The Centers of Disease and Prevention Control (CDC) have released a new fact sheet today showing that more than 38 million Americans binge drink four or times a month, consuming an average of eight drinks at a time. Binge drinking is the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States. It is estimated that about 80,000 deaths in the US can be associated to binge drinking. People tend to think that people who binge drink are alcoholics. In actuality, they usually are not.

Some of the statistics in the fact sheet:

• 16.2 percent of adults in the US who binge drink make less than $25,000 year. However, 20.2 percent make over $75,000
• The average number of monthly binge drinking episodes is slightly higher for adults who make less than $25,000 a year than the ones making more than $75,000
• Binge drinking is most common in the Midwest, New England, DC, Alaska, and Hawaii

Some of the ways that binge drinking can be prevented is by the government collaborating with states and communities to promote binge drinking prevention strategies.

I have already written to the CDC to find out how we can be part of the solution in this socially-accepted problem. This needs to stop.

Image by Mark Turner via Flickr