BLOOMBERG: More than 38 million U.S. adults, or 17.1 percent of the population, indulged in binge drinking four times a month or more in 2010, led by members of households with incomes of $75,000 or more, federal health officials said…
Binge drinking, defined as four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men in a period of about 2 hours, is the third-most-common cause of preventable death in the U.S., with 80,000 annual fatalities, according to the CDC. Alcohol intoxication increases the risk of traffic accidents, falls, drownings and burns, as well as domestic violence and risky sexual behavior.
“We’re talking about a risk behavior that’s quite widespread in the population,” said Robert Brewer, an epidemiologist at the CDC, in a conference call with reporters. “And where people have the impression it’s not such a bad thing to do.” … (more)
