Study: Historical trends in young adult solitary alcohol use by age and sex from 1977 to 2022 (DOI: 10.1111/acer.70103)
Solitary drinking has soared among young adults, climbing to rates not seen since the late 1970s.
This trend, found in a University of Michigan and Carnegie Mellon University study, is especially evident in young women, shrinking the historical gender gap in this high-risk drinking behavior. It marks a shift in drinking patterns, raising alarms among public health experts.
Published in Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research, the study tracked solitary drinking behaviors among individuals aged 19 to 30 between 1977 and 2022, revealing patterns with critical public health implications.
"The trends show that the gap between men and women has narrowed," said co-author Megan Patrick, research professor at U-M's Institute for Social Research. "There have been increases in solitary drinking among young women, in particular, over the past 25 years. Solitary drinking, or sometimes drinking when they are alone, was reported by about 40% of young adults who drank in the past year."
The study analyzed data from 12,851 participants in the Monitoring the Future Panel study conducted at U-M.
Researchers found that after an initial decline, solitary drinking began a steady climb in the mid-1990s. This increase became especially pronounced among young women from the late 1990s onward, effectively erasing the historical gender gap in this risky behavior.
This concerning trend highlights an urgent need for targeted, sex-specific prevention strategies, the researchers say.
"Roughly 4 in 10 young adults who drink alcohol report drinking alone at least once in the past year," said lead author Kasey Creswell, associate professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon.
"This matters because solitary drinking is a strong predictor of alcohol use disorder. Unlike social drinking, solitary drinking is associated with drinking to cope with negative emotions, such as anxiety or depression, which in turn predicts heavier drinking and escalation into problematic alcohol use patterns. The rising rates of solitary drinking, especially among young women, suggest a shift in drinking habits that could signal increased risk for future alcohol-related harms."
Solitary alcohol use, often a coping mechanism for stress or loneliness, is linked to adverse long-term effects, including a heightened risk of developing more severe alcohol-related issues, the researchers say.
The findings raise significant concerns for prevention and early intervention efforts.
"Solitary drinking seems to be a red flag for future alcohol problems," Creswell said. "By identifying this pattern early, especially in groups where it's rising, such as young women, public health initiatives can better target resources to those who may be at elevated risk. Monitoring trends in solitary alcohol use can also help inform policy decisions and shape educational campaigns that go beyond how much people drink to also consider how and why they drink."
The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (under award numbers R03 AA030666, R01 AA023504, R01 DA01411 and R01 DA016575). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
