How drinking behaviour changes through the years

In the UK, frequent drinking becomes more common in middle to old age, especially amongst men, according to UCL research published in the open access journal, BMC Medicine. Doctors are seeing a growing number of cases of alcohol misuse among the elderly and this finding supports concerns that older people might be abusing alcohol. Teenagers favour bouts of irregular heavy drinking episodes, only drinking once or twice a week, but as we grow older we shift into a regular drinking pattern. A substantial proportion of older men, drink daily or most days of the week, while a majority of women tend to drink monthly or on special occasions. In the UK, the majority of the adult population consume alcohol and the harm associated with alcohol affects all society. Lead author Dr Annie Britton (UCL Epidemiology & Public Health) said: "Understanding how drinking behaviour fluctuates throughout life is important to identify high risk groups and trends over time. Research on the health consequences of alcohol needs to incorporate changes in drinking behaviour over the life course.