The Silent Struggle: Unpacking the Rise of Alcohol Addiction in Women

Alcohol addiction is on the rise for an unexpected population: American women. Since this increased consumption can have deadly consequences, more and more American women are perishing from alcohol-related causes.

According to substance abuse experts, many factors are driving this trend. Reversing its course is becoming an increasingly urgent public health priority.

American women’s alcohol consumption is on the rise

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Studies have shown that more American women are consuming alcohol than previously. For instance, one meta-analysis found a six percent increase in the number of women who drink. Meanwhile, the number of men who do so decreased by 0.2 percent.

This research also indicates that women have begun drinking problematic quantities with greater frequency. In the same time period that saw only a 0.5 percent increase in men’s binge drinking, women’s shot up 14 percent. In particular, these changes in behavior are being seen in middle-aged women.

These trends are particularly concerning since women are more vulnerable to the adverse health effects of alcohol consumption than men. Indeed, recent research has found that women are experiencing the worst possible outcome of alcohol addiction — death — at higher rates than ever.

Increasing rates of alcohol-related mortality for American women

A study published in JAMA Network Open has found that alcohol abuse continues to prove fatal for men more than women. Yet the rate of fatalities related to alcohol is currently rising “significantly” faster for women than for men. Over the past 20 years, women’s rate of mortality from alcohol has increased by 14.7 percent, while men’s has increased by 12.5 percent.

“There has been an increase in alcohol abuse in both men and women, but women have closed the gap more recently,” Nicholas Mathews, founder and CEO of Stillwater Behavioral Health, a substance-abuse treatment facility in California, explains.

Why are American women turning to the bottle in greater numbers than before? According to Mathews, the COVID-19 pandemic played a key role.

The role of COVID-19 in increased alcohol abuse

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During the pandemic, alcohol sales soared. According to one study, “Nielsen reported a 54% increase in national sales of alcohol for the week ending March 21, 2020, compared with 1 year before; online sales increased 262% from 2019.”

It should come as no surprise, therefore, that alcohol consumption also shot up among both American men and women. According to Dr. Sarah Wakeman, who leads the Substance Use Disorders Initiative at Massachusetts General Hospital, the number of days per month that Americans drank alcohol rose 14 percent since the pandemic began. Looking only at the women, that number skyrocketed to 41 percent.

“Many young women, including mothers, faced a lack of external resources and social outlets during the pandemic,” Mathews explains. “They didn’t have the same opportunities for self-care and social interaction as before. This led them to turn to alcohol as a coping mechanism. The rise in alcohol abuse among women, especially post-pandemic, is likely due to coping with a new reality and increased stress.”

Indeed, recent surveys support this idea.

American women suffer from chronically high levels of stress

The American Psychological Association’s 2023 Stress in America Survey found that women still reported higher levels of stress than men even long after lockdowns ended.

On a scale between 1 and 10, where 10 represents the highest level of stress, American women, on average, placed themselves at 5.3, while men placed themselves at an average of 4.8. While 21 percent of men described their stress levels as an 8, 9, or 10, 27 percent of women did so.

Moreover, a larger percentage of the women than men “strongly” agreed that others didn’t understand how stressed they were. They were also more likely to internalize stress than men, a reaction that can lead to physical and mental health problems.

“Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol and other forms of substance abuse can be an unhealthy method people use to cope with stress,” Mathews points out.

“Given the heightened levels of alcohol abuse among American women, many of them probably think that having a few drinks — and then maybe a few more — is helping them relax at the end of the day, but this is actually a very dangerous habit to form.”

The Effects of alcohol on women

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Alcohol contains toxins that have a poisonous effect on humans. Since 1987, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has even classified alcohol as a Group 1 carcinogen, which means it presents the highest risk for promoting the development of cancer. Other substances in this group include radiation, tobacco, and asbestos.

Notably, the physiology of the female body makes women even more vulnerable to the adverse health effects of alcohol than men. For instance, women’s metabolisms don’t process alcohol as quickly as men’s, which means it lingers in their systems longer. The alcohol in their bodies is also more concentrated since they have less body water to dilute it.

According to Dr. Lisa Ganjhu, associate professor of gastroenterology and liver disease at NYU Langone Health, these factors mean women “don’t need to drink as much as men to develop liver disease.”

In addition, as Mathews explains, “Alcohol is a highly dangerous drug that impairs judgment and motor skills, leading to serious consequences. Getting into car accidents due to driving while intoxicated is an obvious example.”

How can America reverse this problematic trend? Mathews suggests that society should no longer downplay the dangers of consuming alcohol.

Solving American women’s alcohol problem

“The biggest problem with alcohol is its normalization in our culture,” Mathews says. “Despite its health risks, society dismisses it because many people use it to escape daily stress and pain. The narrative that ‘everyone does it’ makes it seem less harmful than it is. This collective agreement to partake in drinking downplays its dangers and reinforces unhealthy behaviors.”

The more society considers drinking — even heavy drinking — to be acceptable for women, the less problematic it may seem to them. Yet the health dangers remain, placing them at higher risk of not only cancer and accidents but also cardiovascular disease and other health issues.

In particular, Mathews recommends that doctors stop telling their patients to have a glass of wine to unwind.

“Doctors often give easy answers, but addressing the root cause of someone’s inability to relax requires more in-depth conversations and personalized care,” he explains.

“Relying on alcohol to relax can perpetuate dependence and mask deeper issues that need to be addressed. Instead of a quick fix like a glass of wine, it’s important to understand what could be making relaxation difficult, such as trauma or anxiety.”

Women deserve the same attention and validation as everyone else

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The World Health Organization has identified alcohol abuse as a risk factor for disability and early death and states that no level of consumption of alcohol should be considered safe. America’s women can be proud of closing the gender gap in many other ways, but the shrinking of this one should not be celebrated.

However, there is a way out.

“Remember, you don’t have to face this alone,” Mathews says. “There’s no shame in experiencing these challenges. Society needs to reevaluate how we support one another, manage stress, and discuss mental health openly. Women — including mothers, daughters, friends, sisters, and wives — deserve the same attention and validation as everyone else.

Breaking the stigma around these issues is essential for creating a supportive and understanding environment in which women can take back their health.”