It is a general understanding that your health is the reflection of what you eat or consume. If you follow a healthy diet with just a few cheat days here and there, then you’ll lead a relatively healthy life. The same is the case with consuming alcohol. While recent studies show that men are at more risk with alcohol since they can become more easily dependent on it than women, it is still safe to say that the health risks involved with consuming too much of alcohol can equally affect people of both the genders.

However, it has been found that the consequences of binge drinking have affected women at much faster rates than men. With this article we will take a look at the causes of alcoholism and its harmful effects in women.

Recommended Alcohol Intake Per Day For Women

Moderate alcohol, according to various studies have shown to have a few health benefits. But taking that fact for granted and abusing alcohol can affect your health just as badly. According to American Dietary Guidelines, the recommended consumption of alcohol per day for women is one drink per day which is almost equal to:

• 250 ml of beer.
• 30 ml of hard liquor such as whiskey, rum, vodka etc. .
• 100 ml of wine.

How Do I Know If I have An Alcohol Problem?

All of us do enjoy indulging in alcohol consumption every once in a while but to think that you cannot function without alcohol or drinking is a necessity every single day is where we draw a line between moderate drinking and alcohol dependence. As a woman, if you have been indulging in more than the recommended amount of alcohol and that too regularly, then you could have developed an alcohol dependence.

Why Are Women More Susceptible To Alcohol?

It is true that compared to men, women are more susceptible to alcohol. Let’s take a look at the reasons below.

1. Body Mass & Fat:

Women have more fat tissue pound-for-pound as compared to men. And fat tends to absorb alcohol which is the reason why the effects of alcohol retention remain longer in women.

2. Enzyme Functions:

The two key enzymes which play the role of breaking down alcohol in the stomach as well as the liver are,alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase. These two enzymes have been reportedly found in lesser amounts in women due to which, for about the same amount of drink consumed by an average man and a woman, the latter tends to soak more alcohol in the bloodstream.

Pros & Cons of Alcohol Consumption

There are a few pros of consuming alcohol, even though the cons outweight it. Let us understand what are the positives and negatives of drinking alcohol below:

Positive Effects Of Alcohol

We’ve broken down the effects of alcohol into two categories; positive effects and adverse effects. Keeping in mind that these advantages have been compiled with the assumption that you’re a light to moderate drinker, let’s start with the positive effects first.

• Red wine has been reported to help with weight loss.
• Light drinking helps with letting go of social anxieties and loosen up a bit.
• Occasional drinking is reportedly helpful for preventing common colds.
• Studies have shown that moderate consumption of alcohol promotes the healthy cholesterol called “high-density lipoprotein” or HDL which reduces the risk of cardiovascular issues.
• Lastly, according to a research conducted at VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, moderate alcohol was found to reduce the risk of diabetes.

Adverse Effects Of Alcohol

This is the part where we discuss the adverse effects of alcohol when consumed in excess amounts. The short term effects:

• Inhibited reflexes
• Blurry vision
• Reduced heart rate
• Blackouts
• Dropped blood pressure

The long term effects –

1. The Liver

The liver’s main function is to detoxify the body, it removes toxic wastes such as alcohol. But when alcohol is consumed in more than recommended amounts, it starts to deteriorate liver’s efficiency and ultimately lead to a serious disease called cirrhosis.

2. The Brain

Alcoholism can damage trivial motor skills and coordination between brain and other voluntary muscles. Long term effects involve stroke.

3. The Digestive System

Binge drinking may pose problems to the gastrointestinal tracts, stomach linings, among other things. Alcohol is also reported to cause heartburns, diarrhea and constipation. In worst cases, too much consumption of alcohol can sometimes cause stomach cancer.

4. The Kidney

Certain substantial evidence have surfaced which prove that alcoholism can lead to renal failure. And unlike the liver, kidneys do not have the regenerative abilities.

5. The Bones

Bones are like the pillars of a human body, helping us stand straight or walk or perform various other actions. Being exposed to excessive alcohol, can severely affect bone strength. This disorder is medically known as bone myopathy, in which the bones especially those which constitute hips, skull and shoulders grow weaker as the disorder progresses.

6. Fetus Related Issues

This especially concerns pregnant women or women planning their parenthood. Alcoholism or binge drinking has been reported to cause problems with the fetus wherein, the baby can develop unrepairable physical and mental abnormalities. This happens because the fetus has underdeveloped organs which cannot filter alcohol the way an average adult can. The risks increases tenfold with heavy drinking.

7. Risk of Cancer

When you consume alcohol in excessive amounts the cell linings along the mouth can get damaged, and in an attempt to repair themselves, they can sometimes alter the DNA which may give rise to mouth cancer. Even with moderate to light drinking the risk of cancer increases by 2 to 3%. In women, alcoholism may lead to increased risk of breast cancer, rectal cancer.

Take Away

While the phrase “too much of anything is bad” is true for everything, it specially applies to alcohol. In moderation, it has proven to be a very healthy add on to your lifestyle but the moment you take that fact for granted and go overboard, the risks trump all the health benefits involved.

This article comes to conclusion with the words of the American poet and novelist, Charles Bukowski, “That’s the problem with drinking, I thought, as I poured myself a drink. If something bad happens you drink in an attempt to forget; if something good happens you drink in order to celebrate; and if nothing happens you drink to make something happen.”

Article is sourced from Credihealth.com

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