Alcohol consumption driven by anxiety has been rising rapidly among women in recent years, a worrying trend made worse by the pandemic. At the same time, alcohol companies continue targeting marketing at women, subtly promoting drinking as an escape from daily stresses. Looking closer at research and data reveals complex reasons behind this stress drinking among women and its implications. “Alcohol became the modern tranquilizer, offered as an antidote for stress,” says Holly Whitaker, a former Silicon Valley executive and author of Quit Like a Woman. She describes past struggles with alcohol abuse, drawing parallels to historical sedatives like Valium