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Alcohol-Related Deaths Increased By 35% For Women — What's Going On?

Author:

Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN

March 26, 2024

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

By Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN is a Registered Dietician Nutritionist with a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from Texas Christian University and a master’s in nutrition interventions, communication, and behavior change from Tufts University. She lives in Newport Beach, California, and enjoys connecting people to the food they eat and how it influences health and wellbeing.

Image by sofie delauw / Stocksy

March 26, 2024

Bottomless brunches have morphed into a hobby, mommy wine culture has spread like wildfire, and after-work happy hours have regained a standing time slot on calendars. These scenes often paint a giggly facade on social media. But data now show that, yes, alcohol use among women (especially women in their late 20s and 30s) is increasing and more and more women are dying from alcohol-related deaths.

Here's what you need to know about female-specific risks of alcohol consumption and science-backed ways to take care of yourself without completely going sober.

The latest stats on excessive drinking among women

New data released this year by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC) found that alcohol-related deaths are increasing across the board.

From 2020 to 2021, excessive drinking led to a total of 178,000 deaths 1—equaling almost 500 daily deaths. Researchers took into account both deaths from chronic conditions (like cancer and liver disease) as well as acute deaths (accidents from one occasion of drinking too much).

Overall, men still account for a higher percentage of these deaths than women—but women are quickly closing that gap. The prevalence of excessive drinking among women rose by about 35% during the time of this study compared to a 27% rise among men.

This aligns with data published by researchers back in June 2023, showing that women of reproductive age are more likely to binge drink or have alcohol use disorder now than women who were the same age in the mid-1990s. Researchers of this study as well as others cite a few common reasons behind what's driving this concerning trend.

Why are more women turning to alcohol?

Drinking regularly has become more normalized than ever—in personal and professional settings as well as social and at-home settings.

Messages women get from each other as well as messaging from the alcohol industry frame drinking as an effective and enjoyable stress relief.

And while mindful alcohol consumption can bring some enjoyment, women are also more susceptible than men to alcohol's harmful effects.

Female-specific health concerns of drinking

Many alcohol-related conditions are chronic 2—meaning it takes years of consuming these beverages in excess to see a negative effect. But the negative effects hit women sooner and harder than men.

Liver disease: The risk of chronic liver damage 3 (cirrhosis) is higher for women than it is for men. A 2020 study found that women who had even just one drink a day 4 were at an increased risk for cirrhosis compared to women who didn't drink—but this relationship was not noted among men.
Cognitive decline: The brain does shrink with age 5, but alcohol use expedites that shrinkage in women (more so than men) and can lead to cognitive decline and dementia.
Heart damage: Drinking too much can damage heart muscle 6, and women can start to see this damage with less drinking over fewer years compared to men.

These differences are likely due to how women and men metabolize alcohol differently 6. Women tend to absorb more alcohol and take longer to metabolize it. So even if a man and woman drink the same amount of alcohol, the woman's blood alcohol levels will likely be higher, and she'll likely feel the effects of that alcohol sooner (and longer) than her male drinking buddy.

How to protect your health while still including alcohol in your life

In a world where pretty heavy (and frequent) drinking occasions are normalized, it can be pretty easy to overdo it on alcohol—especially since moderate drinking for women is considered to be one drink per day.

Although less alcohol consumption is usually just all around better for health, you don't have to go completely sober if you don't want to. Instead, adopting mindful drinking habits can help you balance the enjoyment of alcohol with your long-term health goals.

Avoid a nightly drink: Giving your liver a few days off each week from alcohol can help lower your risk of cirrhosis. A 2022 study found those who drank daily had a higher risk of cirrhosis (56% among women) than non-daily drinkers who consumed the same amount of alcohol.
Try only drinking during special occasions: If you're really looking to decrease how often you reach for a drink, try to reserve it for special occasions only—like a birthday dinner out, an anniversary, or a holiday. This could help pare back your alcohol consumption to just a handful of nights each month.
Don't drink on an empty stomach: Knowing that women absorb alcohol faster and break it down slower gives even more reason to follow the age-old advice of not drinking on an empty stomach. Food slows alcohol's passage through the stomach—increasing the time until it's absorbed into the bloodstream. Digestive processes also signal to the liver to increase alcohol metabolism 7—so by the time alcohol actually reaches the liver, the organ can more efficiently break this toxin down.
Bolster detoxification with nutrition and supplements: Your body views alcohol as a toxin, and it's the liver's job to neutralize that threat. Even just one bout of drinking can stress the liver out. It's important to show this workhorse of an organ some love daily. Eating fibrous foods (like these), healthy fats, antioxidant-rich fruits, and veggies in addition to antioxidant-rich supplements (that contain ingredients like glutathione and milk thistle that you can't get through the diet alone) supports liver detoxification. Here's our list of expert-vetted liver supplements and lifestyle habits to promote detoxification.

The takeaway

Both excessive drinking and alcohol-related deaths are becoming all too commonplace—and women are facing a unique set of societal pressures and health concerns. It's important to know that even having one drink daily (within the advisable moderate drinking guideline for women) is linked to a higher risk of chronic disease like cirrhosis. So practicing mindful drinking habits and daily liver health practices is a good place to start.

And check out this guide if you're looking to reassess your relationship with alcohol.