Mothers driven to drink

Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

Mothers who wind down with a few glasses of wine at the end of the day could be drinking their way to health problems later in life.

A UK study has found that half of all mothers drink at home on at least three nights a week.

Experts here agree women are drinking more than ever, and say changing lifestyles, with mums leading busier, more stressful lives, are partly to blame.

Rebecca Williams of Alcohol Healthwatch said many women underestimated the effects of regular drinking.

"The long-term health risks are not well-known. More progressive illnesses can creep up on you and you may not even link it to your drinking," she said.

Women's alcohol consumption has been on the rise for the past 10 years in New Zealand, and pressure on women trying to juggle work and family was a factor.

"And then add the fact that women have been deliberately targeted by advertisers to take up drinking."

Women's Health Action Trust policy analyst Christy Parker said research showed stress was the top health issue for young New Zealand women.

"Young women are juggling work, study, children, voluntary commitments, as well as keeping healthy."

But Parker said it was important to consider the reasons behind women's drinking, rather than just tell mums to cut down.

"We need to look at more ways to support women raising children and in the paid workforce, and I think we'd see a direct reduction in harmful drinking."

Alcohol Advisory Council (ALAC) early intervention manager Sue Paton said women were much more affected by alcohol than men.

"The evidence is clear that women who drink like men experience much greater harm," she said.

Women develop liver disease after a shorter period of drinking, and are at greater risk of developing heart disease, ulcers, osteoporosis, depression and anxiety.

ALAC guidelines say women should have no more than four standard drinks in one session, no more than 14 drinks a week, and some alcohol-free days every week.