By Bunmi Sofola

With virtually all ‘heavy’ A list parties being dominated by women, it stands to reason that most of the exotic drinks, especially alcohol, would be guzzled by them. Little wonder that women are increasingly being told they’re are drinking too much, consuming more alcohol than ever before. Binge drinking, where you knock back the stuff at social outings is now a favourite activity.

So, what’s really going on?  Are the women becoming a nation of alcoholics?  Or are they being unfairly blamed for drinking too much?  To answer your questions, you need to compare women’s drinking habits of our mothers at our age, and yes, we drink a lot, confessed a very much sought-after-events manager.  She was keeping a hawk-like watch over the huge coolers of bottles of champagne she must disburse at another lavish wedding. Otherwise, a few could miraculously disappear, no thanks to the waiters she uses who know what a bottle of champagne costs.

“Most of these would definitely be drunk, by the female guests”, she continued.  They are also the ones who shell out good money for the aso ebi both sides of the couple’s parents favoured. They are also the ones that would later storm the dance floor, spraying the celebrants as if their lives depend on it. A few booze down their gullets makes sure they wriggle their waists to the guests’ delight and envy without being too self-conscious.  “Long working hours and higher incomes, combined with the fact that women are having children later, and, therefore, have fewer responsibilities are the main reasons for this greater indulgence”, observed  Dupe, a business consultant. And it is accepted – even expected – that women should mix socializing with their favourite drink.

My Val’s day experience: Senior girls wanna have fun too

It is not in Nigeria alone, it’s all over the world Women are earning a lot more than ever before, some even more than their husbands or partners, and booze is as handy as the next liqueur shop!  So, what’s stopping the average woman from unwinding with a tipple of her choice-just like her male counterpart?  And you don’t need to go to parties to do that. These days, the average successful female drinker’s refrigerator is stocked with her favourite bottles of wine; and washing down a good lunch with a well-chilled bottle of Chadonnay goes down a treat.

“And what happens when you socialize?  You go out determined to stick to your booze limit, but the average night club creates an illusion that easily confuses people – you think it’s because of the music that you’re so excited and swaying – it’s only when you get outside that the drunkenness hits and you know you’ve downed more alcohol than you should.

The point is, drinking is an emotional issue for women because many associate it with meeting up with friends and getting their problems off their chest .. But should women be drinking so much?  According to medical reports, “most women enjoy a drink as much as any man. But the proportion of fat to muscles of women, their usually smaller size, their hormonal balances and the differences in absorption and metabolic rate of alcohol mean women cannot drink as much as men.

A woman’s body is able to tolerate a third less alcohol than a man’s.  In the short term, women become drunk faster and sober up more slowly.  They are also less well adapted to metabolise alcohol in the stomach.  This makes them far more dependant on the liver.  In the long-term, once damage has been done to the livers, they are more likely to develop cirrhosis than a man, even if they stop drinking entirely.

Alcohol is now second only to tobacco as a cause of premature death.  The reality here is that, even in a world where a woman can do anything a man can do, the difference in a woman’s body means, when it comes to drinking, she simply can’t – alcohol has a more devastating physical effect on women than on men”/

Do you think you’re drinking too much?  Experts offer this advice on alcohol intake: Try keeping a drinks diary one week. We often see alcohol as a quick-fix solution for shyness or stress, so., write down your emotions before and after you go out. You’ll see drinking not only fails to solve these emotions triggers, it actually worsens them.  Avoid the trap of round-buying. If you buy the first round in a group of five, you’ve signed yourself up for four more drinks.  Before you go out, write down a drinking quota limit. Put it in your purse and look at it when you feel the craving for one more.  Only take out enough cash to cover your stated drinks quota. Drink water – both to quell your thirst and soften your hangover. If you’re worried your friends will pressurize you into drinking too much to keep up with them, prepare an excuse for stopping.

Say you have a big meeting the next morning, even if you don’t. With the various social events always ahead of us, the message from the experts is drinking isn’t something we should be ashamed of – but we need to be aware of our reasons for doing it. By saying, “I’ll drink what I want as much as I want”, you believe you’re showing yourself to be a free spirit who does what she pleases. Ask yourself whether this is the case and, if not, who are you putting a show for?  We also need to be aware of the tactics used to lure us into drinking more when we may not want to.

Drinking is fine – as long as we’re the ones in control.

Ouch! (Humour)

Two private school boys developed a deep dislike for each other, from the start to the end of their school days. Afterwards, they saw nothing of each other till 40 years later when they happened to meet at the entrance of one of London’s biggest hotels. One had become an admiral and the other a bishop, but they recognised each other immediately and mutual antipathy radiated as strong as ever.

The bishop was wearing his frock, apron and gaiters. The admiral was in full dress uniform with medals, orders and gold lace.  The bishop said to the admiral, “I say, commissionaire, call me a cab would you?” To w3hich the admiral replied, “certainly, madam, but should you be travelling in your condition?”