AbstractCompleting a diary over two weeks, 201 young adults recorded each of their drinking events, and information about the context and their motivations for alcohol use. Males reported almost twice as many drinking events and three times the number of drinks over the two‐week period. At the same time, males and females mostly drank from Wednesdays to Sundays, with the majority of beer, wine and spirit consumption being between 4 p.m. and midnight. Most drinking occurred in mixed‐sex peer groups, and the next greatest in family gatherings. Males mostly drank beer, while females chose either wine or spirits. Most drinking was in bars or at home. Males tended to drink for a wider range of reasons. The advantages of using prospective diaries in studies of young adults' alcohol use are discus