Binge drinking rise amongst women
New research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has shown that the number of women drinking harmful amounts of alcohol has risen considerably, reports the Guardian.
In 1998, 8% of women were classed as binge drinkers, a figure which rose to 15% in 2006. There was also a narrowing of the gender gap in binge drinking, as male binge drinking only rose by one percent, to 23%, over the same period of time.
The largest rise was in women over 65, who are now consuming on average 5.1 units, a rise from 2.7 units. The research also showed that, despite stereotypes, there had in fact been a reduction of 9% in the number of men aged 16 to 24 binge drinking.
Lesley Smith, from Oxford Brookes University, who helped lead the study said: “Many people will be surprised to learn that young men’s drinking, including binge drinking, has gone down in recent years, while middle-aged and older people’s drinking has increased.”
