Vital Signs: Sobering facts about binge drinking

Daily Progress

With the holidays around the corner, many of us will be celebrating by eating, drinking and spending time with friends and family. As a culture, Americans have a tendency to overindulge from time to time — perhaps overeating, working long hours or overspending. So it probably will not come as a surprise that that there are more people in the United States who binge drink than previously thought. People hear the term “binge drinking” and think of someone who drinks nonstop for several days. In actuality, binge drinking is having five or more drinks for men and four or more for women during a single drinking session. That’s like drinking a six-pack of beer or a bottle of wine in just a couple of hours. According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 38 million Americans binge drink an average of four times per month, consuming between six and nine standard drinks at a time.

Full Article >