Did you know when it comes to alcohol math girls may not be safe at any level of drinking? It’s biology. Girls are impaired after one drink and drunk after two. Alcohol affects the behavior of your boys, of course, but not to the same degree or with the same adverse consequences. For boys, drinking is just a rite of passage and all too often a way to get laid without getting in trouble. For girls the adverse consequences are lasting. Do you know the alcohol math?
Alcohol Math At College
- More kids die on college campuses as a result of alcohol or substances every year than in the military.
- One in four college students is sexually assaulted as the result of drinking.
- If fun in high school or college is drinking, your daughter is not going to tell you about the adverse consequences.
- If your daughter, sister, friend has been assaulted in high school or college as the result of drinking, she is not likely to tell you, or the faculty, or seek help.
- For girls, drinking and adverse alcohol experiences are not a just a rite of passage as they are experienced by boys.
- If your daughter dares to talk, she will be blamed.
- If she keeps the secret, the trauma and shame of adverse alcohol experiences in high school and college are lasting and life-changing.
What Girls Don’t Know
Girls, especially in high school, know that their parents don’t want them drinking. They know bad things can happen, but they want to have fun and be grown up. Young adults in college are encouraged to drink not just one, but to drink heavily. Girls and young women know they get drunk and feel sick. They know they act stupid and reckless. When they get assaulted, they blame themselves. Girls are taught that they can have fun and drink with the boys. They are taught to blame themselves for the adverse alcohol experiences that lead to assault.
Girls don’t know that no level of alcohol consumption is safe for them.
It isn’t just pregnant women who can’t drink without consequences.
Why Girls Can’t Drink Safely
Girls get drunk quicker and stay drunk longer. The simple reason for this is biology. Males have more water and enzymes in their bodies that allow them absorb alcohol more efficiently than women. A few drinks for a male will make them reckless and aggressive; even one drink for a girl renders her incapable of protecting herself.
Let’s Do The Alcohol Math
If you’ve ever seen a BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) card, you will know that girls’ blood alcohol content rises at a faster rate than boys. But BAC cards have not caught on in the seven years we’re been writing about alcohol. What do the numbers on the BAC cards really mean? When girls have just one drink, brain function is impaired. Reflexes are impaired. Judgement is impaired. They are no longer able to say no. Is this new information for you?
One Drink For a Boy Equals Two For A Girl
You may have to see the math to understand how extreme the imbalance is between males and females and how little alcohol it takes to incapacitate girls.
1 drink for a boy = 2 drinks for a girl
2 drinks for a boy = 4 drinks for a girl
3 drinks for a boy = 6 drinks for a girl
The simple fact is your daughters, sisters, friends are at risk for sexual exploitation after just one drink. But how many girls know that? How many girls and women are taught to think that the fun has to stop after one drink. Girls are taught to play the drinking games and to keep up with the boys.
Now You Know The Alcohol Math
Now you know that when your daughter, sister, friends, have two drinks it’s the same as a male having four. And when they have three drinks, it’s the same as a boy having six. It’s time for a change. #notmetoo, #knowyourlimit
References:
- From Celeste Robb-Nicholson, M.D., Editor in Chief, @ Harvard Women’s Health Watch: Why Does Alcohol Affect Women Differently?
- From The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: Women And Alcohol
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