Question

are there biological differences between men and women regarding their tolerance of alcohol?

Are their differences in cultures being more susceptible to addiction?

Answer 1

• Males and females differ in their ability to metabolize alcohol. This difference is due to variations in the amount and activity of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), the enzyme responsible for metabolizing alcohol.
• Males have highly active (i.e., fast) forms of ADH in their stomach and their liver. The presence of ADH in the stomach of males can reduce the absorption of alcohol by 30%. By contrast, females have almost no ADH in their stomach. Consequently, females absorb more alcohol into their bloodstream. Additionally, the ADH in the liver of females is much less active than the ADH in the male liver.
• Taken together, these gender differences in alcohol metabolism result in increased BACs(bacterial artificial chromosome) for females compared to males if they both consume the same amount of alcohol. For the same number of drinks, it is easier for females to become intoxicated.
• After an equivalent dose of alcohol, women have higher blood ethanol levels than men. This may lead women to drink less and thus to show fewer alcohol-related behavioral problems and be less likely to develop tolerance to alcohol than men. Women’s higher blood ethanol levels at a given dose may occur because women are generally smaller than men, or because women’s body water content is smaller than men’s per kilogram of body weight, leading to greater amounts of alcohol being passed through the stomach and into the blood stream in women compared to men.
• Sociocultural beliefs can shape the approach to and behavior regarding substance use and abuse. Culture plays a central role in forming the expectations of individuals about potential problems they may face with drug use. For many social groups, this may provide a protective factor. An example is the use of alcohol by the ancient Aztecs before any contact with white settlers. Their use of alcohol was heavily regulated and was only for ceremonial purposes. Non-ceremonial use of alcohol was strictly forbidden under penalty of death.
• Acculturation, the degree to which an individual identifies with his or her native culture, is thought to be related to substance use and abuse. Native American elders believe that many substance abuse problems are related to the loss of traditional culture. Higher rates of substance use have been found in persons who closely identify with non-Native American values and the lowest rates are found in bicultural individuals who are comfortable with both sets of cultural values.
• Immigrants leave the protective environment of their family behind and are faced with a new set of cultural norms and values. This has been seen in Hispanics who have moved to the United States. Sensitivity to changes in the degree of acculturation has been described in Cuban American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican American women. These women may often assume the drinking behavior of the dominant society and, as a result, they increase their use of alcohol.
• There is enormous cross-cultural variation in the way people behave when they drink. In some societies (such as the UK, Scandinavia, US and Australia), alcohol is associated with violent and anti-social behaviour, while in others (such as Mediterranean and some South American cultures) drinking behaviour is largely peaceful and harmonious.
• In all societies, alcohol plays a central role in transitional rituals - both major life-cycle events and minor, everyday transitions.In terms of everyday transitions, cultures (such as the US and UK) in which alcohol is only used to mark the transition from work to play - where drinking is associated with recreation and irresponsibility, and regarded as antithetical to working - tend to have higher levels of alcohol-related problems.