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?
4 Reasons Binge Drinking Is a Public Health Problem
When drunk people get behind the wheel, they put countless others at risk. And binge drinkers are 14 times more likely than non–binge drinkers to drive while impaired, according to a 2003 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, contributing to the risk of fatal car crashes. Interestingly, another study in 2010 concluded that cognitive deficits from chronic binge drinking actually impaired sober driving as well. Researchers found that binge drinkers — independent of income levels — exceeded speed limits more often and for longer, compared with high-income non–binge drinkers. According to a 2008 CDC assessment, 32% of all traffic accidents were related to alcohol. Next: Assault and Violence