Binge drinking down in the U.S. - apart from students

In the U.S. the legal age for drinking alcohol was set at 21 in 1984. New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis has found that this has led to a substantial reduction in binge drinking. The researchers analyzed data gathered between 1979 and 2006 by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health which surveyed more than 500,000 people. The survey found that binge drinking in young men had dropped substantially since 1979; down by 50% in males between 15 and 17, by 20% in men aged 18-20 and 10% in men aged 21 to 23. However, in women between 15 and 20 binge drinking was unchanged and for women between 21 and 23 it rose by about 40%. Binge drinking was unchanged among men in college but rose more than 40% among female students.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622163033.htm