A new study suggests that men who drink regularly for years find it more difficult to give up the bottle than women, because of changes made to their brain.
According to the scans taken during the study, men find it harder to cut back after a decade of drinking because of activity in a specific area of the brain that causes alcohol cravings.
However, women did not show the same brain activity, suggesting that it might be easier for them to abstain from drinking.
The findings come from brain scans given to 11 men and 16 women aged under 28 who had been drinking for a decade, consuming at least 25 units a week.
The study was carried out by the University of Eastern Finland, with the findings reported to the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology
The lead author of the research Dr Outi Kaarre said that they found more changes in brain electrical activity in male subjects than females. He went on to add that it showed that male brain electrical functioning is changed more than female brains by long-term alcohol use.
