National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism NIAAA National Institutes of Health NIH

For example, one participant revealed, “…wine mom is like a… desirable aesthetic for like, mid-20s,” (Female, 21, Instagram main profile). Another student disclosed, “I think they post it to seem older…like they’re…in their 30s or something… Brunching is very, like, older woman,” (Female, 21, Instagram main profile). Students were very discerning in the aesthetics they displayed; thus, alcoholic drinks were used as props ARC to make them appear more accomplished and polished to their audiences.

A Growing Concern: Increased Drinking Among Older Adults

Like previous reports on per capita alcohol consumption, it is intended to provide updated alcohol information for policymakers, health care providers, researchers, and others concerned about alcohol issues. According to data from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 68% of adults ages 21 and older in the United States drink alcohol. At the same time, researchers believe that the recent “sober curious” movement may be encouraging some people to reevaluate their relationship with alcohol and the impact that drinking can have on their health. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking alcohol that brings blood alcohol concentration to 0.08%—or 0.08 grams of alcohol per deciliter—or higher. For a typical adult, this pattern corresponds to consuming five or more drinks (male), or four or more drinks (female), in about two hours.1 In the United States, a “standard drink” is defined as any beverage containing 0.6 fl oz or 14 grams of pure alcohol. Students depicted sophisticated ARC identities online by presenting their refined tastes vis-à-vis drinking at elegant gatherings.

Drinking and Healthy Aging: Know Your Limits

A master drinker ARC identity was used by college students to convey to their peers that they were able to “hold their liquor”. Students often portrayed themselves as “seasoned drinkers” who derived pride and satisfaction in their ability to consume large quantities of alcohol without losing control over their cognitive facilities. So like, it’s the two like, partying constantly or it’s like, ‘I can day drink with no problem, and like still go to events afterwards,” (Female, 21, Instagram main profile). Many displays of mastery of drinking involved competing with peers in drinking games (e.g. ring dunk, Edward-forty-hands, beer pong, ride the bus, wine race, flip cup, etc.) while being encouraged to drink more by nearby spectators, which in turn, reinforced students’ risky drinking behaviors 54.

What Is “High-Intensity” Drinking?

• Alcohol misuse—which includes binge drinking and heavy alcohol use—over time increases the risk of alcohol use disorder (AUD).
• NIAAA’s Rethinking Drinking can help you assess your drinking habits and provides information to help you cut back or stop drinking.
• Per capita ethanol consumption rates for each beverage type are calculated by multiplying national, State, or regional beverage volume by the corresponding ABV and dividing by the national, State, or regional population ages 14 and older.
• ARC is often presented in a positive, glamorous light, with students highlighting social gatherings, parties, and lifestyles where alcohol plays a central role 37, 40,41,42.
• Though reports vary on risks and benefits, “no level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health,” the World Health Organization said in 2023.

Binge drinking is defined as reaching a BAC of 0.08% (0.08 grams of alcohol per deciliter of blood) or higher. A typical adult reaches this BAC after consuming 4 or more drinks (women) or 5 or more drinks (men), in about 2 hours. When alcohol is consumed, it passes from the stomach and intestines into the bloodstream, where it distributes itself evenly throughout all the water in the body’s tissues and fluids. Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach increases the rate of absorption, resulting in higher blood alcohol level, compared to drinking on a full stomach. In either case, however, alcohol is still absorbed into the bloodstream at a much faster rate than it is metabolized.

• All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting.
• As social media platforms become increasingly integral to communication among young adults, understanding how these virtual spaces influence real-world behaviors in relation to health and well-being is paramount 1, 2.
• Health care professionals use criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), to assess whether a person has AUD and to determine the severity, if the disorder is present.
• Jose et al. 65 utilized language processing techniques to examine the content of Facebook posts and found that the language contained within users’ posts was reasonably predictive of their alcohol use when compared to users’ actual AUDIT-C scores.

Data availability

Please see the 2023 NSDUH Frequently Asked Questions and section 2.3.4 of the 2023 Methodological Summary and Definitions report for more details.

Social norms theory

The overarching theme of secrecy/implicit signaling was also encompassed under subthemes related to both central themes. In sum, the current research is important in that it classifies two central themes of college students’ ARC identities. Future research could utilize our paradigm to identify and code students’ ARC behaviors to disentangle how frequent posting of ARC, in which alcohol is the focal point or ARC in which alcohol is an accessory, differentially predicts college students’ drinking behaviors and alcohol-related consequences. The information gained from these types of studies may help researchers and clinicians to identify which students are more at-risk to tailor more efficacious prevention and intervention efforts targeting the reduction of drinking and alcohol-related consequences among these students. Jose et al. 65 utilized language processing techniques to examine the content of Facebook posts and found that the language contained within users’ posts was reasonably predictive of their alcohol use when compared to users’ actual AUDIT-C scores.

2022—NIAAA released The Healthcare Professional’s Core Resource on Alcohol help healthcare professionals provide evidence-based care for people who drink alcohol. Created with busy clinicians in mind, the HPCR provides concise, thorough information designed to help them integrate alcohol care into their practice. NIAAA launched Rethinking Drinking, a website and booklet, following extensive audience usability testing. These resources offer valuable, research-based information enabling people to take a look at their drinking patterns and how these patterns may be affecting their health. Although drinking any amount of alcohol can carry certain risks (for information on impairments at lower levels, please see the NIAAA BAC-level infographic), crossing the binge threshold increases the risk of acute harm, such as blackouts and overdoses.

Women and Alcohol

Census Bureau (Single-race Population Estimates 2022; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2021). These data are used as denominators to calculate the per capita consumption figures. The NIAAA is the lead agency for U.S. research on the causes, consequences, prevention and treatment of alcohol use disorder and alcohol-related problems.

Understanding Alcohol Drinking Patterns

This type of research could help target which college students are more at-risk and inform intervention strategies for college students whose ARC identities are more intertwined with alcohol misuse and alcohol-related problems. Group meetings are available in most communities at low or no cost, and at convenient times and locations—including an increasing presence online. This means they can be especially helpful to individuals at risk for return to drinking. Combined with medications and behavioral treatment provided by health care professionals, mutual-support groups can offer a valuable added layer of support.

The advisory was later updated in 2005 to directly address and warn against any use of alcohol during pregnancy. In 1988, with NIAAA support, legislation was passed that required labels on alcoholic beverage containers that warned of the adverse effects of alcohol on the developing fetus. Since its founding, the NIAAA has led increasingly effective efforts to define alcohol abuse as a medical problem and to address the problem by applying research-based findings. In 1971, it issued its first special report to the US Congress on older adults national institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism niaaa alcohol and health.