National alcohol charity launches new women and alcohol leaflet to mark 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day

Alcohol Action Ireland, the national charity for alcohol-related issues, has launched a new leaflet detailing what every woman needs to know about low risk drinking as research shows that alcohol-related conditions are on the rise among women.
Speaking ahead of International Women’s Day (March 8), Alcohol Action Ireland Director Fiona Ryan said: “While for many of us, alcohol is something we enjoy, it’s important to recognise the health risks that go hand in hand with drinking.

“Women are more affected by alcohol than men are - it's not sexist, it's a fact. We are smaller, we metabolise drink at a slower rate and it affects our vital organs more.”

Research shows that alcohol-related conditions are on the rise among women.

• Between 1995 and 2004, there was an increase of 29% in the proportion of Irish teenage girls aged under 18 discharged from hospital for alcohol related conditions compared to an increase of 9% for boys
• One in four women in Ireland discharged from hospital for alcohol related conditions were aged under 30, compared to one in six men in the same age range
• Women account for a quarter of all alcohol-related discharges, but among those aged 17 and under, the proportion of discharges from hospital is almost half, at 47%

Ms Ryan said: “As women develop alcohol-related health complications earlier than men, it is likely that, if current trends continue, we will see higher numbers of middle-aged women at increased risk of dying as a result of alcohol-related conditions.”