HCPlive (4/16, Brooks ) reports a study found that “past-month binge drinking rates were greater among young adult females than males during the 2021 to 2023 period, reversing 2017 to 2019 patterns, whereas males in other age groups continued to binge and heavy drink at higher rates than females.” Using data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, researchers “assessed sex-based differences in past-month binge drinking,” which is defined as “≥ 5 alcoholic drinks for males or ≥ 4 alcohol drinks for females on the same occasion, and heavy drinking, defined as binge drinking on ≥ 5 days in the past 30 days.”
From 2021 to 2023, they found that females across all age groups “had significantly lower overall past month binge drinking levels than males,” while females “18 to 25 years of age had greater binge drinking levels than males.” Investigators noted that “female adults had significantly lower heavy drinking levels than male adults across all age groups from 2017 to 2019 and 2021 to 2023.” The study was published in JAMA.
Related Links:
— “Binge Drinking Rates Increasing Among Young Female Adults, Study Finds,” Abigail Brooks, MA, HCPLive, April 16, 2025