Binge Drinking Most Common and Intense Among 18- to 24-Year-Olds
Article by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Young people aged 18 to 24 not only had the highest prevalence of binge drinking (28.2 percent) in 2010, but they also tended to drink most excessively, consuming an average of 9.3 drinks on an occasion. This new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which defines binge drinking as four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men on an occasion during the past 30 days, is published in the January 10, 2012, issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. A striking conclusion of the report is that, “Binge drinking accounts for more than half of the estimated 80,000 average annual deaths and three quarters of $223.5 billion in economic costs resulting from excessive alcohol consumption in the United States.”
Several evidence-based types of environmental prevention have been shown to be effective in preventing and reducing underage drinking, including youthful binge drinking. Recommendations from CDC’s Community Preventive Services Task Force’s Community Guide have also been effective. CDC offers a video on the consequences of binge drinking.