4 Reasons Binge Drinking Is a Public Health Problem

One out of 3 adults and 2 out of 3 high school students who drink alcohol binge drink, according to recent government surveys. Startlingly, the data suggest that 90% of the alcohol consumed by high-school kids and more than half the alcohol consumed by adults is downed during the course of binge drinking. What's with Americans' overindulgence? (More on Time.com: If I'm Drunk, Then You Stepped On My Toes On Purpose) "Binge drinking as a problem has been largely unrecognized," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in a press conference. "It may be because binge drinking hasn't been widely recognized as a problem that it has not decreased in the past 15 years in this country." The CDC surveys defined binge drinking as having had five or more drinks in a couple of hours for men and teens, and four or more for women, at least once in the previous 30 days. But Frieden says the average binge drinker consumes a lot more alcohol than that — more like eight drinks in a sitting, about once a week. Worse, another recent study suggests that people aren't even fully admitting to their drinking behavior, finding that government survey data identifies only 22% to 32% of presumed alcohol consumption based on states' alcohol sales. The short-term personal cost of excessive drinking is high — as anyone who's ever suffered a nasty hangover knows — but the public-health consequences are costly too. Dangerous driving, assault, risky sexual behavior and long-term illness are just some of the larger problems that result from binging on alcohol. Next: Car Crashes