Binge Drinking


            Binge drinking is a common pattern of excessive alcohol use in the United States. The
            National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings
            a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 grams percent or above. This typically happens when men
            consume 5 or more drinks, and when women consume 4 or more drinks, in about 2 hours.⁽¹⁾

            Most people who binge drink are not alcohol dependent.

            According to national surveys:

                  • Approximately 92% of U.S. adults who drink excessively report binge drinking
                    in the past 30 days.⁽²⁾

                  • Although college students commonly binge drink, 70% of binge drinking
                    episodes involve adults over age 25 years.⁽³⁾

                  • The prevalence of binge drinking among men is 2 times the prevalence
                    among women.⁽⁴⁾

                  • Binge drinkers are 14 times more likely to report alcohol-impaired driving
                    than non-binge drinkers.⁽³⁾

                  • About 90% of the alcohol consumed by youth under the age of 21 years in
                    the United States is in the form of binge drinking.⁽⁵⁾

                  • About 75% of the alcohol consumed by adults in the United States is in the
                    form of binge drinking.⁽⁵⁾

                  • The proportion of current drinkers that binge is highest in the 18- to 20-year-old group (51%).⁽³⁾

            Binge drinking is associated with many health problems, including but not limited to:

                  • Unintentional injuries (e.g., car crashes, falls, burns, drowning).

                  • Intentional injuries (e.g., firearm injuries, sexual assault, domestic violence).

                  • Alcohol poisoning.

                  • Sexually transmitted diseases.

                  • Unintended pregnancy.

                  • Children born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.

                  • High blood pressure, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases.

                  • Liver disease.

                  • Neurological damage.

                  • Sexual dysfunction.

                  • Poor control of diabetes.

            Evidence-based interventions to prevent binge drinking and related harms (6, 7, 8, 9, 10) include:

• Increasing alcoholic beverage costs and excise taxes.

• Limiting the number of retail alcohol outlets that sell alcoholic
   beverages in a given area.

• Consistent enforcement of laws against underage drinking and
   alcohol-impaired driving.

• Screening and counseling for alcohol misuse.




            Learn more about Responsible Drinking at dominostrategy.org.



            References:

            1. National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. NIAAA council approves definition of binge drinking. NIAAA
                Newsletter 2004; No. 3, p. 3. Available at
                http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/Newsletter/winter2004/Newsletter_Number3.pdf (PDF).
                Accessed March 31, 2008.
            2. Town M, Naimi TS, Mokdad AH, Brewer RD. Health care access among U.S. adults who drink
                alcohol excessively: missed opportunities for prevention. Prev Chronic Dis [serial online] April 2006.
                Accessed March 31, 2008.
            3. Naimi TS, Brewer RD, Mokdad A, Clark D, Serdula MK, Marks JS. Binge drinking among US adults. JAMA
                2003;289(1):70–75.
            4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System prevalence data.
                Atlanta, GA: CDC. Available at www.cdc.gov/brfss. Accessed March 27, 2008.
            5. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Drinking in America: Myths, Realities and Prevention
                Policy. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and
                Delinquency Prevention, 2005. Available at http://www.udetc.org/documents/Drinking_in_America.pdf
                (PDF). Accessed March 28, 2008.
            6. Babor TF, Caetano, R., Casswell S, et al. Alcohol and Public Policy: No Ordinary Commodity. New York: Oxford
                University Press; 2003.
            7. The Community Guide. Alcohol Abuse and Misuse Prevention. Interventions Directed to the General Population.
                Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008. Available at
                http://www.thecommunityguide.org/alcohol/default.htm. Date accessed: May 9, 2008.
            8. National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility.
                Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2004.
            9. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce
                Underage Drinking. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General; 2007.
                Available at http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/underagedrinking/. Accessed May 9, 2008.
            10. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening and behavioral counseling interventions in primary care to
                  reduce alcohol misuse: recommendation statement. Ann Intern Med 2004;140:554–556.

            Page last modified: August 6, 2008
            Content source: Division of Adult and Community Health,
            National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion