High School Binge Drinking Predicts Midlife Alcohol Use, Women Most Affected

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by the University of Michigan.

The high school party days never really ended for a surprising number of middle-aged adults.

A University of Michigan study reveals that adults aged 35 to 60 are drinking at unprecedented rates, with a striking link between high school binge drinking and risky midlife alcohol consumption.

Women, in particular, seem to be experiencing a pronounced surge in risky drinking behaviors, according to the research published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research.

About 20% to 30% of midlife adults reported binge drinking—with four or more drinks for women, five for men—and 1 in 10 engaged in high-intensity drinking, having 8-10 drinks in a row.

Given the increased health risks associated with aging, the study signals a concerning pattern and highlights a critical need for targeted public health interventions.

“We found that people who reported binge drinking in high school engaged in higher levels of alcohol use on a range of indicators decades later during midlife, compared to people who did not binge drink in high school,” said author Megan Patrick of U-M’s Institute for Social Research. “For example, among those who didn’t binge at age 18, only 20% reported binge drinking in midlife compared with 40% among those who did binge at age 18.”

“While men drank more than women on all measures, the association between binge drinking in high school and high-intensity drinking in midlife was stronger for women,” Patrick said. “Women who reported binge drinking at age 18 were three times more likely to report high-intensity drinking in midlife; men were twice as likely to report high-intensity drinking if they binge drank at age 18. We noted that alcohol use among women in midlife has risen steadily in recent years, while alcohol use among men has not.”

Researchers analyzed data from more than 5,000 surveys of adults aged 35, 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60. These participants had been part of a national longitudinal study, the Monitoring the Future Panel study, since the 12th grade. The aim was to explore if there were long-term links between binge drinking in adolescence and alcohol use in midlife.

“Adolescent alcohol use is a predictor of health and well-being in midlife. This provides strong evidence for thinking about prevention and intervention in adolescence for long-term impacts,” Patrick said.

Source: University of Michigan
https://news.umich.edu/echoes-of-youth-high-school-binge-drinking-predicts-midlife-alcohol-use-women-most-affected/