A study published this month in the American Journal of Public Health says that the binge drinking rates for women rose almost 36 percent and rose 23 percent among men between 2002 and 2012 , men are still more likely to binge drink overall.
Ali Mokdad, a lead author of the study, told Kaiser Health News, “It’s really, really scary.”
It seems like women are trying to catch up to the men in binge drinking (…) It’s really, really scary.
The study is the first to track adult drinking patterns at the national level. In 2012, 8 percent of Americans were considered heavy drinkers and 18 percent were binge drinkers. Researchers found that despite the increases in heavy drinking, the percentage of people who drink any alcohol has remained relatively unchanged over time.
According to CNN about 88,600 deaths in the U.S. were attributed to alcohol in 2010, the cost of excessive drinking has been estimated at more than $220 billion per year.
Terri Fukagawa, clinical director of the New Life Recovery Centers in San Jose, Calif., says the increase in binge drinking doesn’t surprise her currently 15 of her 24 treatment beds are filled with clients primarily addicted to alcohol. She said she’s seen more people seeking treatment for alcoholism in the past four years.
Fukagawa noted, “there are a lot of people still out there needing treatment.”
there are a lot of people still out there needing treatment, but they won’t come in unless they have a consequence like losing a job or [getting] a DUI. They think they have control over it.
For the purposes of this study researchers defined binge drinking as consuming more than five drinks for men, or more than four drinks for women, in one sitting in the last month. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention considers excessive drinking to be 15 or more drinks per week for a man and 8 or more drinks per week for a woman.
In other drinking news here at Immortal News, allowing kids to taste alcohol may result in early drinking according to a new study.
