You Won’t Believe How Many Binge Drinks The US Downs Every Year

This is a number that’s difficult to swallow. Adults in the US are consuming in excess of 17 billion alcoholic drinks in drinking binges every year if reports published recently are to be believed.

The figure clearly indicates that every binge drinker is having 470 drinks every year states the report which was provided by the centers for disease control and prevention [CDC].

What was the method used by the CDC to determine these numbers?

The results have been published after interviewing more than 400,000 adults in the US from all the 50 states in 2015. The interviews were conducted every month in each state and also includes a representative sample of the interviewees. Participants were questioned about the number of times they indulged in binge drinking during the past month along with the number of drinks they had on the occasions mentioned. Consuming more than four drinks for women and five or more drinks for men on every occasion was defined as binge drinking.

How Did The Researchers Determine The Results Of The Survey?

After collecting data about monthly binge drinking episodes and multiplying the figure by 12 the researchers arrived at an estimate for the year. The researchers were also able to account for seasonal variation in the consumption of alcohol because they conducted the interviews during every month of the year.

The report determined that approximately 17% of adults in the US amounting to 37 million people proclaimed binge drinking in 2015. The binge drinkers also reported an estimated 53 episodes of binge drinking every year which works out to about once every week. The number of drinks consumed on average was about seven drinks on each occasion.

In order to arrive at the estimated number of binge drinking episodes, the researchers multiplied the total number of binge drinking episodes after taking into account the highest number of drinks consumed by each drinker during that particular occasion to arrive at a figure of 17.5 billion binge drinks that were consumed in 2015.

Why Is Binge Drinking a Problem Throughout The US?

The problem of binge drinking has the potential to result in dangerous behavior because the drinkers were not averse to driving under the influence of alcohol. Binge drinking can also result in serious health conditions which could be in the form of cancer, heart disease and liver failure as reported by the CDC.

Driving under the influence of alcohol is an offense which can lead to accidents and the driver can also be penalized if apprehended by the law enforcement agencies. Health concerns can expose people to unwanted expenditure in the form of hospitalizations and unaffordable medical bills. Either of these problems can also result in fatalities which people wouldn’t want.

The study conducted by the CDC is providing evidence that alcoholics are consuming drinks in huge numbers every year. They are significantly increasing their chances of hurting themselves as well as others mentioned Dr. Robert Brewer the co-author of the study who is also the lead researcher of the CDC’s alcohol program.

The research also provides evidence to show that it is essential that a comprehensive approach is adopted to prevent the problem of binge drinking. The focus needs to be on bringing about a reduction in the number of times people indulge in such behavior and the quantity of alcohol they consume during each occasion.

Does this study reveal a problem which was until this moment swept under the carpet? The US is already dealing with an opioid epidemic where large numbers of people are addicted unfortunately with the help of the medical fraternity. Information is now being revealed that approximately 17.5 billion binge drinks were consumed just in 2015. If the estimates receive the attention they deserve, the problem becomes even more compounded because the numbers would have risen significantly over the last three years. This is a serious problem which requires a concerted effort from all concerned if it needs to be curtailed for the betterment of society.

If people in the United States are consuming billions of drinks every year it is certain they are also spending a huge sum of money for purchasing them. As things stand presently many people in the US are also facing financial difficulties which have left them indebted. Wouldn’t it be better for people to reduce the number reported to just a few million or even lower? Whether it happens or not is a matter of conjecture but one can just hope that things change for the better at the earliest.