The Climbing Rates of Alcohol Use In Women, Especially Moms

Alcohol use among Americans has skyrocketed in recent years. A study from RTI International found that women with children under age five seem to be the most vulnerable to excessive drinking, with rates that increased 323% during the pandemic. Five years after the start of the pandemic, alcohol use remains high.

"The pandemic brought a lot of instability and change, especially for women with young children," says Tyler Trahan, M.D., an internal medicine and addiction specialist at Henry Ford Health. "Many of these women worked from home while trying to homeschool young children. There was a lot of stress, anxiety and depression. Alcohol just became a coping mechanism."

Even before the pandemic, however, alcohol intake among women was on the uptick. Popular culture normalized the idea that drinking relieves stress, particularly for women. Images of overwhelmed moms guzzling wine to cope with everyday pressures became more common throughout social media, television shows and movies.

"Unlike other substances that are difficult to obtain, alcohol is available 24/7," says Dr. Trahan. "It's at every corner store in Michigan." That makes it an enticing option for women who might be carrying a heavy mental load.

The Health Effects of Alcohol

For women, moderate alcohol intake is often defined as one drink per day, with no more than seven drinks each week. But recently, the World Health Organization said no amount of alcohol is considered safe, and a new United States Surgeon General Advisory said less than one drink per day can increase your risk for certain cancers.

• Heart disease
• Liver damage
• Worsening depression
• Diabetes
• Cognitive decline
• Suicide (more than half of suicides occur under the influence of alcohol)

"Drinking has negative effects on health and well-being, and the negative effects may be more pronounced among women," Dr. Trahan says. Women tend to be smaller than men and have physiological differences that put them at increased risk of alcohol-related woes like liver disease and alcohol-related dementia.

Signs You Might Have A Drinking Problem

If you think you might have a drinking problem, pay attention to these three red flags:

• Drinking solo. Drinking alone can escalate quickly. "If you increase your drinking, who is going to know?" says Dr. Trahan. "There's no accountability."
• Hiding your intake. If you're sneaking a drink when no one is looking or hiding bottles of wine or liquor from family members, that's a sign of problematic drinking.
• Using alcohol as a coping mechanism. Think it's okay to use alcohol to take the edge off or loosen up? "That's self-medicating with a mood-altering substance and it's a big red flag," says Dr. Trahan.

Cutting back on your alcohol intake isn't always easy. But you don't have to go it alone. There are a number of resources available to help you curb your intake or stop drinking altogether, such as Alcoholics Anonymous.

"The first step is to talk to your primary healthcare provider to assess whether you're struggling with alcohol addiction or whether you can curb your usage with small lifestyle changes," Dr. Trahan says. "There are also medications available to help you break the habit."

Reviewed by Tyler Trahan, M.D., an internal medicine and addiction specialist who sees patients at Henry Ford Hospital - K Building and Henry Ford Maplegrove Center.