NEW YORK (PIX11) -- More and more American women are dying from alcohol-related deaths. The Journal of American Medicine published the study conducted by Hofstra, Harvard and the University of South Carolina.

Looking at CDC death rates, they found between 2018 and 2020, men's mortality rates increased by 12.5%.

Surprisingly women's mortality rates spiked more dramatically to almost 15%.

On the street, New York women shared one common thought, life has gotten more stressful, and alcohol is a way to escape.

Heather Hugelemyer of Northwell Health said that means more health problems for women. She also points out that alcohol consumption by women may be less stigmatized than it was years ago, but getting help for a problem is tougher than ever for women to admit.

Approximately 97,00 men die from the health effects of alcohol annually. About 43,000 women die every year, according to the CDC.

The latest studies show that this gender gap is shrinking at an alarming rate for women.