Excessive Wine Drinking Killing Gen X Women

Here’s a real bummer of a generational phenomena that will have you longing for another trend piece on the directionless selfishness of Millennials: British Generation X women — those born in the 1970’s and currently in their 30’s and 40’s — are drinking themselves to death. With wine.

This uptick in drinking-related fatalities among Gen X women comes amid a drop in drinking-related deaths among other demographics in the UK, according to the Guardian.

The late night drinking culture, following the easing of the licensing laws, together with cheap drink – especially wine – play a big part, they say, as does industry marketing and promotion.

“The UK-wide increase in alcohol consumption (driven by increases in wine consumption) is linked to increases in alcohol availability and affordability, together with the promotion of alcoholic drinks by the alcohol industry and promotion of the night time economy by successive governments,” they say in their paper in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Alcohol-related deaths include primarily those related to liver disease, especially among women.

Officials are worried about this because, historically, women in the UK have died from alcohol-related causes much less frequently than their male counterparts. Further, male deaths from alcohol have been falling steadily for years.

Women are dying. From drinking too much alcohol. When they’re in their thirties.

(Looks at calendar. Realizes 30th birthday is next Friday. Shamefully shuffles to kitchen, pours out glass of Day Wine into sink.)