All parents should be concerned about their high school and college-age kids engaging in underage drinking. However, those with daughters should be particularly conscientious about whether they are starting to drink at a young age. They could suffer harmful health impacts as they get older if they drink more than moderate levels of alcohol.
Alcohol has a greater impact on the health of women than men because they generally weigh less. Further, they have less water in their bodies. Therefore, a woman is more likely to develop alcohol-related problems even if she drinks the same amount as a typical man.
Women who drink large amounts of alcohol are at greater risk than other women of developing:
- Breast cancer
- Heart disease
- Liver damage
- Alcohol use disorder (AUD)
Alcohol use disorder is a brain disease that can impair a person’s ability to control or stop one’s alcohol consumption. The good news is that people with AUD can recover, no matter how severely they’re addicted to alcohol.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), women who consume more than three alcoholic drinks in one day or more than seven in a week are at high risk for AUD.
We all know the dangers of a woman drinking while she’s pregnant. Unfortunately, too many women engage in heavy drinking before they realize they’re pregnant. Any amount of alcohol can be dangerous to a fetus. A child whose mother drank heavily while she was pregnant can develop behavioral or learning problems.
Underage drinking can put young women at greater risk of being the victims of assault and other crimes. It can also cause them to engage in unwise and illegal behavior like using drugs or driving under the influence. If your daughter is facing criminal charges related to underage drinking or DUI, it’s essential to take the matter seriously and determine your legal options.
Source: National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alchoholism, “Women,” accessed Nov. 21, 2017
