Fewer college-age Americans drink alcohol, compared to nearly 20 years ago, according to a new study. Between 2002 and 2018, the number of adults aged 18-22 in the U.S. who abstained from alcohol increased from 20 percent to 28 percent for those in college and from about 24 percent to 30 percent for those not in school, say researchers at the University of Michigan and Texas State University. And alcohol abuse among both groups decreased by roughly half. However, the study found that the number of young adults using marijuana, as well as co-using alcohol and marijuana, has increased.
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Alcohol Consumption Spikes During Pandemic, Especially for Women
American adults have sharply increased their consumption of alcohol during the shutdown triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, with women increasing their heavy drinking episodes (four or more drinks within a couple of hours) by 41 percent, according to a new RAND Corporation study.A national survey found that the overall frequency of alcohol consumption increased by 14 percent among adults over age 30, compared to the same time last year. The increase was 19 percent among all adults aged 30 to 59, 17 percent among women and 10 percent among for non-Hispanic White adults.