Women who have personality disorders are more likely to drink heavily. Women with a family history of alcohol abuse are more at risk for also abusing alcohol. Women who work in an environment that encourages drinking, such as sales or entertainment, are more likely to drink heavily than women in other professions. Health Issues Related to Alcohol and Drug Use The death rate among women alcoholics is higher than among males because of their increased risk for suicide, alcohol-related accidents, cirrhosis and hepatitis. Women develop cirrhosis of the liver at a much lower cumulative dose of alcohol than do men.
Women remain at an increased risk of disease progression even after abstinence.
The frequency of menstrual disturbances, spontaneous abortions and miscarriages increases with level of drinking. Problem drinking has adverse effects on fertility and sexual function. According to the New England Journal of Medicine , the death rate from breast cancer was 30 percent higher among middle aged and elderly women reporting at least one drink daily than among nondrinkers. Seventy percent of AIDS cases among women are drug-related. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which can occur when women drink during pregnancy, is the leading known environmental cause of mental retardation in the Western World.