ORIGINAL ARTICLE Alcohol use during the Great Recession of 2008–2009

Abstract — Aims: The aim of this study was to assess changes in alcohol use in the USA during the Great Recession. Methods: Drinking participation, drinking frequency, drinking intensity, total alcohol consumption and frequency of binge drinking were assessed in a nationally representative sample of 2,050,431 US women and men aged 18 and older, interviewed between 2006 and 2010. Results: The prevalence of any alcohol use significantly declined during the economic recession, from 52.0 % in 2006–2007 to 51.6 % in 2008–2009 (P < 0.05), corresponding to 880,000 fewer drinkers (95 % confidence interval [CI] 140,000 to 1.6 million). There was an increase, however, in the prevalence of frequent binging, from 4.8 % in 2006–2007 to 5.1 % in 2008–2009 (P < 0.01), corresponding to 770,000 more frequent bingers (95 % CI 390,000 to 1.1 million). Non-Black, unmarried men under 30 years, who recently became unemployed, were at highest risk for frequent binging. Conclusion: During the Great Recession there was an increase in abstention from alcohol and a rise in frequent binging