With greater social acceptance of drinking by women, female students imbibe more alcohol now than they ever have in the past. It is no longer just the social aspect of drinking that appeals to women--more drink in order to get drunk. Studies done at the School of Public Health indicate that, on campus...

According to health educators and experts, changing times mean that an increasing number of female students are waking up with hangovers.

Dr. Henry Wechsler, a lecturer at the School of Public Health and author of a previous study on alcohol abuse, is presently conducting a study at Harvard on drinking among students.

In 1989, in a study of New England school, Wechsler found that the proportion of women who drink to get drunk was significantly greater than it was 12 years before.

"The norms have changed," Wechsler said last week. "It is less unacceptable for women to drink heavily than it used to be."

In his previous study, Wechsler also found that while fewer women than men are heavy drinkers, the proportion of women who imbibe in order to get drunk is similar to that of men.

Gail L. Gramarossa, manager of the Office of Health Education, cited studies done at the School of Public Health that have found increases in binge drinking among female students. Gramarossa attributed the increases to the greater social accept ability of drinking by women.

She said, "I often wonder about the effect of the media and advertising on any behavior like that... There is a student concern that alcohol and abuse of alcohol are a big part of social activity. This could be a part of the social need to fit in."

However, while many university health official agree with the theory of greater social acceptability, some feel that the number of women drinking has not increased as a result of it. Instead, more female drinkers have been identified.

"My personal theory is that women have always had alcohol and drug problems" said Maura D. Valle, a health educator at University Health Services, who has recently seen more female students coming forward with alcohol problems than ever before. "But now it's more socially acceptable for women to drink publicly and get drunk with guys."

"Women were more in the closet 20 or 30 years ago," Valle said. "They also may have been misdiagnosed instead of being treated for an alcohol problem." Valle cited the increasing percentages of women in programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous, which is now about 40 percent female.

Charles P. Ducey, director of the Bureau of Study Counsel, would not support making what he called "impressionistic generalizations" about women and drinking. He said. "I don't see any particular reason why drinking among college-age women has gone up. I haven't noticed any change here."

Ducey did, however, agree with Valle in saying that drinking among women is a major problem. He said that men's drinking gets more attention because it often goes together with violent behavior.

"Women's drinking is less likely to manifest itself in that way," he said. "I doubt that it means that women's drinking is less problematic."

Ducey's point is supported by the trend in recent administrative Board cases. According to Virginia L. Mackay-Smith '78, assistant dean of the College for coeducation and secretary to the Ad Board, the amount to alcohol related cases has increased this year as more students drink and as the college becomes "More comfortable" with the new alcohol policy, which makes it illegal for people under 21 to possess alcohol.