After a hard day at work many of us think nothing of pouring ourselves a glass of our favourite tipple to unwind with.

So what if the odd alcoholic drink to relax develops in to several and suddenly you find yourself frequently turning to the bottle to escape the pressures of your working life?

Recent research suggested women executives were more likely to be problem drinkers than their junior colleagues.

There also seems to be more women at senior grades with an alcohol problem than their male counterparts.

The study, published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine, involved about 8,000 Government employees.

There are different levels of safe limits for men and women and they are measured in units.

One unit of alcohol is equivalent to half a pint of lager, one measure of spirits, one measure of sherry or a small glass of table wine.

One bottle (750cl) of table wine contains 11 to 12 units.

Until not long ago the safe limit for men was considered to be 21 units and for women it was 14.

For women anything between 14 and 35 was hazardous and above 35 dangerous.

It was noticed some people tended to drink only at weekends and concentrate all the units in two days. They were staying within the weekly safe limits but it was dangerous.

For this reason the new recommendations are daily amounts of no more than three to four units per day for men and no more than two to three units per day for women.

Both men and women should have at least one day a week without drinking. Going above safe limits increases the risk of physical and psychological problems.

The Government has put together a plan to combat alcohol misuse.

The number of women drinking too much has become a particular concern.

While the number of men drinking above 21 units has stayed fairly consistent at about 27 per cent, the number of women drinking in excess of 14 units has increased from ten per cent in 1998 to 15 per cent in 2001.

A woman does not have to be dependent or an alcoholic to suffer mental or physical problems.

Drinking above recommended level increases the risk of illnesses.

Illnesses which are of specific concern to women include cancer, coronary heart disease, obesity linked to high blood pressure, osteoporosis, digestive problems and birth defects.

Women's metabolism and the make-up of their bodies such as the digestive system and liver means they are unable to process alcohol like a man and so cannot drink as much.

Dr Marco Procopio, a consultant for addictions at The Priory Hospital, Hove, said: "Men are still drinking more than women but women are catching up, especially younger women.

"We have a generation of women who are drinking as much as men."

Women often had to cope with the dual role of caring for a family and working.

"There are two aspects to it. One is the physical aspect.

"They are putting their health in danger. There is no safety in numbers. The fact everyone is doing it doesn't make it safe.

"Then there is the psychological aspect.

"In the short term a quantity of alcohol can make us feel better. The problem is in the long term alcohol is a depressive.

"Society is going in a direction in which we find it very difficult to cope with difficult feelings.

"When we come back in the evening and we have been bullied by the boss or something is bothering us we do not stay with our feeling. We want to run away from it.

"We think the best way is to have a couple of glasses but the most healthy thing is to talk to someone and try to work out that feeling rather than running away.

"Women used to talk more than men.

"They used to be able to cope much better than men.

"They are now resorting to the same strategies."