Alcoholic Health Issues: The Differences Between Men and Women

Research studies show that the biological differences between men and women are a major contributing factor that answers the question of why alcohol affects men and women differently. In a two-year study, women were found to be worse off in terms of mental functions, health and physical abilities than were men who were addicted to alcohol in the same amount and quantities. In fact, even alcohol-related deaths among women were reported to be higher than those among men.

The Canyon is an alcohol and drug rehab center designed to help patients break free from their alcohol addictions. Not just satisfied with helping people break their addictions, at The Canyon, we help you develop new behaviors and patterns of thought that keep you from falling back into the trap of alcohol or drug addiction.

Alcoholism Differences Between Men and Women: Health Issues

Women's bodies react differently to the effects of alcohol. For example, women's livers are more sensitive to alcohol, and they suffer from higher rates of liver diseases and can contract such diseases faster than men who indulge in the same quantities of alcohol. Women also, on average, have smaller bodies than men, so amounts of alcohol that don't affect men can have severe repercussions for those with lower body weight. Women also absorb alcohol at different rates, so while men may be able to process alcohol in a relative short period of time, women may retain the same amount of alcohol in their bodies for a longer period.

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Alcoholism Differences Between Men and women: Alcoholic Liver Disease

The fact that women retain alcohol in their bodies for longer periods of time than do men is crucial to understanding why alcohol's effect on women is so much more serious than its effect on men. Because of this fact, women are more at risk for developing liver disease and liver-related diseases and the amount of alcohol consumed isn't necessarily as much of a factor.

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Alcoholism Differences Between Men and Women: Alcoholic Brain Damage

It is a well known fact that alcohol damages the brain by killing brain cells, but there is another side to this fact: women are more at risk from alcohol-related brain damage than are men. In studies done on men and women who consumed alcohol, women showed more differences in their brains due to alcohol damage than did men. In addition, women are more at risk for heart problems coming due to alcohol abuse, and even if women consume less alcohol than men, they are still more at risk for developing heart disease than are men. The reasons for this are not completely understood, but more studies are currently underway.

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Alcohol Rehab at The Canyon

The Canyon uses a variety of time-honored and alternative therapies and programs to help you regain a healthy, normal life. At the core of our treatment is the Healing Life Program, designed to help you heal on multiple levels rather than just break free from the physical grip of alcohol. Contact The Canyon today at to find out more about our alcohol rehab program.

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