Wine Information Council
14 october 2014
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Alcohol in the second half of life: do usual quantity and frequency of drinking to intoxication increase with increased drinking frequency?

AIMS: We investigated if increased drinking frequency among adults in the second half of life co-occurred with increased usual quantity and increased intoxication frequency.

DESIGN: Two-wave panel study.

SETTING: Norway.

PARTICIPANTS: Norwegian adults (1017 women and 959 men) aged 40-79 years.

MEASUREMENTS: Drinking frequency, usual quantity and intoxication frequency was measured by self-report in 2002/03 and again in 2007/08. Information about gender, age and level of education was obtained from the public register. Health was collected by self-report.

FINDINGS: Because of a significant gender x change in drinking frequency interaction effect on change in intoxication frequency (b = 0.02, P = 0.013), women and men were analysed separately. After adjusting for covariates, women who increase their drinking frequency showed a non-significant decrease in usual quantity [low initial usual quantity (LIUQ): beta = -0.01, P = 0.879; high initial usual quantity (HIUQ): beta = -0.06, P = 0.164] and a non-significant increase in intoxication frequency (LIUQ: beta = 0.04, P = 0.569; HIUQ: beta = 0.09, P = 0.251). Men who increased their drinking frequency showed a small decrease in usual quantity (LIUQ: beta = -0.06, P = 0.049; HIUQ: beta = -0.05, P = 0.002) and a small increase in intoxication frequency (LIUQ: beta = 0.05, P = 0.035; HIUQ: beta = 0.13, P = 0.004).

CONCLUSION: Among Norwegian adults in the second half of life, increased drinking frequency appears to be associated with a small reduction in usual quantity, and a small increase in frequency of drinking to intoxication.

Additional Info

  • Authors

    Brunborg G.S.; Osthus S.

  • Issue

    Addiction doi: 10.1111/add.12763.

  • Published Date

    14 october 2014

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