Skip to main content

Young Women Show Greater Increase in Past-Month Binge Drinking Than Men

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on April 25, 2025.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, April 24, 2025 -- The sex-based differences in past-month binge drinking among young adults reversed in 2021-2023 versus 2017-2019, with higher rates emerging among women, according to a research letter published online April 16 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Bryant Shuey, M.D., from the University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues examined sex-based differences in binge and heavy drinking in recent years. The analysis included 267,843 adults participating in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2017-2019 and 2021-2023).

The researchers found that in 2017-2019, women had significantly lower past-month binge drinking levels than men overall (22.6 versus 29.2 per 100 persons), as well as among adults aged 18 through 25 years (36.4 versus 37.7 per 100 persons). Similarly, in 2021-2023, women had significantly lower past month binge drinking levels than males overall (21.8 versus 25.7 per 100 persons). However, in 2021-2023, women aged 18 through 25 years had higher binge drinking levels than men (31.6 versus 29.9 per 100 persons). In both 2017-2019 and 2021-2023, women had significantly lower past-month heavy drinking levels than men (4.5 versus 8.3 per 100 persons and 5.0 versus 7.8 per 100 persons), with similar results across all age groups.

"Given rising alcohol-related liver disease and mortality among females relative to males, clinicians should ensure that young adult female populations are being appropriately screened for binge and heavy drinking to mitigate downstream alcohol-related health impacts," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted April 2025

Read this next

Moderate, Heavy Alcohol Consumption Linked to Signs of Injury in the Brain

FRIDAY, April 11, 2025 -- Moderate, heavy, and former heavy alcohol consumption are associated with hyaline arteriolosclerosis and neurofibrillary tangles, according to a study...

1992 to 2021 Saw Decrease in Burden of Alcohol-Related Cirrhosis in Women

MONDAY, April 7, 2025 -- The burden of alcohol-related cirrhosis (AC) among women has decreased but is disproportionately high in lower Sociodemographic Index (SDI) regions...

Red Wine No Better Than White in Terms of Cancer Risk

THURSDAY, March 13, 2025 -- There is no significant difference in the association between red or white wine consumption and overall cancer risk, according to a meta-analysis...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.