rose 50% for women, compared with 30% for men.
In the merit evaluation phase, 26 articles were excluded after reviewing their full texts and assessing them against the inclusion and exclusion criteria. During the qualitative evaluation stage, studies with poor methodological quality were excluded based on the score obtained from the STROBE checklist after studying their full texts. Ultimately, seven cross-sectional studies were included for final evaluation (as shown in Fig. 1), and their data were presented in Table 1. The majority of the studies were conducted Psilocybin Magic Mushrooms Uses, Effects & Hazards in North America, and no studies were identified from Oceania, South America, and Europe.
Sex Differences in Alcohol Effects on Brain Structure and Function
The analysis was conducted using a random effects model, while the heterogeneity of the studies was assessed using the I2 index. Data analysis was performed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Version 2 software. Women are more vulnerable than men to alcohol’s effects, even after drinking smaller amounts. Heavy drinking can lead to increased risk of health problems such as liver disease, brain damage, and breast cancer. Women are as likely as men to recover from alcohol dependence, but women may have more difficulty gaining access to treatment.
For women in particular, the line between healthful and harmful drinking is easy to cross. Because of body composition and other factors, women achieve a higher blood level of alcohol for each drink compared to men. This means women can become intoxicated faster and maintain blood alcohol levels longer, all which can lead to an increased risk for developing long-term health problems. According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, mounting evidence suggests that women are at higher risk for some of alcohol’s negative effects, such as liver disease, cardiovascular disease and neurotoxicity. There’s also a link between drinking and an increased risk of breast cancer.
Drinking during pregnancy–Never a good idea
The disparity was attenuated after adjusting for the greater presence of hypertension, hepatitis C, tobacco use, and other drug use among Black patients. To better understand alcohol-related disparities and the epidemiologic paradox of greater problems despite lower levels of drinking for some groups, research is needed to examine population differences in health and health behaviors and potential interactions with alcohol consumption patterns. The present meta-analysis has a major limitation related to the existing research, as most studies have focused solely on men, with minimal data regarding women.
The health consequences of alcohol abuse in women
This large unmet need among minority women, which may reflect a variety of causes, must be addressed. These differential standards and consequences of drinking may be seen among women, perhaps more now than in the past when gendered roles and drinking norms were more similar across women. Reflecting core concepts of life-course developmental theory,46 both the age at which heavy drinking occurs and the duration of heavy drinking across the life course are relevant to disparities in alcohol-related problems. This makes sense intuitively, as the longer a person engages in health risk behaviors, the greater the chances of experiencing related problems.
In Cooper’s case, drinking eventually led her to drop out of college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She moved back home and was soon taking a shot or two of vodka each morning before heading to the office for her finance job, followed by two more drinks at lunch. Women with young children need access to appropriate childcare services before they can undergo treatment. They may be concerned about losing custody of their children if they reveal that they have an alcohol problem. The situation changed in the early 1990s after the FDA and the National Institutes of Health issued guidelines aimed at increasing the representation of women and minorities in research studies.
Our initial search was conducted in July 2022, and it involved the exploration of five databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Embase. The search was conducted using the keywords “Female Sexual Dysfunction,” FSD, Alcohol, and Alcoholic. To ensure a comprehensive search, no limitations were applied with regard to the year of publication of the articles, and the information collected was transferred to EndNote, an information management software.
Australia also updated its travel advice, cautioning that several foreign nationals had been victims of suspected methanol poisoning in Laos this month. New Zealand’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday that one of its citizens was also unwell in Laos and could be a victim of methanol poisoning. Shaun Bowles told reporters outside Bangkok Hospital on Wednesday that his daughter remained in critical condition and on life support. Australia said “several foreign nationals” had also been victims of methanol poisoning. The U.S. State Department confirmed that an American had also died in Vang Vieng, and Denmark’s Foreign Ministry said two of its citizens had also died in “the incident in Laos,” but neither would comment directly on a link to the methanol poisoning that killed Jones. An American and two Danish tourists also died, officials said, following reports that several people had been sickened in a Laotian town popular with backpackers.
