Prevalence, Incidence and Chronicity of Drinking Patterns and Problems Among Men as a Function of Age: a longitudinal and cohort analysis

Abstract

Summary Analyses demonstrate that changes in prevalence of drinking patterns and problems across the life course for men can be described by age‐related incidence, chronicity and remission. Two longitudinal general population data sets demonstrate that the incidence of heavy drinking and alcohol problems decreases with age and that the chronicity of alcohol problems is highest in the middle years, decreasing after that time. A cohort analysis indicates that cohort membership or unique historical events do not appear to affect these age‐specific findings for men measured in the mid‐to‐late 20th Century in the U.S.