Reviews recent research on the effects of alcohol through a sex and gender lens. With a focus on women, it examines the sex-specific effects of alcohol on male and female bodies, including on reproductive health, and reviews the differences across genders. Includes findings and recommendations for safer use.

Key messages:

• Sex and gender both affect the use, impact and health effects of alcohol.
• Sex-related factors enhance the impact of alcohol on female bodies, causing more harm from lesser amounts of alcohol.
• Gender-related factors contribute to the negative impacts of alcohol consumption, especially for women, including increasing vulnerability to sexual assault and intimate partner violence.
• Sex, gender and factors such as trauma and poverty interact and make dependence on alcohol
  and recovery more difficult for women.
• Females need to know that their bodies can be more damaged by drinking compared to males.
• Practitioners need to recognize that both biological and social factors affecting alcohol use create differential impacts on, and require tailored responses for women, men and gender diverse people.