Her sister, now a recovering alcoholic, was on the brink of death. Devon wanted to know why. Her research resulted in a book, Happy Hours , composed of findings from experts and courageous women who shared their stories. If a man and a woman who weigh the same amount each have three drinks, the woman will have a higher blood alcohol level. This could be because women have a higher percentage of body fat, hormonal fluctuations, or less of an enzyme that breaks down alcohol.
Women are less likely to become problem drinkers than men.
However, women do become addicted to alcohol more quickly than men, and will fall harder. They use alcohol to feel comfortable sexually or to feel brave or uninhibited when relating to men. Devon also found that women who have been sexually abused are three times more likely to develop a drinking problem. Isolation Women may drink too much to escape feelings of loneliness . Ironically, this often leads to shame because of the level of drinking, which in turns leads to even greater isolation.