Drinking More Like Men: Female Drinking Habits Are Starting To Become Similar


Females in the United States are showing a trend in which they are drinking more like men. The men are starting to drink more like the females. On Monday, a survey, conducted on United States drinking habits, was released. The results of the survey saw men drinking slightly less, and women increasing their drinking. The survey group found that the drinking trend was very clear on college campuses. Aaron White, of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, commented on this new study.

“Males still consume more alcohol, but the differences between men and women are diminishing.”

Data for this survey was taken over the course of 10 years, 2002 to 2012. The drinking increases and decreases were minimal, but they did speak of an ongoing trend. During the ten years, over a thirty day period, women increased their drinking from 45 percent to 48 percent. During the same time frame, men who were drinking decreased from 57.4 percent to 56 percent. The study also found women drank more alcohol more days per month, as opposed to men. Women increased from 6.8 days to 7.3 days. Men drinking dropped from 9.9 days to 9.5 days.

In the college setting, more women than men admitted to drinking 5 or more drinks in succession. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism commented on this new trend in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

“In the United States, males drink more often and more heavily than females, consuming greater than twice as much alcohol per year (18 liters of pure alcohol for males, 7.8 liters for females.”

Other men and women were asked about their drinking habits. Twenty-five percent of men claimed that they never drink. Women have stated that 37 percent have never been involved in drinking. Men over women are more likely to be involved in alcohol-related offenses. More men than women are arrested for drunk driving, and more men and women are likely to succumb to alcohol poisoning. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism shared more statistics.

“Excessive drinking caused 87,797 deaths annually from 2006 to 2010, of which two-thirds of decedents were males (62,104 males vs. 25,693 females).The prevalence of combining alcohol with marijuana during the last drinking occasion among 18 to 25 year old male drinkers increased from 15 percent to 19 percent, while the prevalence of combining alcohol with marijuana during the last drinking occasion among 18 to 25 year old female drinkers remained steady at about 10 percent.”

Is there a specific reason why women are starting to catch up to men when it comes to drinking? If you are a woman, do you find that you are drinking more now than you have in the past?

[Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images]

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