Young women now drink as much alcohol as men

For almost 100 years, men have always been found to drink more alcohol than women and have higher rates of alcohol abuse. For the first time since scientists have tracked these numbers, the 2019 National Survey of Drug Use and Health shows that young women in their teens and early twenties drink alcohol and get drunk at higher rates than men. But even more worrisome is the fact that women are more likely than men to drink to cope as opposed to drinking for pleasure. And drinking alcohol as a coping mechanism is more likely to lead to alcohol use disorder. These findings are troubling for women, who are more likely to suffer the health consequences of alcohol, like liver disease, heart disease and cancer, more than men, and even with lower levels of alcohol consumption.