We are part of The Trust Project.
ROCHESTER — How much could an occasional night of binge drinking hurt? A new study shows that moderate, average drinkers with a pattern of binge drinking are almost five times more likely to have alcohol problems than people who drink the same amount over time without binge drinking.
Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin define moderate drinking as having, on average, one drink a day for women and two for men. Binge drinking is consuming five or more drinks on one occasion.
Research on binge drinking tends to focus on college kids. This study looks at adults and the researchers say it's a public health concern. And it's the pattern of drinking that matters.
“In both scientific and media discussions of moderate drinking, the pattern of drinking is generally overlooked,” says Rudolf Moos, professor emeritus of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. “This leaves many drinkers mistakenly assuming that a moderate average level of consumption is safe, regardless of drinking pattern.”
The study is published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
ADVERTISEMENT
Follow the Health Fusion podcast on Apple, Spotify and Google podcasts. For comments or other podcast episode ideas, email Viv Williams at vwilliams@newsmd.com. Or on Twitter/Instagram/FB @vivwilliamstv.
