Prevalence of hazardous drinking among UK 18-35 year olds; the impact of a revision to the AUDIT cut score

Aim Most published research utilizes an AUDIT score of >8 as the threshold for hazardous drinking. Recent research suggests that this limit should be amended for younger drinkers (aged 18–35 years). This study aimed to explore the effect of a revision to AUDIT cut scores. Method Applying Foxcroft et al.’s [(2015) Accuracy of Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test for detecting problem drinking in 18–35 year-olds in England: method comparison study. Alcohol Alcohol50, 244–50] suggested cut off scores of nine for males and four for females to the most recent Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (2007) data. Results This more than doubles the prevalence of female hazardous drinkers, and significantly increases the overall rate for that age group when compared with the standard threshold of >8. Conclusion The prevalence of hazardous drinking among females ages 18–30 may be significantly higher than current estimates