Study Shows: Binge-Drinking Among Women Is Up

People born after the World War II era — especially women — are more likely than their ancestors tobinge drink and develop alcohol disorders, according to a new review of studies.

The analysis of 31 studies revealed that “problem drinking among young women is still on the rise,” study researcher Richard A. Grucza, an epidemiologist at Washington University School of Medicine, said in a statement. And because the rates of binge drinking are rising among women, so are the risks of alcohol-related problems.

The review, published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, also showed that the binge-drinking gap between men and women is shrinking.

WebMD talked to addiction therapist Paul Leslie Hokemeyer, Ph.D., to find why the trend seems to fit within this post-WWII time frame.

“After World War II, the role of women changed. More women entered the work force, but they were also expected to be good mothers and wives,” Hokemeyer told WebMD. To deal with the extra pressures, some women “latched hold of alcohol as a coping mechanism because it is readily available and socially acceptable.”