The Booze Question

A 2016 study found women are catching up to men’s drinking habits at an unprecedented rate.

Because you’re conscious of your health and determined not to backtrack your fitness, chances are you agonise over the choice to sip or sit out at barbecues and Sunday sessions – and recent headlines aren’t taking the pressure off.

Modern studies have linked heavy drinking to arterial stiffness and heart disease, have suggested that a daily glass of white wine may raise melanoma risk by 13 per cent, have found that just the smell of alcohol can impact self-control, and have even reported that previous findings showing the potential benefits of occasional drinking, such as longevity, were flawed in their design. But the most significant buzz around booze came from a study published in October 2016 in the journal , which found women are catching up to men’s drinking habits at an unprecedented rate, drinking nearly as much as the guys do, and experiencing similar