Drinking Less But Greater Harm: Could Polarized Drinking Habits Explain the Divergence Between Alcohol Consumption and Harms among Youth?

• DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/ags071
• Publication Date: 2012-07-05T06:59:03Z
• Authors: Mats Hallgren; Håkan Leifman; Sven Andréasson
• Keywords: Binge drinking; Consumption; Heavy drinking; harm reduction

Aims: This paper describes changes in alcohol consumption among Swedish youth over the past decade with aim of exploring polarization hypothesis, which asserts that while a majority young drinkers have reduced their consumption, subgroup increased drinking substantially, resulting greater harm. Methods: We analysed repeated cross-sectional self-report data from 45,841 15–16-year olds and 40,889 18–19-year-old high-school students living Stockholm municipality between 2000 2010. The questionnaire assessed drug use, risk factors for misuse. Changes time at different levels are presented by age gender. Results: find evidence effect drinking, reducing significantly 10 years all people, except heaviest drinkers, where binge tended to increase. dispersion per capita also time, indicating more heavy drinkers. total number misuse decreased most survey participants 2010, but variability years. Conclusion: Polarized habits likely explanation recent divergence has decreased, alcohol-related hospitalizations, sharply suggest ongoing social could be affecting people form disparities, associated higher incidence problems generally, including drinking.