CDC Vital Signs - Binge Drinking: A Serious, Under-Recognized Problem Among Women and Girls
January 11, 2013
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January 2013
Binge Drinking
A Serious, Under-Recognized Problem Among Women and Girls
Binge drinking is a dangerous behavior but is not widely recognized as a women’s health problem. Drinking too much – including binge drinking* - results in about 23,000 deaths in women and girls each year. Binge drinking increases the chances of breast cancer, heart disease, sexually transmitted diseases, unintended pregnancy, and many other health problems. Drinking during pregnancy can lead to sudden infant death syndrome and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
About 1 in 8 women aged 18 years and older and 1 in 5 high school girls binge drink. Women who binge drink do so frequently – about 3 times a month – and have about 6 drinks per binge. There are effective actions communities can take to prevent binge drinking among women and girls.
About 1 in 8 women aged 18 years and older and 1 in 5 high school girls binge drink. Women who binge drink do so frequently – about 3 times a month – and have about 6 drinks per binge. There are effective actions communities can take to prevent binge drinking among women and girls.
*Binge drinking for women is defined as consuming 4 ormore alcohol drinks (beer, wine, or liquor) on an occasion.
Problem
Drinking too much can seriously affect the health of women and girls.
Drinking too much can seriously affect the health of women and girls.- Women’s and girls’ bodies respond to alcohol differently than men’s. It takes less alcohol for women to get intoxicated because of their size and how they process alcohol.
- Binge drinking can lead to unintended pregnancies. It is not safe to drink at any time during pregnancy.
- If women binge drink while pregnant, they risk exposing their developing baby to high levels of alcohol, increasing the chances the baby will be harmed by the mother’s alcohol use.
- Alcohol use in a community is affected by alcohol’s price and availability.
- Underage drinking is affected by exposure to alcohol marketing.
- Underage drinking is also influenced by adult drinking, and youth often obtain alcohol from adults.
What Can Be Done
Federal agencies and national partners are:
- Recognizing that binge drinking is an important women’s health issue.
- Working with states and communities to support Community Guide recommendations to reduce binge drinking.
- Informing people about the US Dietary Guidelines on alcohol consumption (see box).
- Helping states and communities to report on how many people binge drink, how often and how much they drink when they binge, and whether health care providers are screening and counseling for excessive alcohol use.
- Reporting on youth exposure to alcohol marketing because it influences underage drinking.
We know what works
The Guide to Community Preventive Services(Community Guide) recommends effective policies to prevent binge drinking.
Learn more at
www.thecommunityguide.org/alcohol.
Learn more at
www.thecommunityguide.org/alcohol.
States and communities can:
- Follow Community Guide recommendations to reduce binge drinking. The same approaches that work in the population as a whole can work for women and girls.
- Increase enforcement of laws on the sale and consumption of alcohol.
- Develop partnerships with a variety of groups, including schools, women’s and girls’ organizations, law enforcement, and public health agencies to reduce binge drinking.
- Report on how many people binge drink, how often, and how much they drink when they binge.
Key Points on Alcohol Consumption from the 2010 US Dietary Guidelines for Americans
- Don’t begin drinking or drink more frequently on the basis of potential health benefits.
- If you do choose to drink, do so in moderation. This is defined as up to 1 drink a day for women or 2 for men.
- Don’t drink at all if you are under age 21, pregnant or may be pregnant, or have health problems that could be made worse by drinking.
Doctors, nurses, and others who treat patients can:
- Ask women about binge drinking and counsel those who do to drink less (see Screening and Behavioral Counseling Interventions in Primary Care to Reduce Alcohol Misuse). This screening and counseling can also be effectively done using the internet, telephone, or other electronic methods, as recommended by the Community Guide.
- Advise women who are pregnant or might be pregnant not to drink at all.
- Recognize that most binge drinkers are not alcohol dependent or alcoholics, but may need counseling.
- Support effective policies to prevent binge drinking such as those recommended by the Community Guide.
Women and girls can:
- Avoid binge drinking. If you choose to drink alcohol, follow the US Dietary Guidelines.
- Choose not to drink alcohol if you are underage or if there is any chance you could be pregnant.
- Be cautious about consuming drinks if the alcohol content is unknown to you.
