Of all the things you hear that have the potential to surprise or even shock you, what you are about to learn about binge drinking might be the most startling fact you’ll be told all week.
For the first time in American history, women are pounding cocktails, wine, and beer at a more feverish pace than men. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism report that women are more responsible for the majority of binge drinking than dudes.
Here’s a quote from the director George F. Koob.
“In 2021, there has been an uptick, particularly among women. Now it turns out on college campuses, women actually binge drink more than men, for the first time in history,”
To interpret this data, knowing what Koob’s organization considers “binge” drinking is important. Obviously, a bottle of wine, a six-pack of beer, or four martinis during an extended lunch would qualify, but what is the official standard, according to Koob? He said, “a standard drink is 1.5 ounces of vodka, 12 ounces of beer, or five ounces of wine. When you go past a standard drink, you really are getting to the point where alcohol ultimately becomes a toxin. You can easily overdose.”
Let’s get to the important question of why this is happening. Come on; we’re not idiots; of course, it’s the pandemic. Binge viewing and binge drinking went hand in hand in households across America. Koop confirmed that the pandemic played a huge role in the time frame they collected the data, but he did not give an official reason why women drank more than men.
He also had one last warning — spring break this year could be crazy because it’s the first fully normal post-Covid season. The important thing to remember is that binge drinking is not healthy. Your body is not designed to filter and process excessive amounts of alcohol over a long period.
Each year, there are roughly 4,000 alcohol-linked deaths in the United States among underage drinkers.
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