{"id":1168,"date":"2021-07-22T10:54:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-22T14:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.therecoveryvillage.com\/?page_id=1168"},"modified":"2022-07-21T16:49:42","modified_gmt":"2022-07-21T20:49:42","slug":"alcohol-use-men-women","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.therecoveryvillage.com\/alcohol-abuse\/alcohol-use-men-women\/","title":{"rendered":"Survey: Alcohol Use Among Men & Women"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Study shows alcohol impacts men and women differently.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When we think of problem or binge drinking, the face is likely male. Males are generally categorized as more likely to engage in high risk behavior like binge drinking and the social pressure for men to drink is high<\/a>. Think about the stereotypical men\u2019s social activities: watching a game, playing golf or having \u201cbeers with the boys.\u201d Alcohol seems to be just a part of men\u2019s social lives. But is alcohol becoming the next big women\u2019s health issue? Alcohol marketing targeting women<\/a> has ramped up in the past decade, especially in the hard seltzer category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hard seltzer market was $1.8B in 2020<\/a> and is poised to grow 35% in 2021. These products target an audience that is young, health-conscious, looking for low-calorie or low-carb options that aren\u2019t beer. It\u2019s also largely female. Early category entrants targeted women<\/a>, sometimes exclusively, with thin, tall cans and colorful designs (even using mermaids or florals). This attractive packaging became popular among young women, especially when combined with the \u201cInstagram-ability\u201d of the product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These trends \u2014 the increase in marketing and growth in the market \u2014 are fueling fears that problem drinking is now being normalized for women. Alcohol-related deaths for white women more than doubled<\/a> during the period from 1999-2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a behavioral health provider, we regularly conduct research on mental health and substance use, including alcohol use disorder<\/a> and alcohol addiction<\/a>, to better understand the current landscape and trends in these areas. We recently conducted a survey<\/a> to learn more about how alcohol impacted different aspects of the participants\u2019 lives. We found that in addition to reporting widespread physical and mental health symptoms, men and women experienced the effects of alcoholism<\/a>, including attitudes toward getting help and relapse rates, differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note: the collection tool does not identify non-binary gender in respondents. Results will be discussed based on the gender selected by the participants. This is a limitation, as there is evidence<\/a> that this is a disproportionate issue in gender minority groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Recovery Village Survey Results<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We surveyed more than 2,000 Americans who had attempted to stop drinking (successfully or not) or wanted to stop to learn more about their experience with alcohol and how it impacted different aspects of their lives. Note: Some questions asked respondents to select each option that applied, so in a few instances, the total percentage will be greater than one hundred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Participants were first asked how frequently they drank in a typical 30 day period and how many drinks they consumed on a typical day. Men reported drinking more and more often. They were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n