Aim To assess the association between heavy episodic drinking (HED) and deliberate self‐harm (DSH) in young people in Norway. Design, setting, participants and measurements We analysed data on past‐year HED and DSH from the second (1994) and third (1999) waves of the Young in Norway Longitudinal Study (cumulative response rate: 68.1%, n = 2647). Associations between HED and DSH were obtained as odds ratios and population‐attributable fractions (PAF) applying fixed‐effects modelling, which eliminates the effects of time‐invariant confounders. Findings An increase in HED was associated with an increase in risk of DSH (OR = 1.64, P = 0.013), after controlling for time‐varying confounders. The estimated PAF was 28% from fixed‐effects modelling and 51% from conventional modelling. Conclusion Data on Norwegian youths show a statistically significant association between heavy episodic drinking and deliberate self‐harm.