More than 38 million U.S. adults engaged in binge drinking four times a month or more in 2010, according to a report released earlier this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Members of households with incomes of $75,000 or more led the way, boasting more binge drinkers than those with lower incomes. Wisconsin had the highest percentage of binge drinkers in the nation, with more than a quarter of the state's population reporting a binge or more every week, with average consumption of nine drinks per binge (also the highest in the nation). DC and North Dakota came in right behind Wisconsin in a virtual tie. The 65-and-older set binged most often. Kentuckians who binged, though a smaller percentage of the state's population, got the prize for frequency of binges averaging almost six episodes a month.
A binge is defined by the CDC as four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men. It's the third most common cause of preventable death in the nation, with 80,000 fatalities each year. It increases the risk of traffic accidents, falls, drownings and burns. It also tends to promote domestic violence and risky sexual behavior, according to the CDC.
So, does this report ring true for our panel?
DVORAK: Does everybody you know drink like this? Because you guys actually get drunk.
EDDIE: I really try not to. I swear. Like, last night was Taco Tuesday in town, so beers are $2 each.
DVORAK: Tacos? Where?
PANEL (In Unison): Everywhere.
DVORAK (Incredulous): TACOS?
DORIAN: Why is that so hard to believe?
EDDIE: Anyway, it's things like that where it becomes nearly impossible to not have four drinks.
ANDREJ: We're all social drinkers. It's not like we get drunk by ourselves.
DVORAK: When did you start drinking?
DORIAN: When I was fifteen. I grew up in the Midwest though. There's nothing to do.
ANDREJ: Fourteen, but I'm from Europe.
The panel generally disagreed with the warnings about social, health and economic issues caused by kicking back with a few drinks one night a week.
As to the CDC's concerns about unwanted pregnancies linked to drinking, alright...you got us there.
Watch the video for an amazing speed-talk history of alcohol consumption and anti-alcohol activism over the last century from Dvorak, along with his theory about binge drinking backlash among the young. It is not to be missed.
And if you've read this so far, maybe you ought to also read the CDC's official government recommendations on drinking.
Women should have no more than one drink a day and men no more than two. One drink is the equivalent of 12 ounces of beer, 8 ounces of malt liquor, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of liquor.
Cheers.
