Common Questions About
What is excessive alcohol use?
Excessive alcohol use is a blanket term that includes four different ways people consume alcohol that can have negative health effects:
- Binge Drinking: 5+ drinks (men) or 4+ drinks (women) on a single occasion
- Heavy Drinking: 15+ drinks (men) or 8+ drinks (women) in a single week
- Drinking During Pregnancy
- Underage Drinking
Source: Centers for Disease Control (CDC). “Alcohol Use and Your Health.”
14 January 2025. Alcohol Use and Your Health | Alcohol Use | CDC.
How does excessive drinking affect us?
- 88,000 deaths per year
- Violence, injuries, and motor vehicle crashes
- Risky sexual behaviors, unintended pregnancies, miscarriages, and stillbirths
- Chronic conditions, such as cancer, heart disease, and high blood pressure
- $249 billion economic cost
Binge drinking is the main problem.
- Over 90% of excessive drinkers binge drink.
- 1 in 6 (more than 38 million) U.S. adults binge drink.
- Binge drinkers do so about 4 times a month.
- Binge drinkers average 8 drinks per binge.
- Most people who binge drink are not alcohol dependent nor alcoholics.
If you choose to drink, do so in moderation
- No one should begin drinking or drink more frequently based on potential “health benefits”.
- Drink no more than up to 1 drink a day for women and 2 drinks a day for men.
- Don’t drink at all if you are under age 21, pregnant or may be pregnant, or have health problems that could be worsened by drinking.
For more information, visit www.cdc.gov/alcohol.
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