Preventing Excessive Alcohol Consumption
Excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States and is a risk factor for many health and societal problems. In 2006, the estimated economic cost of excessive drinking in the U. S. was $223.5 billion (Bouchery et al 2011).Excessive alcohol consumption can take the form of heavy drinking, binge drinking, or any drinking by pregnant women or underage youth.
- Heavy drinking is defined as more than two drinks per day on average for men or more than one drink per day on average for women.
- Binge drinking is defined as five or more drinks during a single occasion for men or four or more drinks during a single occasion for women.
- Approximately 1 in 6 US adults binge drinks, about 4 times a month. On average, the largest number of drinks consumed during a binge is 8.
- Underage drinking is considered a form of excessive drinking because it is both illegal and often involves consumption in quantities and settings that can lead to serious immediate and long-term consequences.
- People aged 12 to 20 years drink 11% of all alcohol consumed in the United States. More than 90% of this alcohol is consumed in the form of binge drinks (OJJDP) [PDF - 1.08MB] .
Task Force Recommendations & Findings
This table lists interventions reviewed by the Community Guide, with Task Force findings for each (definitions of findings). Click on an underlined intervention title for a summary of the review.Interventions Directed to the General Population | |
Dram Shop Liability | Recommended March 2010 |
Electronic Screening and Brief Interventions (e-SBI) | Recommended August 2012 |
Increasing Alcohol Taxes | Recommended June 2007 |
Maintaining Limits on Days of Sale | Recommended June 2008 |
Maintaining Limits on Hours of Sale | Recommended February 2009 |
Overservice Law Enforcement Initiatives | Insufficient Evidence March 2010 |
Privatization of Retail Alcohol Sales | Recommended Against April 2011 |
Regulation of Alcohol Outlet Density | Recommended February 2007 |
Responsible Beverage Service Training | Insufficient Evidence October 2010 |
Interventions Directed to Underage Drinkers | |
Enhanced Enforcement of Laws Prohibiting Sales to Minors | Recommended February 2006 |
Presentations & Promotional Materials
Community Guide In Action: Stories from the Field
Lowering Legal Blood Alcohol Limits Saves Lives [PDF - 557 KB]Slides
Using Evidence for Public Health Decision Making: Preventing Excessive Alcohol Consumption and Related Harms [PDF - 476KB]Developed by The Community Guide
Action Guides
Strategizer 55 - Regulating Alcohol Outlet Density: An Action GuideDeveloped by the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America in partnership with the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Promotional Materials
Summary of Community Guide Recommended Strategies: Evidence-Based Strategies to Prevent Excessive Alcohol Consumption and Related Harms [PDF - 407KB]Developed by The Community Guide in collaboration with CDC’s Alcohol Program
Community Guide News: Maintaining Limits on Days and Hours of Sale: Reducing the Harms from Drinking Too Much by Limiting Access to Alcohol
Developed by The Community Guide in collaboration with CDC’s Alcohol Program
Community Guide News: Regulating Alcohol Outlet Density Prevents Excessive Alcohol Use
Developed by The Community Guide in collaboration with CDC’s Alcohol Program
Community Guide News: Task Force Finds Commercial Liability an Effective Strategy to Reduce Alcohol-Related Harms
Developed by The Community Guide in collaboration with CDC's Alcohol Program
Community Guide News: Task Force Recommends Against Privatizing Retail Alcohol Sales
Developed by The Community Guide in collaboration with CDC's Alcohol Program
Community Guide News: Task Force Recommends Increasing Alcohol Taxes to Prevent Excessive Alcohol Use and Other Harms
Developed by The Community Guide in collaboration with CDC's Alcohol Program
Media Outreach
CDC Media Release: Task Force Finds Commercial Liability an Effective Strategy to Reduce Alcohol-related ProblemsDeveloped by The Community Guide in collaboration with CDC’s Alcohol Program
CDC Media Advisory About Maintaining Limits on Days and Hours of Sale: CDC Releases Two Reports on Excessive Alcohol Use and Related Harms
Developed by The Community Guide in collaboration with CDC’s Alcohol Program
CDC Newsroom Formatted Article About Maintaining Limits on Days and Hours of Sale: Reducing the Harms from Drinking Too Much by Limiting Access to Alcohol [PDF - 208KB]
Developed by The Community Guide in collaboration with CDC’s Alcohol Program
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