The author quotes statistics about the rise of drinking among young women — "more than 48 percent acknowledge having had at least one drink in the past month (up from 42 percent in 1992). But beyond that, the women who drink are drinking more. The number of women who identify as moderate-to-heavy drinkers has risen in the last ten years, while the number of women who say they are light drinkers has declined" — and then uses anecdotal evidence from her peer group to show that upwardly mobile urban women are the ones who are doing all the drinking, out of wanting to do well at work or wanting to express the fact that they cannot be controlled by social mores.

Full disclosure: I am quoted in the article, and this site generally and two editors specifically are mentioned as examples of the fact that "drinking has become entwined with progressive feminism." I don't really think that's true at all, and say in the article that drinking in and of itself is not a feminist act.

Indeed, much of the New York social world revolves around drinking, but it has, well, pretty much forever. Tales of Dorothy Parker getting shitcanned at speakeasies in the 20s are part of writerly lore. Rather than increased hard drinking having much to do with gender, I think it has more to do with career and circumstance. New York describes a woman named Kate, who works in finance, and started drinking with her colleagues after hard days of work so she could be "one of the guys." The anecdote seemed so dated, and reminded all of us of the scene in Mad Men when Peggy goes to the strip club so she can ingratiate herself with the boys.

But wouldn't a male teetotaler feel much of the same pressure to be included if he worked in the same industry? Somehow, I doubt that medical students and residents, male or female, feel any of the same social pressures to booze it up, since their work colleagues are not indulging in the same way. This is New York Magazine, and so they are only talking about New Yorkers, but I also find it difficult to believe that the drinking of urban upper middle class white women is the only reason drinking has gone up for women across the board. The article doesn't even mention the fact that the writer interviews only young, childless, unmarried women: i.e., the kind of women who have the extra time on their hands to hit the bar on a weeknight... and are young enough to be able to work through an alcohol-induced haze more easily. There must be more complex issues (like the marketing of booze that the author mentions) than just a desire for some sort of misguided equality.

Gender Bender [New York]

Most research shows that for both men and women the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption usually outweigh the risks. Alcohol is linked to a lower risk of heart attack, diabetes, dementia and stroke, and a slightly higher risk of colon cancer. Two drinks a day raises the risk of oral cancer and esophageal cancer, but those cancers are so rare that for most people the individual increase in risk is not worrisome.

So wait, drinking is good? We can drink as much as we want? No! Moderation! And moderation for doctors is different from the moderation we have in our minds: "For men, moderate drinking translates into about two servings of alcohol a day, and for women just less than one. A serving is a glass of wine or beer, or a shot (1 to 1.25 ounces) of distilled spirits." Get that? Less that one serving. Try to think of the last time you didn't drink your entire glass of wine. We'll wait. BUT OMG BREAKING NEWS: Pregnant women can drink a glass of wine! Daily! We're not with child but yay! But, oh, wait, The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says that alcohol abstinence is the 'safest option'. Ugh. It's all such a mindfuck. Because, you know, an after-work cocktail is civilized. We love a bubbly and refreshing gin and tonic. Or a crisp, cold beer. Or an effervescent flute of bubbly champagne. Or a sweetly sour margarita. Jesus, we need a fucking drink.

Another Quaff of Confusion About Alcohol [NY Times]
Pregnant Women 'Safe To Drink Daily Glass Of Wine' [Daily Mail]
Earlier: Avoid Breast Cancer In 14 Not-So-Easy Steps
Three Drinks Can Cause Breast Cancer. But What About Six Drinks?