Epidemiological trends in drinking by age and gender: Providing normative feedback to adults ☆ Karen K. Chan a, ⁎ , Clayton Neighbors b , Michael Gilson c , Mary E. Larimer b , G. Alan Marlatt b a RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138 United States b University of Washington, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Box 354694, Seattle, WA 98105-6099, United States c University of Washington, School of Law, Box 353020, Seattle, WA 98195–3020, United States Abstract Objective: The purpose of this research was to evaluate drinking rates as a function of age and gender and to disseminate current estimates of U.S. population drinking norms based on age and gender. Methods: Participants included 42,706 men and women 18 years and older who provided information about their drinking from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions [National Alcohol Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC, 2001) dataset collected between 2001 and 2002 from a representative, non‐institutionalized sample. Results: Results revealed greater frequency and typical quantity of alcohol consumption among men versus women. Age differences in drinking frequency suggests a sharp increase with legal drinking age followed by a period of reduced frequency, in turn followed by gradual increase up to retirement age. Age differences in typical drinking quantity suggest a sharp increase with legal drinking age followed by a gradual linear decline in number of drinks per occasion. Age differences in typical quantity were more pronounced among men. Conclusions: Analyses provide epidemiological trends in drinking rates by age and gender, and emphasize the importance of within group differences when examining drinking rates. Discussion focuses on explaining how to incorporate norms information in prevention and treatment. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Epidemiological; Trends in drinking; Sex/gender differences; Age Addictive Behaviors 32 (2007) 967 – 976 ☆ This research was supported by NIAAA F31 #AA 14753 awarded to Karen Chan, and by a grant from the University of Washington's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute awarded to Alan Marlatt and Karen Chan. ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail address: kkchan@u.washington.edu (K.K. Chan). 0306-4603/$ - see front matter © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2006.07.003