Women and Alcohol Research

Women and Alcohol Research explores alcohol use, health, wellbeing, and behaviour change among women, with a particular focus on mid-life.

About the Research

Women experience unique social, cultural, and health-related influences on alcohol use across the life course. Research within OxBAR-Lab explores women's drinking experiences, motivations for change, alcohol-related harms, and the development of interventions to support alcohol reduction.

A major focus of our work is understanding alcohol use during mid-life, including the relationship between alcohol, menopause, mental health, healthy ageing, and breast cancer risk. Through surveys, interviews, co-production, intervention development, and public involvement, we work with women to develop evidence-based approaches that support informed and sustainable behaviour change.

Current Projects

SPACES (Storytelling Promoting Alcohol Choice, Empowerment and Sharing)

SPACES is a research project supporting mid-life women who would like to reduce their alcohol consumption.

We have developed a resource to support mid-life women on a self-guided journey towards changing their relationship with alcohol. At the heart of SPACES are stories based on the real-life experiences of women who have changed their drinking. Each story explores the challenges and opportunities involved in making changes to alcohol use and is linked to practical toolkits designed to support behaviour change.

The project has been developed through a programme of research involving public involvement, co-design, and interviews with women who have experience of changing their drinking.

Current status: Intervention development completed. Feasibility testing and evaluation in progress.

Alcohol, Menopause and Healthy Ageing

This programme of research explores how alcohol use relates to menopause symptoms, wellbeing, mental health, and healthy ageing in mid-life women. We are interested in understanding the challenges women face when considering changes to their drinking and the types of support they find most useful.

Breast Cancer and Alcohol Communication

This work explored how information about alcohol and breast cancer risk can be communicated in ways that are meaningful, acceptable, and useful to women. Through co-production and qualitative research, we have examined women's perspectives on alcohol-related cancer risk and developed recommendations for future communication and intervention strategies. 

Emerging Research Area: Neurodivergence and Menopause

In collaboration with Prof Kate Wilmut and Emma Rouse, we are developing a programme of research exploring the experiences of neurodivergent women during the menopause transition. Current work includes a systematic review examining the experiences and coping mechanisms of neurodivergent women during menopause, alongside qualitative interviews with women who identify as neurodivergent. Together, these studies aim to improve understanding of an under-researched area and identify opportunities for support and intervention.

Find Out More

• SPACES website: https://sites.google.com/brookes.ac.uk/spaces/home

• SPACES preregistration: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/RHN9P

Publications

Coombes, L., Liddiard, C., Seddon, J., Matley, F. A. I., Watson, E. K., & Davies, E. L. (2025). Rethinking the message on alcohol and breast cancer with UK women: a Delphi study. Health Promotion International, 40(3), daaf092. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daaf092

Davies, E. L., Bennett, J., Matheson, L., Brett, J., & Watson, E. (2023). Shouldn’t We Know This Already? UK Women’s Views About Communicating the Link Between Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Breast Cancer. Health Communication, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2023.2245208

Davies, E. L., Burton, S., Monk, R. L., Murdoch, E., ., Pearce, E., & Rose, A. K. (2025). Women’s alcohol use in mid-life: associations between menopause symptoms, drinking behaviour, and mental health. Women's Health. https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057251359767

Davies, E. L., Coombes, L., Liddiard, C., Matley, F. A. I., Seddon, J., & Watson, E. (2025). “It’s difficult when everyone else is drinking, you don’t feel part of the tribe”: development of an intervention for alcohol reduction in mid-life women. Psychology & Health. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2025.2513931

Davies, E. L., McGeagh, L., Matheson, L., Bennett, J., Matthews, S., Brett, J., & Watson, E. (2024). If They'd Said You Should Only Drink Five Units I'd Have Listened: A Mixed Methods Study of Alcohol Consumption Following a Diagnosis of Breast Cancer. Psycho-Oncology, 33(8), e9305. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.9305

Davies, E., Seddon, J., Rose, A., Butler, C., Greaves, A., Watson, E., & Matley, F. (2026). Stories for change: A theory informed, co-produced method for developing lived experience narratives for behaviour change interventions.

Matheson, L., McGeagh, L., Bennett, J., Davies, E. L., Brett, J., Matthews, S., & Watson, E. (2026). Lifestyle behaviour change following breast cancer: A qualitative exploration of experiences and unmet support and information needs. Journal of Health Psychology, 31(3), 1120-1135. https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053251336843