Alcohol: A Women's Health Issue (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)

Question 1

Moderate Drinking

Answer 1

One drink per day for women, two per day for men, drinking more than moderately has health and safety risks.

Question 2

One drink

Answer 2

12 oz beer, 5 oz wine, 1.5 oz distilled spirits

Question 3

What are some risks of drinking?

Answer 3

• Impairing a person’s ability to drive
• Produce a synergistic effect with a wide variety of medicines
• Can slightly increase the risk of breast cancer
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
• Heavy drinking increases a woman’s risk of becoming a victim of violence and sexual assault
• Brain disease: loss of mental function, reduced brain size, change in the function of brain cells

Question 4

How about for men and women?

Answer 4

Fewer women than men drink. But among heaviest drinkers, women equal or surpass men in the number of problems that result from their drinking. Female alcoholics have death rates 50-100% higher than those of male alcoholics.

Question 5

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

Answer 5

Most common preventable cause of mental impairment that occurs when a pregnant woman drinks alcohol.

Question 6

Alcohol abuse

Answer 6

Pattern of drinking that is harmful to self and/or others.
- Missing work
- Skipping childcare responsibilities
- Drinking in dangerous situations (ie driving)
- Driving under the influence
- Tensions with friends and family

Question 7

Alcoholism (or alcohol dependence)

Answer 7

Disease, chronic, life-long, possibly progressive and life threatening
- Craving
- Loss of control
- Physical Dependence
- Tolerance (gets higher)