According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some states are more prone to binge drinking than others. In a recent study, the states with the highest prevalence of binge drinking amongst Adults included: North Dakota, Wisconsin, Washington D.C., Montana, Iowa and Illinois. Excessive alcohol consumption costs states billions of dollars every year. In states like Colorado, the cost per capita is over $1000 due to excessive drinking.
Binge drinking can have dire consequences and may be a matter of life and death for some people. Binge drinking is defined as:
- A man who consumes 5 or more drinks on an occasion
- A woman who consumes 4 or more drinks on an occasion
The states with the highest intensity of excessive alcohol consumption include: Arkansas, West Virginia, Missouri, Kentucky, Alaska, Ohio and North Dakota. Intensity is defined by the “average largest number of drinks consumed by binge drinkers on any occasion. In the states with the highest intensity of binge drinking the average number of drinks consumed on any occasion is 7.3 to 8.3.
The CDC regularly gathers information through surveys such as the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The BRFSS was established in 1984 and collects information through telephone surveys conducted in all 50 states. The data is used to look at the prevalence of health-related issues and the trends amongst adults by state. According to the data, excessive alcohol use is still a problem. Over 1/5 of the adults surveyed admitted to binge drinking or heavy drinking in the last 30 days.