This study investigated the stability of alcohol consumption categories throughout the adult life‐course, when defined according to a single measure recorded at baseline. During a period of 50 years, intakes within baseline‐defined consumption categories were found to vary in a manner concordant with results from at least two other studies, whereby less longitudinal stability present within higher categories of baseline consumption as a function of follow‐up time 12, 13. This was in contrast to a study of 5‐year changes to alcohol consumption among post‐menopausal women, where the proportion of transitions between categories of current drinkers were roughly equivalent regardless of the volume consumed at baseline 12.
