Women who drink are always a controversial topic from legal, social and health aspects. Women have always been cautioned about drinking too much alcohol, but usually for reasons that are more social than wellness-related. Unfortunately, a woman with impaired judgment easily ends up being a victim of crime, historically and statically, leading most to believe that’s the biggest problem women who drink face.
Blaming women who drink for being victimized doesn’t help the problem, either.
Women who drink are facing a higher risk of drinking and driving at the end of the night. Women are drinking more these days as a way to cope with stress, anxiety, and depression, which means more women are drinking. Women are also drinking more in public. On top of that, drinks that appeal to women, like “skinny” drinks or those with diet mixers often lead to faster rates of intoxication. Faster intoxication leads to impaired judgment, which can quickly lead to higher DUI arrest numbers and ignition interlock requirements for women.
But there’s more. Based upon physiology, women can typically drink fewer drinks than men and be just as buzzed or intoxicated. For example, a 140-pound woman can drink two drinks in an hour and be just under the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit at .07 BAC. A 140-pound man can have three drinks in the same amount of time and still be at the same .07 BAC level.
On top of that, research shows that women store alcohol in the liver longer than men do. Alcohol is a toxin, one that the body metabolizes first in order to reduce its poisonous effects on the body. If alcohol is naturally stored longer in women’s livers, that means women who drink may be at a higher risk for alcohol-related illnesses and diseases. Women who drink also develop problems with alcohol later in life than men, and at a faster rate of onset.
Complacency a Cause for California DUI Concerns