And this may be the reason they are at increased risk for liver disease, alcohol-related injuries, and breast cancer, along with sharper increases in alcohol-related mortality.

The prevalence of heavy drinking and the number of alcohol-related fatalities are rapidly surging among women, with a particular concern for reproductive-aged women in their late 20s and 30s.

Historically, women have been observed to cut down on their drinking after becoming mothers. However, recent trends indicate an increasing number of middle-aged women are choosing to delay or avoid motherhood altogether.

This burgeoning trend among women opting to postpone or abstain from having children is contributing to an escalation in the number of women who are more prone to heavy alcohol use, according to a fresh study spearheaded by the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH).

Published in the journal Addiction, the research identifies women who have reached the age of 35 recently, as well as those who have not become mothers by that age, as the segments of women with the greatest risk of indulging in excessive drinking and displaying symptoms of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD).

This study represents the first exploration into how the trend of postponed parenthood impacts heavy drinking among newer generations of middle-aged women. The results underline the urgency to tackle excessive drinking among all women, especially within this growing demographic of childless women.

As “more women are delaying having children in the US, a growing proportion of women fall into the highest risk group,” explains lead author Dr. Rachel Sayko Adams. “This growing prevalence of heavy drinking is exacerbated given that excessive alcohol use is increasing overall for middle-aged women in more recent cohorts. Therefore, at-risk alcohol use and consequences are expected to continue increasing in future years, if not addressed.”

In comparison to men, reproductive-aged women who excessively drink or develop AUD are at a higher risk of conditions such as liver disease, alcohol-induced injuries, and breast cancer, and experience more significant spikes in alcohol-related mortality.

For the study, Dr. Adams and her team analyzed data from Monitoring the Future, a continuous annual survey tracking high school students’ substance use behaviors in the US. Almost 10,000 self-identified women participants completed a survey at the age of 35 between 1993 and 2019, aligning with high school graduation years from 1976 to 2002.

Participants disclosed their parental status, the age they first became parents, and whether they had participated in binge drinking, defined as consuming four or more drinks at one time in the past two weeks, or manifested symptoms of AUD in the past five years.

Women who reached the age of 35 between 2018 and 2019 had almost a 60 percent higher likelihood of binge drinking or exhibiting AUD symptoms than their counterparts who turned 35 between 1993 and 1997. An apparent trend towards becoming parents at an older age was observed, with only 39 percent of women in the 2018-2019 group having children before turning 30, in contrast to 54 percent in the 1993-1997 group.

The researchers point to several societal and cultural shifts that seem to influence these parallel increases in delayed motherhood and heightened alcohol consumption among older women. Many women choose to defer motherhood to further their education and establish a career. The study showed that the most recent group of 35-year-old women were almost twice as likely to complete four years of college compared to those who were 35 in the 1990s.

One of the main drivers of unhealthy alcohol use among women today, as highlighted by the researchers, is the broad acceptance and normalization of alcohol consumption in everyday life in the US. This spans from social and professional situations to casual drinking at home. While the study found that middle-aged women without children were most likely to drink excessively, women with children also demonstrated increased risk, particularly in more recent groups.

In part, the general endorsement of alcohol might be shaped by social media-fueled “wine-mom” culture, which promotes the idea that mothers can use drinking as a way to manage the stresses of motherhood and work, as well as for leisurely pleasure.

“Alcohol industry messages around drinking for stress relief and enjoyment have always been part of the industry’s advertising strategy, and we’ve seen this emerge on social media platforms, particularly geared towards people who parent,” remarks study senior author Dr. Katherine Keyes. “Promotion of alcohol use for moms to deal with the stresses of motherhood in Facebook and Instagram groups have common hashtags such as #winemom, #sendwine, and #mommyjuice. Simultaneously, there has been a rapid increase in alcohol products targeting middle-age women—such as low-calorie seltzers, pink beverages, and expressions such as ‘rosé all day.’” 

Dr. Adams emphasizes that our understanding of how these societal shifts may be influencing women’s drinking habits remains limited due to a lack of extensive research. She warns that the “wine mom” culture, which normalizes drinking as a coping mechanism for the pressures of motherhood, carries inherent risks. Research has demonstrated that resorting to alcohol to deal with stress heightens the risk of developing AUD.

With the rise in excessive drinking observed among middle-aged women, both those with and without children, it becomes vital for public health practitioners to devise strategies and interventions that resonate with all women in this age group, she adds.

Continued observation of trends in alcohol consumption is also crucial. The COVID-19 pandemic saw a sharp surge in alcohol-related fatalities.

Offering more support to mothers, such as bolstering social connections and extending support for working mothers, might mitigate the reliance on drinking to cope with motherhood stress, Dr. Adams suggests.

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