Center for Addiction Medicine

09/08/2008 - New Research Shows Alcohol Consumption Declines, but Dependence Risk Remains

Results from a recent study show average alcohol consumption has declined over the past 50 years in the United States. Consumption of beer, in particular, is decreasing nationally. However, the risk of developing alcohol dependence has not declined with consumption.

"Secular Trends in Alcohol Consumption over 50 Years: The Framingham Study" also reported in the August 2008 issue of The American Journal of Medicine average alcohol consumption was lower in those age 30 to 59 years among study participants born between 1940 and 1959.

Conducted at the Boston University School of Medicine, the Framingham study analyzed records from more than 8,000 individuals born between 1900 and 1959, including participants from the original Framingham cohort, as well as the children of the original cohort. The sampling of participants allowed researchers to view histories of lifetime alcohol use.

A surprising finding in the study was that drinking patterns were consistent across age categories of succeeding generations. The average amount of alcohol was highest between age 30 and 50 years and decreased with age. By the age of 80 years, 40% of men and 60% of women reported no alcohol consumption.

The study found Americans are drinking significantly less beer and more wine, while hard liquor use has remained fairly constant. More people now report that they are non-drinkers. People born later in the 20th century drink more moderately than older people. As we age, our individual alcohol consumption goes down.

Despite more favorable patterns of drinking, risk of alcohol dependence did not show a decrease. The proportion of people who developed alcohol-related disorders, such as alcoholic cardiomyopathy or alcoholic cirrhosis remained nearly constant across all age groups.

While data from the study suggests the development for "more favorable patterns of alcohol consumption," it also showed that the incidence of alcohol use disorders has not shown a correlating decrease. The unchanged risk for alcohol dependence — 13% for men and 4% for women — indicates a continued need to prevent and treat alcohol use disorder. 

Mean Alcohol Intake at Age 30 to 59 Years 

Framingham is the longest population-based study of American adults ever conducted; subjects from the original cohort were examined at baseline from 1948 to 1953, and their offspring were examined at baseline in 1971–1975. Data about alcohol consumption were collected every 2 years in the original cohort and every 4 years in the offspring cohort. The research was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health.

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