Alcohol in the second half of life: do usual quantity and frequency of drinking to intoxication increase with increased drinking frequency?

AimsWe investigated if increased drinking frequency among adults in the second half of life co-occurred with increased usual quantity and increased intoxication frequency. DesignTwo-wave panel study. SettingNorway. ParticipantsNorwegian adults (1017 women and 959 men) aged 40-79 years. MeasurementsDrinking frequency, usual quantity and intoxication frequency was measured by self-report in 2002/03 and again in 2007/08. Information about gender, age and level of education was obtained from the public register. Health was collected by self-report. FindingsBecause of a significant genderxchange in drinking frequency interaction effect on change in intoxication frequency (b=0.02, P=0.013), women and men were analysed separately. After adjusting for covariates, women who increase their drinking frequency showed a non-significant decrease in usual quantity [low initial usual quantity (LIUQ): =-0.01, P=0.879; high initial usual quantity (HIUQ): =-0.06, P=0.164] and a non-significant increase in intoxication frequency (LIUQ: =0.04, P=0.569; HIUQ: =0.09, P=0.251). Men who increased their drinking frequency showed a small decrease in usual quantity (LIUQ: =-0.06, P=0.049; HIUQ: =-0.05, P=0.002) and a small increase in intoxication frequency (LIUQ: =0.05, P=0.035; HIUQ: =0.13, P=0.004). ConclusionAmong Norwegian adults in the second half of life, increased drinking frequency appears to be associated with a small reduction in usual quantity, and a small increase in frequency of drinking to intoxication.