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.

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Notes:
† Binge drinking data represent all respondents who report consuming 5 or more drinks on an occasion through 2005. Data from 2006–2007 represent men who report consuming 5 or more drinks on an occasion, and women who report consuming 4 or more drinks on an occasion, during the past 30 days.

‡ 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.

Source of data is the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS); information about the BRFSS is available at http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/index.htm.

Binge drinking data represent all respondents who report consuming 5 or more drinks on an occasion through 2005. Data from 2006 and 2007 represent men who report consuming 5 or more drinks on an occasion, and women who report consuming 4 or more drinks on an occasion, during the past 30 days.

1993–2000 data represent all respondents aged 18 years and older who report an average of 2 or more drinks per day (i.e., 60 or more alcoholic drinks a month).

2001–2007 data 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.

Data are not available for the following years: 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000.

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Page last reviewed: August 6, 2008
Page last modified: September 3, 2008
Content source: Division of Adult and Community Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion