EDITORIAL: Binge drinking is a concern for all of us
Don’t try to pin the problem of binge drinking entirely on the kids. While it might be more common among young adults ages 18–34, of those age 65 and older who report binge drinking, they do so more often — an average of five to six times a month.
And while peer pressure and social attitudes might be formidable foes in the battle to stop such activity, it’s a fight we can’t give up on because the penalties are much too severe.
Binge drinking is defined as consuming four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men on any one occasion. A Jan. 10 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that one in six adults binge drink, and that heavy drinking causes more than 80,000 deaths in the United States each year. That makes drinking the third leading preventable cause of death.
That’s not all. Binge drinkers also put themselves and others at risk for many health and social problems, including automobile crashes, other unintentional injuries, violence, liver disease, certain cancers, heart disease, sexually transmitted diseases, and both unintended and alcohol-exposed pregnancies.
Add to that the fact that binge drinking was responsible for more than $223.5 billion in economic costs in 2006, according to the CDC report.
Eliminating the problem entirely isn’t likely. But by creating awareness — and certainly by setting an example — it is possible to cut down on the incidences of binge drinking and the tragedies associated with it. Dr. Robert Brewer states the CDC is working in collaboration with partners to strengthen binge drinking prevention through improved public health surveillance of excessive alcohol use and by supporting the implementation of community-based prevention strategies.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrator Pamela S. Hyde offers another suggestion: “Binge drinking by adults has a large public health impact, and influences the drinking behavior of underage youth by the example it sets. We need to reduce binge drinking by adults to prevent the immediate and long–term effects it has on the health of adults and youth.”
She’s absolutely right. We can do studies, issue reports and preach all we want, but as is the case with most all behaviors, it’s the example we set ourselves that is likely to have the most effect on how our young people behave. It’s something to remember not only during the celebratory times of year, but every single day.
More source:
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Submited at Saturday, January 28th, 2012 at 1:00 pm on Uncategorized by admin
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