USA Today (1/11, Lloyd) reports that a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report has found that “one in six adults in the USA is a binge drinker, consuming an average of eight drinks per occasion and doing so about four times a month.” The report’s author, CDC alcohol program lead Robert Brewer, remarked, “What is different with this study is we studied the frequency and the intensity, and the number of episodes by different groups. The frequency is very high and the amount consumed was also very high.”
Bloomberg News (1/11, Lopatto) reports, “Wisconsin had both the highest percentage of binge drinkers, with 25.6 percent of the population reporting they engaged, and the most-intense sessions, with an average of nine drinks,” while “the nation’s capital reported 21.9 percent of its population was binge-drinkers, tying it with North Dakota for third highest in a survey covering the District of Columbia and 48 of the 50 states.” Brewer commented, “We’re talking about a risk behavior that’s quite widespread in the population. And where people have the impression it’s not such a bad thing to do.”
The AP (1/11) quotes Brewer, who said, “I know this sounds astounding, but I think the numbers we’re reporting are really an underestimate.” The piece notes that while “binge drinking may be considered socially acceptable,” it “accounts for more than 40,000 deaths each year,” and “contributes to problems like violence and drunk-driving accidents and longer-term issues like cancer, heart disease and liver failure.”