Men – Women and Alcohol

Here's a interesting gender character study of the hows and whys of alcohol consumption for men versus women.  In a study done at the University of Vermont doctors found that anger will more likely cause a man to drink and that women who drink for whatever reason will feel worse about it the nest day.

In the study, Valerie Harder, assistant professor of psychiatry and lead author of the study, said ‘These male-female differences are consistent with several reports showing that men and women respond differently to stress, and experience mood and substance use disorders at different rates.'

The 246 study participants, aged between 21 and 82, were problem drinkers who had been flagged by their primary-care doctor.

They then went through an alcohol treatment program and were called in every day for six months and reported their moods, stress level and drinking habits on the program.

The results revealed that for men, it was anger that fuelled drinking.

According to the study, a man who felt angry was more likely to drink the next day than a man who did not feel angry.

Happiness and sadness were also recorded in the study.

Professor Harder and her colleagues presumed that people would report less anger and sadness after drinking, and more happiness a day after drinking. But the data showed the exact opposite.

Both men and women reported feeling less happy the day after drinking, but the effect was much stronger for women.