Smart Women Drink More Cocktails

Last week, scientists out of the UK published a study showing that people with more education were more likely to consume alcoholic beverages than those with less education.  This was especially true for women.  This raises the question...why do smart women drink more alcoholic beverages?


A logical answer would be that educated women make more money, on average, and can therefore afford a luxury like alcohol.  Or, some women (who are much brighter than me) may have been so smart, that they married into money and can afford a luxury like alcohol (and Botox, and a summer home, and a gardener, etc.)  Or, and this is quite possible in a study like this, drinking alcohol actually MAKES you smarter!  


Now that might not seem logical, but I don't think it should be ruled out.  On several occasions, I surprise myself with what comes out of my mouth after one or two glasses of wine.  In fact, I also find that other people sound smarter after I've had a few cocktails.  


So, this got me thinking about the drinking practices of SHE:

• According to Gallup polls, about two-thirds of women drink alcohol, with about 25% saying they had a drink in the last 24 hours.  (I'm in that 25%)

• About 50% of women choose wine over other beverages. (Yeah, guilty)

• In the United States, almost three times as many men (9.8 million) as women (3.9 million) abuse alcohol or are alcohol-dependent.  (Does not apply to me and my heart goes out to these people and their families...icky stuff)

• Based on 2008 statistics, three of the top 10 wines consumed in the US were White Zinfandel.  (Seriously?  I implore all White Zinfandel drinkers to immediately switch over to Pinot Grigio...here's a good one to try...immediately...really, don't let anyone see you drinking White Zinfandel ever again...I'm doing you a favor...trust me.  This same advice applies if you're reading this with a wine cooler in your hand.)

• There were NO red wines in the top 10 list!  (I'm on a one women crusade to change this...keeping in mind the 3rd bullet above)

• A bottle of wine is approximately 600 calories.  (This is equivalent to ~6 miles of running, which I think is totally doable and reasonable penance)

• My Pottery Barn wine glass holds ~1/3 of a bottle of wine, which is equal to 230 calories.  (This would explain the appearance of my "muffin top"....and clearly means that I need to start running again)

(No, this is not me...I wish I looked that good...and could pull off a tube top)