When people drink alcohol, it travels through the body in their bloodstream. Alcohol reaches every organ and distributes throughout the water in our bodies. Organs such as the brain, which contain a lot of water and need an ample blood supply to work, are particularly affected by alcohol. Other organs, including the liver, the heart, the pancreas, and the kidneys, are also affected by alcohol within minutes after it enters the bloodstream.
However sexist it may sound, it's a fact that alcohol affects women more quickly than men:
Women are generally smaller and weigh less than men, and have less tissue to absorb alcohol.
Women's bodies are made up of more fat and less water than men's. So if a man and a woman are the same size and drink the same amount, the alcohol is stronger in the woman's blood than in the man’s and she will get drunk more quickly and feel the effects for longer.
Women have lower levels of the enzyme that breaks down alcohol, so alcohol will stay in their system longer and have a greater effect.
Women also feel the effects of alcohol more quickly than normal just before a period and during ovulation. The contraceptive pill can have the opposite effect – it takes longer for the alcohol to leave the body and a woman may drink more than she realises before she feels the effects.
Women who drink heavily on a regular basis are more likely than men to damage their health. That's why the recommended drinking guidelines are different for men and women.
For men:
Reduce your long-term health risks by drinking no more than:
Three standard drinks a day and no more than fifteen standard drinks in any one week. Sticking to this level or below will reduce the risk of harm from alcohol related injury or disease over your lifetime.
avoid drinking more than five standard drinks in any one session. This reduces the risk of alcohol related harm or injury on a single occasion.
a minimum of two alcohol-free days in any one week
For women:
Reduce your long-term health risks by drinking no more than:
Two standard drinks a day and no more than ten standard drinks in any one week. Sticking to this level or below will reduce the risk of harm from alcohol related injury or disease over your lifetime.
avoid drinking more than four standard drinks in any one session. This reduces the risk of alcohol related harm or injury on a single occasion.
a minimum of two alcohol-free days in any one week
However sexist it may sound, it's a fact that alcohol affects women more quickly than men:
Women are generally smaller and weigh less than men, and have less tissue to absorb alcohol.
Women's bodies are made up of more fat and less water than men's. So if a man and a woman are the same size and drink the same amount, the alcohol is stronger in the woman's blood than in the man’s and she will get drunk more quickly and feel the effects for longer.
Women have lower levels of the enzyme that breaks down alcohol, so alcohol will stay in their system longer and have a greater effect.
Women also feel the effects of alcohol more quickly than normal just before a period and during ovulation. The contraceptive pill can have the opposite effect – it takes longer for the alcohol to leave the body and a woman may drink more than she realises before she feels the effects.
Women who drink heavily on a regular basis are more likely than men to damage their health. That's why the recommended drinking guidelines are different for men and women.
For men:
Reduce your long-term health risks by drinking no more than:
Three standard drinks a day and no more than fifteen standard drinks in any one week. Sticking to this level or below will reduce the risk of harm from alcohol related injury or disease over your lifetime.
avoid drinking more than five standard drinks in any one session. This reduces the risk of alcohol related harm or injury on a single occasion.
a minimum of two alcohol-free days in any one week
For women:
Reduce your long-term health risks by drinking no more than:
Two standard drinks a day and no more than ten standard drinks in any one week. Sticking to this level or below will reduce the risk of harm from alcohol related injury or disease over your lifetime.
avoid drinking more than four standard drinks in any one session. This reduces the risk of alcohol related harm or injury on a single occasion.
a minimum of two alcohol-free days in any one week
