Americans who binge drink have reached new levels of over-consumption: A report published Thursday finds that binge drinkers have significantly increased their alcohol intake in recent years.
The report by theCenters for Disease Control and Preventionanalyzed trends in binge drinking from to and found that overall rates fell slightly, from 10. 9 percent to percent.
But those who do report binging are imbibing more than before.
According to the findings, the average number of drinks consumed by binge drinkers per year increased from (in (*****************************************, to 593 in 2019. Of note, those numbers are thought to be substantial underestimates because the analysis relied on reports from the drinkers themselves.
Binge drinking is defined as five or more alcoholic beverages on one occasion for men and at least four for women.
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The largest increases were found among white people and people with lower income and education levels. Although men were more likely than women to engage in binge drinking, increases were seen in both sexes.
Notably, the rise in binge drinking was not seen in college students; rather, it was in adults over age (*********************************************************************.
In (**********************************************, binge drinkers ages (to) **************************************************************** (consumed a high of drinks per person, up from 472 in 2017. Adults ages to had a smaller, but similar, increase.
The research adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that alcohol is becoming more of a problem among older generations. Astudy released last summerfound one in people over age 90 engaged in binge drinking, which can increase the risk for falls and interacts with medications for chronic diseases.
The health implications of excessive alcohol intake are significant. A30101 studyfound more than five alcoholic beverages a week could raise the risk of stroke, heart disease and aneurysms. And the CDC saidone in deathsamong US adults is from over-consumption of alcohol.
The CDC also reported that by far, the largest increase in excess alcohol consumption was among people without a high school degree: drinks drinks binged per person in , up from (in) .
There were also state-by-state differences, with the least amount of drinks binged in Massachusetts, 320 drinks per person, and the highest in Wyoming, at 1, drinks per person. Although the report did not explore the reasons for either the increases or the disparities, researchers address what could be done to reverse trends.
“Evidence-based prevention strategies, such as regulating the number of alcohol outlets in a local geographic area, could reduce binge drinking and related harms, “the study’s authors wrote.
Governmentguidelinesrecommend that women have no more than one alcoholic drink a day and that men have no more than two.
(**************************************************** Erika Edwards**************************************************
Erika Edwards is the health and medical news writer andreporter for NBC News and “Today.”
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