Finally, an important gender gap is closing. No, that that pesky pay gap, you know the one that will close in a short 118 years, but rather the alcohol gap. According to new numbers released by the National Institutes of Health, women are drinking more, while their male counterparts are drinking less. The trend is driven in large part by college students, more women admitted to “binge drinking” (five or more drinks in a row) than their male counterparts.
In a study conducted between 2002-2012, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), found that “women who had an alcoholic drink in the past 30 days went from 45 percent to 48 percent, while the percentage of men went from 57.4 percent to 56 percent.” The study also found that the number of days that women consumed alcohol in a month jumped from 6.8 to 7.3. To which I say, “that’s all?” And then remind you all that excessive drinking is terrible for your health. As the study’s researchers note, “heavy drinking takes a big toll and women may not want to catch up to men in this particular area.”
That said, there were a few drinking-related things that men still excelled at, DUIs and dying as the result of alcohol-related traffic accidents.
So, what’s your reason for drinking 3% more alcohol in a month over the last ten years?
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