New Study Find Highest Binge-Drinking Areas
/A new study shows that different areas in the country have a higher rate of binge-drinking. This study suggests that more than a third of adults in some areas are drinking at dangerous levels but "huge variations" in rates still exist of heavy and binge drinking across the USA.
The study was published this past Thursday in the American Journal of Public Health. Reserarchers found nationwide, levels of heacy and binge drinking are on the rise, led by increases among women – but women still do drink much less than men.
Other studies have shown this nationwide increase, however, this study is the first to take a comprehensive, county-by-county look at where problem drinking is worst and growing fastest.
"The percentage of people who drink is not changing much, but among drinkers, we are seeing more heavy drinking and more binge drinking," says Ali Mokdad, a lead author of the study who is a professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. "We're going in the wrong direction."
Two drinks per day for men and One drink for women is what we call "heavy drinking.
This type of drinking may cause:
- linked to heart disease
- cancer
- liver damage
Binge drinking, defined as at least five drinks on one occasion for men and at least four drinks for women, is linked to car crashes, injuries and alcohol poisoning.
Highest Areas with Binge-Drinking
- Wisconsin's Menominee County, home of the Menominee Indian Reservation, has 36% of drinking-age adults binge-drink. The area with the lowest binge-drinking levels is in Mormon Madison County, Idaho, where just 5.9% do.
- Leading in heavy drinking: sparsely populated Esmeralda County in Nevada, where 22.4% drink that much. Least likely to drink heavily: Hancock County, in Tennessee's Appalachian Mountains, where the rate is 2.4%.
- In general, the study finds the highest rates of overall and problem drinking in New England, along the Pacific coast and in the northern parts of the West and Midwest.
Overall, adults who have one drink per month are among the most affluent, well-educate communities. The study's lead author said:
"Educated, affluent (people) enjoy a glass of wine every night. They can afford it, and they are cautious about their health."
Problem Drinking: More Common in Poor Areas
Problem drinking is generally most common in poor and rural areas, he says. And while varying social norms and economic stresses play roles, access to alcohol matters too, he says.
"Several studies show that just having several bars close together can lead people to bar hop and binge drink," he says.
This study gives communities the power to ask for more money and promote policies to address problem drinking. Effective strategies include enforcing laws against drunk driving, holding bars responsible for serving drunk customers and limiting the number and operating hours of bars and liquor stores, he says. Seeing the variation of problem drinking from state to state will help improve the overall system.
