At the same table, with the same drinks, women often get drunk faster than men — and alcohol can affect women's brains differently, making its effects stronger, sometimes more rewarding. But also more addictive.
Even in Paris' hard-drinking intellectual circles, French philosopher and feminist icon Simone de Beauvoir found that a glass of wine hit harder than expected. De Beauvoir once joked that two glasses left her feeling quite dizzy, long before any existential debates began.
Decades later, science can explain why: Women process alcohol differently from men — often faster and more intensely — and women's brains also respond more strongly to its rewarding effects, even when drinking the same amount as men.
How alcohol moves through the body
Alcohol affects the body almost immediately. Before it hits the stomach, taste buds signal the brain, causing small changes in heart rate, blood flow and brain chemistry to get the body ready.
When you swall
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