alt Hacker News> Second, some of the increased deaths may be due to rising alcohol consumption. According to data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the percentage of people aged 65 or older who consume alcohol each month increased by 16% between 2002 and 2019. From 2002–2003 to 2021–2023, the share of this group who reported binge drinking in the past 30 days rose from 7.3% to 11.4%
I've been hearing nothing but the complete opposite, that people are drinking less than ever
https://news.gallup.com/poll/693362/drinking-rate-new-low-al...
> Americans' drinking habits are shifting amid the medical world’s reappraisal of alcohol’s health effects. After decades of relative steadiness in the proportion of U.S. adults who drink, Gallup has documented three consecutive years of decline in the U.S. drinking rate as research supporting the “no amount of alcohol is safe” message mounts. Compounding the challenge for companies that sell alcohol, drinkers now appear to be dialing back how much they drink, as well.
How are they finding completely opposite trends?
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The fact that overall drinking is decreasing is 100% compatible with the drinking rate increasing for some specific age cohort.
Notice the age range is 65 or older. There is a large cohort of Boomers/GenX/Millenial drinkers who are aging up. The overall downtrend is that younger people are not starting to drink. But those who contributed to the initial rise are getting older.
Your quoted paragraphs are not discussing the same trend, your first paragraph is referring to drinking habits in those 65 or older.
The second paragraph is discussing drinking habits for all US adults.