Trends in Binge and Heavy Drinking among Adults in the United States, 2011–2017

Background: Alcohol misuse is one of the leading causes of preventable death in the United States each year. Objectives: In the present study, we examine trends in binge and heavy drinking. We used data from the 2011-2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. For trend analyses, we used logistic regression for heavy drinking and binge drinking variables. Joinpoint model analysis was conducted to identify where significant changes in trend occurred. Results: The trend analysis indicated that the overall prevalence of binge drinking decreased significantly from 18.3% in 2011 to 16.0% in 2014, then increased significantly to 17.0% in 2017. This trend was also found for heavy drinking, with a significant decrease from 6.6% in 2011 to 5.8% in 2014, then increased significantly to 6.2% in 2017. This trend persisted for certain subgroups; males, females, White participants, and the 35-54 age group all had a similar decrease in prevalence followed by an increase from 2014-2017. Conclusions: Overall, our results indicate a recent significant increase in both binge and heavy drinking among the general population.