A new study found that women are now drinking nearly as much as men. The report, published in BMJ Open, analyzed 68 international studies written between 1980 and 2014. The results showed that while men still drink more than women, we're definitely catching up. While gender equality is usually great, drinking is, unfortunately, a drug—which means if women are drinking more, they're also having more health problems because of it.
"There had been several reports of sex convergence regarding alcohol consumption, but nobody had confirmed that, which is why we decided to look over global studies published throughout the years to see if we could prove that there had been a shift," researcher Katherine M. Keyes told CNN.
In the past, men have been more likely than women to drink. Men born between 1891 and 1910 were twice as likely as women to drink alcohol, but this gap has been pretty close to closed in the last few years.
“Alcohol use and alcohol use disorders have historically been viewed as a male phenomenon,” the researches in the study concluded. “The present study calls this assumption into question and suggests that young women in particular should be the target of concerted efforts to reduce the impact of substance use and related harms.”
According to the Center for Disease Control, excessive alcohol use caused nearly 88,000 deaths each year in the United States from 2006 to 2010. Health risks include high blood pressure, heart disease, digestive problems, cancer and depression. So while it's definitely fun to party, it's also important to think about how all these drinks are affecting your health—both physical and mental.
Researchers predict this change in women’s alcohol consumption habits may be due to new marketing campaigns directed toward women or a shift in gender norms, The Guardian reports. And who hasn't seen all the alcohol products that get marketed specifically to women, like Skinnygirl margaritas and White Girl Rosé?
Hopefully the results of this study will increase the focus on women’s health, and will push us to find effective ways to get people to stop drinking so much!
