The January 2012 Vital Signs issue from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlights the dangers of binge drinking. The public health impact of excessive drinking is 80,000 deaths and 2.3 million Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) in the United States each year. Excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States.
Excessive alcohol consumption can take the form of heavy drinking, binge drinking, or both. Heavy drinking is defined as consuming more than two drinks a day on average for men and more than one drink a day on average for women. Binge drinking is defined as consuming five or more drinks during a single occasion for men and four or more drinks during a single occasion for women. Underage drinking can also be 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.
The Community Preventive Services Task Force (Community Guide) has made recommendations to intervene on binge drinking by adults and adolescents. The Task Force is an independent, nonfederal, volunteer body of public health and prevention experts, whose members are appointed by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Task Force recommends for:
The Task Force recommends against:
Go to the Community Guide recommendations page to get the full report on evidence-based recommendations to reduce excessive alcohol consumption.
Have any of these Task Force recommendations been implemented in your community? Have they improved health outcomes? Let us know by clicking the "Add A Comment" link below and let us know your experience(s).