Are U.S. women drinking less (or more)? Historical and aging trends, 1981-2001

Women's alcohol consumption in the United States has aroused increased public concern, despite a scarcity of evidence of any major increases in women's drinking. To help resolve this apparent inconsistency, we examined patterns of historical and age-related changes in U.S. women's drinking from 1981 to 2001.

In national surveys of women in 1981, 1991, and 2001, we measured the prevalence of 12-month and 30-day drinking, heavy episodic drinking (HED; six or more drinks per day), and subjective intoxication. Using these data, we analyzed time and age trends for six 10-year age groups in each survey, taking into account effects of repeated observations and possible covariates (ethnicity, marital status, and education).

Women's 12-month drinking did not change significantly between 1981 and 1991, but it became more prevalent in the total samples between 1991 and 2001. Among 12-month drinkers, however, 30-day abstinence increased from 1981 to 2001 (particularly among women drinkers ages 21-30). From 1981 to 2001, HED declined (particularly among women drinkers ages 21-30), but intoxication became more prevalent (particularly among women drinkers ages 21-50). Drinking, HED, and intoxication became consistently less prevalent with increasing age.

Among drinkers, increases in 30-day abstinence and declines in HED suggest that recent alarms about women's drinking may have been overstated. The contrast of lower rates of HED but increased reports of intoxication may indicate that women are more alert to alcohol's effects now than in earlier decades.