Using a random-effects meta-analysis to synthesize data from 61 administrations of six nationally representative surveys of the US adult population covering the years 2000 through 2016, we estimate that the prevalence of past-year alcohol use has been increasing at a relative rate of 0.3% per year and that the prevalence of binge drinking has been increasing at a relative rate of 0.7% per year. The increase in alcohol use was particularly pronounced among women, Blacks, and individuals ages 50 and older; prevalence increased for these groups at more than twice the rate than for the general population. The same groups underwent notable increases in binge drinking, along with individuals ages 30–49 and individuals with at least some postsecondary education; all of these groups experienced relative increases in the prevalence of binge drinking of more than 1% per year. For both outcomes, however, it is important to emphasize that the groups that underwent the largest relative increases often had lower baseline rates for alcohol use and binge drinking than comparison groups (See Figures 3 and 5). For example, for both outcomes,
