More people are drinking than 20 years ago, according to a UT Southwestern Medical Center analysis of national alcohol consumption patterns. Gathered from more than 85,000 respondents, the data suggests that a variety of factors, including social, economic and ethnic influences and pressures, are involved in the increase.

“The reasons for the uptick vary and may involve complex sociodemographic changes in the population, but the findings are clear: More people are consuming alcohol now than in the early 1990s,” said Dr. Raul Caetano, dean of the UT Southwestern School of Health Professions and lead author of the paper.

The findings, Dr. Caetano said, suggest that continuous monitoring of alcohol consumption levels is needed to better understand the factors that affect consumption. Monitoring would also help to detect as early as possible signs that rates of risky drinking behaviors such as binge drinking or drinking to intoxication may be increasing, said Dr. Caetano.