Drinking impacts men and women, young and old, in very different ways. These seven facts uncover how age and gender shape alcohol’s risks and benefits.

Underage drinking interferes with developing neural pathways, raising risks of addiction, mental health disorders, and cognitive deficits later in life.

Due to lower body water content, women become more intoxicated than men on the same drink—raising injury and liver‑damage risks.

Moderate drinking might protect the heart in some, but heavy or binge drinking in the 40s–50s dramatically increases hypertension and stroke incidence.

After 65, alcohol stays in the bloodstream longer, intensifying effects and increasing fall, medication interaction, and cognitive impairment risks.

Men drink more heavily overall, but women develop alcohol‑related organ damage and dependency faster, even at lower consumption levels.

Standard drink limits differ by age and gender—teens should abstain, women limit to one per day, men to two, and seniors to fewer, depending on health.