Binge Drinking

Binge drinking is something that all good FEDs do at one time or another.  While we don't condone binge drinking, particularly among younger FEDs, it can certainly lead to some funny incidents.  FEDS will be bringing you Binge Drinking stories in the near future but to start with we'll present a definition of Binge Drinking and provide some statistics from the CDC.

A pattern of heavy drinking that occurs during an extended period of time set aside for drinking.  It has been described as when a woman has 4 or more drinks or a man has 5 or more drinks at a sitting, which is approximately the amount of alcohol needed to raise the average sized person's blood alcohol concentration to about 0.10%. In other words, it is the amount of alcohol consumption that would raise the presumption of intoxication.  It is a repetitive cycle that involves a period of out of control drinking, followed by a dry spell, then repeated again and again. 

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

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.