Average Binge Drinker Knocks Back 8 Drinks At a Time

Heavy boozers are imbibing more frequently and knocking back more alcohol per binge than previously thought, according to new government data that looked, for the first time, at the detailed habits of binge drinkers.

One in six U.S. adults reported binge drinking at least once in 2010, a slight increase from the previous year, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released today. Binge drinking is defined as a one-occasion consumption of at least four drinks for women or five or more with men.

Public health officials were surprised both by how often binge drinking occurred, and, when it did happen, how many drinks were consumed. Binge drinkers reported 4.4 episodes per month — more than once a week. Each binge, on average, was 7.9 drinks.

“What we found was that indeed the frequency [of binge drinking] is very high, and the amount consumed was also very high,” said Robert Brewer, the CDC?s alcohol program leader, in a teleconference with reporters.

Brewer said the report wasn?t meant to imply binge drinking is fast on the rise. But the data, which looked at habits previously not tracked, is a clearer snapshot of the country?s binge drinkers — the vast majority of whom aren?t alcohol-dependent, he said.

“I think a lot of people are encouraged to do binge drinking,” said Brewer, using holiday parties as an example.

Eighteen- to 24-year-olds were the most likely age demographic to binge drink. Some 28.2% of that group reported binge drinking, guzzling an average of more than 9 drinks each time.

Binge drinking is more prevalent among males, whites, young adults and those with annual household incomes above $75,000, a reflection of the price of alcohol and its availability, according to the report.

But seniors — those older than 65 — reported binge drinking the most often of any age group, at 5.5 episodes per month. And across income levels, binge drinkers in households with an annual income below $25,000 reported doing so most frequently, at five times per month, and with the most intensity, averaging 8.5 drinks per occasion, than other groups.

Recent CDC research estimated heavy drinkers cost the U.S. economy more than $220 billion per year, through lost work productivity, increased health care costs and law enforcement. Binge drinking is associated with motor-vehicular crashes, violence and alcoholism.

“Binge drinking remains a common and largely unrecognized health problem,” said Ursula Bauer, director of the CDC?s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

The research analyzed 2010 data collected from more than 450,000 randomized telephone surveys in 48 states and Washington D.C. (Tennessee and South Dakota were not included.)

Binge drinking prevalence ranged from a low of 10.9% in Utah and West Virginia to a high of 25.6% in Wisconsin.

Overall prevalence among adults was 17.1%, a slight increase from 2009?s 15.2%. But researchers said the increase was likely attributable to collecting more data from cell phone users, who as a group tend to be younger and more likely to drink frequently. Some 23.2% of men reported binge drinking within the past 30 days, double the 11.4% rate for women.

The CDC suggests that to curb binge drinking states should limit the places where alcohol is sold, restrict the hours of those retailers and increase prices via taxes, among other ideas.

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