|
|
|
Alcohol use is very common in our society. Drinking alcohol has immediate effects that can increase the risk of many harmful health conditions. Excessive alcohol use, either in the form of heavy drinking (drinking more than two drinks per day on average for men or more than one drink per day on average for women), or binge drinking (drinking 5 or more drinks during a single occasion for men or 4 or more drinks during a single occasion for women), can lead to increased risk of health problems such as liver disease or unintentional injuries. According to recent national surveys, more than half of the adult U.S. population drank alcohol in the past 30 days. Approximately 5% of the total population drank heavily, while 15% of the population binge drank. From 2001–2005, there were approximately 79,000 deaths annually attributable to excessive alcohol use. In fact, excessive alcohol use is the 3rd leading lifestyle-related cause of death for people in the United States each year.
Alcohol use poses additional problems for underage drinkers. Prevalence of binge drinking and heavy drinking among adults in the United States, 1993–2007.
[A text description of this graph is also available.] Notes:
‡ 1993–2000 data represent all respondents aged 18 years and older who
report an average of two or more drinks per day (i.e., 60 or more alcoholic
drinks a month). Data from 2001–2007 represent all male respondents aged 18
years and older who report an average of more than 2 drinks per day, and
female respondents aged 18 years and older who report an average of more
than 1 drink per day. * Links to non-Federal organizations are
provided solely as a service to our users. Links do not constitute an
endorsement of any organization by CDC or the Federal Government, and none
should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual
organization Web pages found at this link.
Page last reviewed: August 6, 2008 |
|
|
||||||||||||
|