Heavy drinking days rose among women and older US adults
Nine surveys covering 59,514 US adults found falling shares reporting heavy drinking since 1984, but rising frequency particularly among women since 2010.
Limit: Past-year drinking reports are vulnerable to recall errors
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
In 59,514 US adults aged 18 or older, researchers analyzed nine National Alcohol Surveys conducted from 1984 to 2024. The observational study examined men and women separately, comparing trends by age, race and ethnicity, and education.
The researchers defined heavy episodic drinking as five or more drinks in a single day. They assessed high-intensity drinking at thresholds of eight or more and 12 or more drinks in a day. The share reporting any such drinking in the past year declined since 1984. From 2010 to 2024, however, the number of days involving these drinking levels increased among women, with smaller increases among men. Patterns also differed by age: drinking declined among young adults but increased among middle-aged and older adults.
Why it matters
The findings bear on how public health efforts address alcohol-related illness and deaths among older adults. The authors called for more tailored interventions.
Caveats
This observational survey analysis cannot establish what caused the trends or their health effects. The abstract did not report the size of the increases.
The paper
Public Health Institute
Addictive Behaviors, Oct 21, 2026
