Researchers at King’s College London surveyed 12,361 men and 20,534 women aged 20-80 about their alcohol consumption.
They found no evidence of different trends developing in the drinking careers of women and men, as reported in a previous study. In fact, they show that a consistently greater percentage of men than women drink at high risk levels.
They also found that 88-90% of alcohol consumed by the 20-29 age group was consumed non-sensibly (men more than 4 units a day, women more than 3 units a day) and 40-48% was consumed heavily (men more than 8 units a day, women more than 6 units a day).
It is vital that risky drinking by both men and women should be addressed in young adults, say the authors. Tackling risky drinking behaviour in young people should be a key feature of the long overdue alcohol strategy, they conclude.