Young Women Drinking More, Raising Concerns About Their Physical and Mental Health

New research shows women in their teens and early 20s are drinking more, which has negative consequences for their physical and mental health, NPR reports.

Research shows young women report drinking and getting drunk at higher rates than their male peers. Alcohol leads to health problems such as liver disease, heart disease and cancer more quickly in women than in men.

Studies have shown women are more likely than men to drink as a way to deal with stress, the article notes. Research suggests that people who drink to deal with stress, instead of drinking for pleasure, are at increased risk of developing alcohol use disorder. While alcohol may temporarily calm someone down, it can actually increase anxiety and depression, according to the article.

A study published last fall suggests women increased their heavy drinking episodes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Dawn Sugarman, a research psychologist at McLean Hospital in Massachusetts who has studied addiction in women, women are often less likely to get help for alcohol disorders.