Ron Gammon, an alcohol and drug abuser counselor at St. Mary's Hospital, said that because of the general physical differences between the sexes, the bodies of each gender react differently. Since they tend to weigh less and have a higher percentage of body fat than men, they have less body fluid. Chemicals in body fluid are what dilute the alcohol. Since alcohol is deposited in the fatty tissues at these higher levels, and since women have a higher percentage of body fat, they in a sense have more sponges to hold in the alcohol. Therefore it stays in their body for a longer period of time.
Women also produce less enzymes to break down the alcohol.
The health risks for women are grave. While it is an equal opportunity drug, he said even certain differences exist between the sexes in what brings them to treatment. Men are often referred from DWIs or municipal citations. Women tend to have a lot more anxiety, depression, feelings of loneliness, and eating disorders. According to Gammon, female alcoholics keenly feel a double standard which can inhibit their recovery.