Women lose from aclohol equality

No, not the pernicious evil of the demon drink but rather the more insidious social malaise – that insatiable craving for equality.

It seems that our four esteemed medics have themselves been intoxicated. It appears their metabolism has been adversely influenced by the spirit of homogeny. Their adjusting of the alcohol guidelines to make the recommended limits the same for men as for women flies in the face of all known science and just about every natural law.

We should have seen this coming. We should have noticed the change in behaviour. They have been making excuses. They have been apologising for naked facts. In this announcement they are simply consoling each other as they cross the line from a state of delusion to complete denial.

Recent publications on the differential between the limits for men and women have been presented in contrite tones. They have been apologising for the ‘inequality’ of gender distinction. The United Kingdom’s ‘drinkaware’ website prefaces the limits with the headline, ‘It may sound a bit sexist, but it’s simple biology.’ It continues, ‘Women are advised to drink less because, in general, their bodies don’t process alcohol as efficiently as men’s.’ In the United States’ Cornell University introduces their education on the subject with even more gender-based politicising, ‘We like to think men and women are equal in all things. When it comes to most of the A-words (like academics, athletics and arts), women and men are equal. Not so with alcohol.

The universally accepted science on the subject cites at least four gender distinctions in relation to the harmful effects of alcohol.

• By and large, men have a bigger frame and build so the alcohol is diluted over a larger mass.

• There are differences in body water content for men and women. The total body weight of a man is composed of 55-65% water and of a woman is 45- 55% water; so alcohol is more diluted in men than in women.

• Men have higher levels of an enzyme (gastric alcohol dyhydrogenase) that aids in the metabolism of alcohol. This enables men to more effectively break down alcohol in the stomach before it even reaches the blood stream.

• Finally, hormonal changes in women affect blood alcohol concentration meaning that at certain times women will maintain the peak degree of intoxication for longer.

In view of such hard scientific evidence why are the Chief Medical Officers advising the same (equal) limits for men as for women?

C S Lewis once said that, ‘The demand for equality has two sources; one of them is among the noblest, the other is the basest of human emotions. The noble source is the desire for fair play. But the other source is the hatred of superiority. ...Equality (outside mathematics) is a purely social conception.’ Far be it from me to suggest that our Chief Medical Officers are driven by nobility or indeed the basest human emotion but I am convinced that they have imbibed, more than is healthy, of the social conception (or misconception) of equality.

Sober up and face the facts. The new recommendations infer that men and women can consume equal amounts of alcohol with equal adverse effect on health. This is a gross disservice to the population you are charged with protecting. In addition it is not an equally detrimental disservice. In the ultimate irony, I believe it is of particular disservice to women.

David McCabe, Dromore, Co Down