Citation

Psychiatry TL. Lancet Psychiatry 2023; 10(8): e575.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S2215-0366(23)00235-3

PMID

37479335

Abstract

Substance use is responsible for 5·5% of the global burden of disease. The prevalence of alcohol and drug use disorders is rising globally but shows considerable regional variation. Public health measures, such as public consumption bans and minimum legal age, are effective but are not applicable to illicit drug use. Given the importance of the problem, The Lancet Psychiatry invited Deborah Hasin from Columbia University (NY, USA) with colleagues from Columbia and New York University to address the changing trends in substance use in the USA at the American Psychiatric Association's 2023 meeting.

Katherine Keyes (Columbia University) described changes in alcohol consumption behaviour using data from the Monitoring the Future study. Since 1976, binge drinking among those aged 18 years has declined, whereas among those aged 22 and 26 years it has increased. Keyes showed that raising the minimum legal drinking age was associated with reduced drinking among those for whom it became illegal. However, chronological age might be less important than life stage. Over the same period, young adults have increasingly attended college full time and delayed full-time work, marriage, and having children, while attendance at religious services has decreased. These factors partially explain the changes in binge drinking, with marriage being the most influential. Thus, US policies of targeting anti-drinking campaigns at school-aged individuals are no longer effective and should be adapted to changing lifestyles.

Language: en