A new study conducted by scientists in Germany found that women are more easily addicted to alcohol than men and suffer brain damage from excessive drinking sooner than men do. The results were published in the May issue of the journal 'Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.'

The researchers examined brain scans of 158 volunteers 76 of whom were alcoholics and 82 healthy people. Those described as alcoholics were picked from a six week in-patient treatment program.

The results reinforced the findings from previous studies which indicate that women feel negative effects from alcohol more rapidly than men including problems such as mental impairment, heart and skeletal muscle damage and liver disease.

The difference between men and women was remarkable. Women tended to have the same amount of brain damage after five-and-a-half years of excessive drinking as men did after 10 years.

Statistically, women do tend to start drinking later in their lives than men and tend to drink less than their male counterparts. This study clearly showed that women's bodies have more difficulty dealing with alcohol than do men something that all people who begin drinking should be aware of.