HHS HealthBeat (January 22, 2013)

Women and girls bingeing

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Binge drinking is not just a guy problem. A look at national survey data finds women also drink like this. At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dafna Kanny:

“Fourteen million U.S. adult women, or 1 in 8, report binge drinking. Women who binge drink tend to do so frequently – about three times a month – and in large amounts.”

Kanny says the women have about six drinks on an occasion, which would typically be about two to three hours. Researchers say that, for women, four or more drinks is a binge.

The study finds bingeing is even more common among younger people. Kanny says about 40 percent of high school girls drink, and half of them report binge drinking.

The study is in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Learn more at healthfinder.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: January 23, 2013