Professor Norio Sugawara, of the Faculty of Medicine at Dokkyo University in Japan, confirms that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is associated with an increased risk of alcohol addiction, and this association is more pronounced in women than in men.
He says: "Our study showed that the relationship between ADHD symptoms and alcoholism is stronger in women. However, this does not mean that women are more prone to alcoholism in general, but rather that this relationship is relatively stronger in women who suffer from these symptoms."
The professor and his colleagues from Dokkyo University, Tohoku University, and the Tokyo Institute of Policy Research studied data from 29,200 Japanese citizens over the age of 16 to assess symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, signs of alcoholism, and the presence of 18 different medical conditions, with the aim of exploring the links between them.
The relationship between symptoms of the disorder and alcohol addiction was found to be stronger in women, with a correlation of 6.82 compared to 3.44 in men.
The professor adds: "Impulsivity and impaired executive functions, which are features of ADHD, as well as the use of alcohol to relieve stress or insomnia, can be considered possible factors that explain this relationship. Changes in alcohol consumption patterns among women have also been observed in recent years, suggesting that behavioral and social factors play a complex role."
According to him, the study's findings indicate that alcohol consumption is associated with some physical health risks in adults suffering from symptoms of this disorder, such as cancer and strokes, with alcohol being a significant part of these risks.
He concludes by saying: “Alcohol consumption, especially among women, may play a more significant role in increasing health risks, so it is essential to assess it more accurately in clinical practice. However, it should be borne in mind that this is a cross-sectional study and does not prove a causal relationship, and therefore in individual clinical assessments, generalizations should be avoided and all factors should be taken into account.”
