Women Are More Apt to Become Alcoholics

Women become alcoholics more easily than men, partly because of metabolic and psychological reasons, and they may develop alcohol-related diseases far more quickly, according to a New York researcher.

“What it comes down to is, women alcoholics drink less but get sick more,” said Dr. Sheila Blume of the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Such differences highlight the need for specialized treatment and prevention programs for alcoholic women, especially as more and younger women develop the disease, she said.

Blume, in a report in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Assn., said there are enough differences in the metabolism and psychology of women drinkers to suggest that they may be more susceptible to alcohol addiction and more victimized by its effects than men.

There are many reasons why women need less alcohol to become addicted, but weight is not one of them, she said. “Women, even if they are slim, have a greater proportion of body fat and less body water than men regardless of weight. So alcohol gets into their system less diluted.” As a result, some women develop alcohol-related diseases more quickly than men even though they may drink less, Blume said.