In a SAMHSA 1998 survey, 38 percent of girls ages 12 through 17 reported ever using alcohol. Nearly 7 percent of girls ages 12 through 17 reported binge drinking (having five or more drinks in a row at least once in the past month). Overall, white non-Hispanic girls ages 12 to 17 reported the greatest levels of lifetime, past-year, and current use when compared with black non-Hispanic and Hispanic girls. Although many of the reasons why adolescents drink are unrelated to gender, some factors may affect girls more than boys, such as a higher incidence of depression among teenage girls compared to boys, more susceptibility to peer pressure, and the influence of older boyfriends who are more likely to drink. Studies show that smaller amounts of alcohol are more intoxicating for females regardless of their size. This is because females have less body water than males, such that girls tend to have higher concentrations of alcohol in their blood than males after drinking identical amounts of alcohol. Further, an enzyme that is important in metabolizing or processing alcohol works differently in females than in males. In males, the enzyme, called alcohol dehydrogenase, breaks down much of the alcohol in the stomach, so that less of it enters the circulatory system; this enzyme is less active in females. Also, changing hormone levels during the menstrual cycle may affect the rate of alcohol metabolism in females. 22 notes