Women. Why are women drinking more than ever?

It's a fact that women are drinking more than they did ten years ago. And, with modern (albeit fictional) heroines such as Carrie Bradshaw who regularly cries 'I need a cocktail' or Bridget Jones who is partial to a glass or two of Chardonnay, it's clear it has become more acceptable too. But is popular culture to blame for women drinking more than ever or are these characters synonymous with females everywhere today?

It's likely that a variety of factors have contributed to women topping up their glass – from everyday stress to larger measures available in bars. Yet, much like their fictional counterparts, women today tend to have more disposable income and are having children later in life, which means more me time too.

Lisa, a 29 year old professional from Aberdeen can relate to this: "I work hard, so I play hard too! After a long day at the office there is nothing I look forward to more than a couple of glasses of wine to wash away the worries of the day – it helps me unwind. I sometimes worry that I maybe drink too much but when I look at my friends they are exactly the same as me. The truth is I don’t drink because I have to – I drink because I want to and I can afford it, so surely that’s ok?"

Work hard, play hard

Having the money and freedom to treat ourselves regularly is obviously every modern women’s right. But how often does a treat then become a habit? With 1 in 2 women exceeding the recommended daily limits of alcohol consumption it appears there is a lot of ‘treating’ going on and the reality is that many of us might not even realise how much we are actually drinking.

"The truth is I don’t drink because I have to –
I drink because I want to and I can afford it, so surely that’s ok?"

A special treat

Sandra, a 44 year old mother of two is familiar with this situation; "My kids are more or less grown up now, so I seem to have a lot more time on my hands to relax than I used to. I’m usually opening a bottle in time for my husband coming in from work and by the time we have finished dinner it’s gone. More often than not we open another! I used to think a bottle of wine lasted forever but these days it just seems to disappear – my daughter disapprovingly blames it on the large wine glasses I use."

Suprise me

A large wine glass actually holds a third of a bottle of wine and can add up to as many as 3 units of alcohol. It’s no wonder then that many of us probably aren’t aware just how much we’re drinking when we have ‘a few glasses of wine’. Supersizing our drinks may be better value for money but it could also be pushing us way over our recommended weekly alcohol intake too.