article_snippet.sent: The increases are driven largely by women's drinking habits as social norms change, researchers found.
article_snippet.sent: In Santa Clara County, Calif., for example, women's binge drinking rates rose by nearly 36 percent between 2002 and 2012, compared with 23 percent among men.
article_snippet.sent: Nationwide over the course of the decade, the rate of binge drinking among women increased more than seven times the rate among men.
article_snippet.sent: Opinion: Why are more women drinking?
article_snippet.sent: It seems like women are trying to catch up to the men in binge drinking," said Ali Mokdad, a lead author of the study.
article_snippet.sent: As a result of changed social norms, it's now more acceptable for women to drink the way men traditionally have, said Tom Greenfield, scientific director at the Alcohol Research Group at the Oakland, Calif.-based Public Health Institute.
highlights_snippet.sent: The increase is driven largely by women's drinking habits .
  
highlights_snippet.sent: The increase's now more acceptable for women to drink the way men traditionally have, says one expert .