Women's life spans are on the decrease Results show that the average age in which women are dying is going down. There are many reasons for this, but one of the key factors is that women are now smoking and drinking more than ever. The average life span for a woman is 78-79 years, while in males the estimated life span is 75-76 years.

More and more women are drinking and smoking. Now it is not only older women that are doing. Underage drinking and smoking is becoming more and more common. Groups for alcoholics are reporting members from just 13 years old. This shows that in these modern times, it is no longer a little sip at Christmas or Church. It is becoming an ordinary drink. But just how dangerous is alcohol and smoking? Alcohol affects the nervous system by slowing down reactions. In the long term, it causes brain cells to shrink and kills liver cells which break down poisons in our body. It is also a depressant so it slows down the brain’s activity. Alcohol makes you less capable of making decisions and controlling your movements. Smoking is also another factor. Tar from the cigarette sticks to the alveoli in your lungs, which pass on oxygen to your blood stream and so the more you smoke, the more tar that covers your lungs. Furthermore, smoking is linked with diseases such as cancer, heart disease and Parkinson's disease. So if more and more women are doing this then their life spans will continue to decrease. Just think the next time you have a drink or a cigarette; “What is it doing to my body?”