For many years, severe alcohol misuse has remained more common among men. Sure, some women have always drunk heavily – but men were much more likely to engage in dangerous drinking that had serious repercussions on their health and wellbeing. But according to new statistics, that gender split may be beginning to shift.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the number of women dying from alcohol-related diseases in the UK has soared in recent years, surging from 2,399 to 3,293 between 2016 and 2021. While men are still dying in higher numbers – over the same period, alcohol-related deaths in men increased from 4,928 to 6,348 – the number of women dying has risen at a much faster rate. In fact, the number of women dying has surged by a whopping 37%, the highest increase since records began. 

This depressing stat isn’t that surprising. At the end of last year, a worldwide health report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that British women, alongside women in Denmark, were the joint biggest female binge drinkers in the world. The research indicated that one in four of us (26%) consume at least six drinks in one go once a month. We also know that the pandemic led more women to develop risky drinking habits, with research suggesting that psychological stress related to Covid-19 was associated with greater drinking in women, but not in men. 

In comparison to men, women are still less likely to engage in alcohol misuse, but there’s clearly a worrying trend emerging. So why is this?

According to Professor David Nutt, a neuropsychopharmacologist and co-founder of the non-alcoholic spirit brand Sentia, part of the problem is the way alcohol is sold to us. “Wine consumption has become normalised in cinema and TV programmes – it’s become a measure of success and sophistication,” he argues. Social media trends like #WineMaths are a prime example of this – binge drinking has become ‘trendy’ or part of a joke.  

Dr Richard Piper, chief executive of the charity Alcohol Change UK, agrees. “Women have been targeted relentlessly by alcohol companies over recent decades, encouraging them to drink more and more,” he tells Strong Women. “As a result, alcohol-related health problems among women are becoming more common. But this is avoidable.”

Of course, the way alcohol is marketed is unlikely to be the only factor driving the increase in alcohol-related deaths among women. Some women may be drinking more due to the association of alcohol with success, as Professor Nutt suggests – and women with higher-paid jobs may have more disposable income to spend on drinking. But this isn’t the full picture. Women are not drinking more, or dying more as a result of alcohol abuse, simply because we’re being sold to more.

The reality is that poorer women are more likely to die from alcohol-related issues than their wealthier counterparts, even though those from underprivileged backgrounds typically consume less alcohol. (The latest statistics suggest that women from the UK’s more deprived areas are just over three times more likely to die from alcohol-related issues than those in the least deprived areas.) Experts call this phenomenon the ‘alcohol harm paradox’, and it’s largely assumed to be the result of other health-related factors interacting with each other. For example, while women from deprived backgrounds might be less likely to drink, they are more likely to smoke and have poorer nutrition – both of which have been proven to amplify the harmful outcomes of drinking.

Overall, alcohol is more likely to cause women health issues than men, due to the way we metabolise it – which is why medics are so concerned by dramatic increases in female drinking. It’s all to do with an enzyme known as alcohol dehydrogenase, which helps to break down alcohol so it can be flushed out of the body. This enzyme is primarily found in the liver, but it’s also found in the stomach, where it breaks down some of the alcohol we consume before it even enters the bloodstream. Women tend to have much less alcohol dehydrogenase in the stomach than men, meaning more of the alcohol we consume makes its way to the bloodstream and into the liver and brain. 

That might help explain why liver disease is such a big issue in female alcohol misuse patients – although it’s not the only factor at play. Professor Debbie Shawcross, a professor of hepatology and chronic liver failure at King’s College London’s Institute of Liver Studies, told The Independent that “women tend to present with more severe liver disease, particularly alcohol-related hepatitis, and do so after a shorter period of excessive drinking and at a lower daily alcohol intake than men”. According to Professor Shawcross, “this can be accounted for by differences in body size and composition” – in other words, because women generally have less muscle mass than men. 

Add to all this the fact that women are much more likely than men to deal with chronic stress, which has been shown to increase the risk of alcohol misuse, and it’s hardly surprising that more women are suffering from – and dying as a result of – alcohol-related health issues.

In a statement responding to the new figures, Dr Piper called on the government to take action to limit the damage increasing alcohol consumption is causing. 

“In the UK, we have far fewer controls than most other countries – you can buy alcohol 24 hours a day, you can buy it from petrol stations and local stores, marketing controls are notoriously weak especially online, and in England supermarkets are allowed to display alcohol on every single aisle,” he said.

“We need our government to step up and prioritise the simple measures that we know will reduce alcohol harm and save lives, like proper controls on alcohol marketing, especially online; minimum unit pricing in England; honest alcohol labelling; and reintroducing our sensible historic controls on when alcohol can be sold.” 

If you’re worried about how your alcohol habits might be affecting your health, don’t be alarmed – there are plenty of steps you can take to minimise your risk.

At the end of the day, there’s no ‘healthy’ amount of alcohol you can consume, so it’s worth cutting down on your drinking where possible. If you do choose to drink, make sure you stay within the NHS guidelines – no more than 14 units of alcohol a week spread across three days or more. That’s around six medium glasses of wine or six pints of beer.

Having several alcohol-free days each week is a great way to give your liver a break and stop the other negative effects of alcohol on your sleep and mood from adding up.

Binge drinking is particularly harmful for the liver, so try to avoid drinking in excess where possible. The official definition of binge drinking for women is around six units in a single session, but drinking to get drunk in any capacity isn’t great for your health.

A good point to remember is that your body is only able to process roughly one unit of alcohol per hour – drinking any more than this will lead alcohol to build up in the blood and body tissues until it can be metabolised.

For tips on cutting down your alcohol intake, check out our guide to getting started. And for more help and advice on dealing with alcohol misuse, visit the NHS website or drinkaware.co.uk