Young women are now binge drinking at higher rates than young men, according to a new study from the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Between the two national test periods, 2017-19 and 2021-23, binge drinking among young men declined nearly 21% while among women it dropped only 13%. The sharper drop among men has left women with relatively higher consumption rates, though female rates aren’t necessarily rising.
Binge drinking was defined as consuming five or more drinks in one sitting for men, or four or more for women.
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh used data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a nationally representative survey administered annually by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The team analyzed responses from U.S. adults ages 18 to 24.
Dr. Bryant Shuey, lead author of the study, called the drop in drinking for men and women a “public health success” but noted potential concerns.
“Are young people happy, socially connected and drinking less, or is it that middle-aged and young men are more lonely, less social and less willing to call up a friend for drinks?” he said to Yahoo.
Meanwhile, additional data suggest that many young women are struggling emotionally, possibly offering answers as to why their relative levels of alcohol abuse haven’t lowered quite as much as men’s.
A 2024 Ipsos report found that 40% of Gen Z females globally reported feeling depressed to the point of hopelessness for several weeks at a time. Some researchers believe alcohol may be a coping mechanism for this distress.
“Once they see that their personal life is better and their physical health is better and that no one cares that they don’t drink,” sobriety becomes easier, Brandon Saho, a recovering alcoholic and host of “The Mental Game” podcast, told Yahoo Life.
Shane Ramer, a sobriety podcaster who is also in recovery, agreed that sobriety for men is simply beginning to make sense socially.
“People are waking up to the fact that … it’s so much cooler and respectable and how many more opportunities there are” when one doesn’t drink, he explained to Yahoo.
