The low-key drinks after work, a champagne at the races or a night out on the town - all part of the Australian tradition.
But sometimes, women can drink too much and things turn ugly.
"It was probably pressure, I think. Particularly teenagers, going to parties. They feel pressured to have alcohol and once it starts it doesn't stop."
That's Wendy Pasco, speaking as she indulges in after-work drinks with friends in Sydney.
But she doesn't drink too much.
"For myself, I'm more concerned about drinking and links to breast cancer so I actually do limit my drinking."
A global study by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre of global data since the 1890s found the gap in how much men and women drink is closing.
Associate Professor Tim Slade helped write the research paper.
"The rates of alcohol use are changing and that this landscape of alcohol is changing over time."
Dr Slade's research suggests men born in the 1960s are twice as likely as women to drink alcohol, engage in problematic drinking and experience related harms, such as hospitalisation or addiction.
But the ratio changes for those born in the '90s, where women are just as likely as men to drink - and drink excessively.
58-year-old Romaine Rabeira, at a Sydney pub, says it's no surprise.
"They go from work, go out for drinks, meet up with friends and that's the trend these days."
Her friend Yen Hong agrees.
"The younger generation, there are more women who think they can do the same things as men and drink."
So why are Baby Boomers - those born in the '50s - and Generation X - those typically born in the '60s and '70s - seemingly more responsible drinkers?
Doctor Slade says the role of women in the home and the workplace is changing.
"We also know that societal attitudes and norms amongst females have been changing so all of these things contribute to the changing trends we're seeing."
Yen Hong says as women grow older, they find they need to drink more responsibly - if at all.
"I used to drink more when I was younger and now I'm a mother and you have a different thinking, going into the workforce and having more responsibility."
There are more responsible drinking ads on television as well but doctor Slade says strategies targeted at young women are still needed.
"Prevention. Because what we need to focus on, I think, is our next generation, those whose drinking patterns haven't been entrenched yet and getting there early with the right messages and the right positive choices, particularly for our young women."
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