The Centers for Disease Control just released a study concerning the growing dangerous behavior of women and binge drinking. Although this has been of growing concern for some years it continues to escalate with alarming numbers. For definition purpose, binge drinking for women is defined as consuming six alcohol drinks, either beer, wine, or liquor in one event/occasion.
Nearly one in eight women aged eighteen and older and one in five high school girls binge drink. The women who binge drink do so about three times a month and average about six drinks per binge. The type of drinking is dangerous behavior but is not widely recognized as a women’s health problem.
Here are some statistics to think about:
- More than fourteen million women binge drink,
- Binge drinking cost more than 23,000 lives each year,
- Binge drinking increases the risk of breast and liver cancers,
- Binge drinking increases the risk of sexual assaults, pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
Doctor Janet Taylor, who treats addiction and is from the CDC says women between the ages of eighteen to twenty drank more because they are bored, while women between the ages of twenty-two to thirty drank because they might be trying to escape something, maybe work pressures. “People feel pressure, so they come on the weekends usually, and throw back four drinks in two hours to take the stress off,” Taylor said. “Certainly, we want to close the gender gap, but not by these troubling numbers of more women drinking alcohol.”
You can see more of Doctor Janet Taylor’s interview on CBS This Morning.
If you would like more on the CDC’s Binge Drinking Study click here: