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Everyone Who Drinks Regularly Might Be A "Problem Drinker," According To CDC
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jan 9, 2014
Modified Jan 10, 2014
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Jan 9, 2014
Modified Jan 10, 2014
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We all know by now that drinking alcohol will make you less tired, although it will also destroy your memories, and it's really cool with kids and people who like to have sex, although it may give you cancer, or at least ruin your dancing abilities, but hey, you might live forever if you don't die first. The point is, every day there's something new to learn about the whys, hows, and why nots of imbibing, and the CDC offers the latest salvo: it seems that one-in-six Americans binge drinks, but basically everyone else who drinks is a "problem drinker."
“For every one person who is alcoholic there are about six who are problem drinkers, drinking enough to adversely affect their lives, their health, their work situation or family situation,” CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden told Fox News. According to the CDC, 38 million Americans are binge drinkers, meaning by the CDC's definition that they consume five or more drinks (men), or four or more drinks (women), on one occasion lasting 2-3 hours. But here's the other statistic: you are considered a problem drinker if you consumer 15 or more drinks on average (men), or eight or more drinks on average (women), per week. Which means if you have more than two beers regularly, you're probably a problem drinker.
"It's a daily average," Lela McKnight-Eily, a health scientist at the CDC and lead author of the study, explained to NPR. She told them the average is based on population studies, which show that people who drink more than those amounts they set forth have an increased risk of heart disease, breast cancer and other health problems. "There's no level that's not at risk," she said. If you drink alcohol when you're pregnant or a teenager, you're also considered a problem drinker.
The CDC really just wants to get people talking about their drinking habits with their doctors, because only one-in-six Americans does that—and it almost certainly isn't the one-in-six Americans who are considered binge drinkers. They want to reach people like the guy who thought he was an owl, the babysitter who thought her mugshot was hilarious, and the actress who had way too much fun at a Knicks game.
Tagged
alcohol
alcoholics
beer
booze
cdc
drinking
drunk
problem drinking
wine
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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