Two measures of alcohol consumption are used in this report (one daily-based and the other weekly-based) reflecting the move from weekly to daily-based guidelines from the Department of Health in 1995. Thus, long term trend data is currently available only for the weekly-based measures. However, 2001 was the third year in which the questions relating to maximum daily amount were asked.

There were no significant changes between 1998 and 2001 in the proportions of men and women who had exceeded the recommended number of daily units on at least one day in the week prior to interview. However, there was an increase in heavy drinking among women: the proportion of women who had drunk more than 6 units on at least one day in the previous week rose from 8% in 1998 to 10% in 2000 and remained at that level in 2001.

During the 1990s there was a slight increase in overall alcohol consumption among men and a much more marked one among women, but in 2001, there was evidence of a slight decline in terms of the proportion of men drinking more than 21 units a week and of women drinking more than 14 units a week. Thus, for men there was no difference between the proportions drinking more than 21 units a week in 1992 and 2001 (26% and 27%) but there was still a marked increase in the proportion of women drinking more than 14 units per week; from 11% in 1992 to 15% in 2001. Among women aged 16 to 24, the proportion drinking more than 14 units rose from 17% in 1992 to 31% in 2001 and their average weekly consumption nearly doubled (7.3 to 14.0 units) over the same period.