Leading the Way

Health Effects of Alcohol on Women and Girls

• It is estimated that teenage girls who binge drink are up to 63% more likely to become teen mothers.1

• Heavy alcohol use compromises bone health and increases the risk of osteoporosis by decreasing bone density and weakening the bones. These effects are especially striking in young women, whose bones are still developing. 2

• Girls who binge drink are at three times the risk of thinking about or attempting suicide as girls who never drink alcohol.3

• Heavy alcohol consumption increases risk for menstrual disorders and increases the risk of infertility.4

• Females are more susceptible to the development of alcohol-related medical disorders, such as liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis), cardiac problems and brain impairment than their male counterparts. 5

1 T.S. Dee, “The Effects of Minimum Legal Drinking Ages on Teen Childbearing,” The Journal of Human Resources 36, no. 4

2 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services. Alcohol—An Important Women’s Health Issue. Alcohol Alert. July 2004.

3 National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, US Department of Health and Human Services. “CASA Analysis of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey.” 1999.

4 D.W. Cramer; M.B. Goldman; F. Grodstein. “Infertility in Women and Moderate Alcohol Use,” American Journal of Public Health, 84 (9). 1994. 1429-1432.

5 National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, US Department of Health and Human Services. “The Formative Years: Pathways to Substance Abuse Among Girls and Young Women Ages 8-22.” 2003.