One in Six Americans Binge Drink Most are young adults, but
those aged 65 and over drink most often, report shows. TUESDAY,
Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) — An estimated 38 million American
adults are binge drinkers — defined as men who down five or more
drinks at a sitting and women who consume four or more drinks at
one time, federal researchers reported Tuesday. Of the 17
percent of Americans who engage in binge drinking, most are 18
to 24 years old. But those 65 and older engage in the practice
more often, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. And those numbers may underestimate the scope of
the problem, officials said. remains a common and largely
unrecognized public health problem," Ursula Bauer, director of
CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion, said during a midday news conference. What's more,
binge drinking accounts for more than 40,000 of the 80,000
alcohol-related deaths each year in the country, and represents
about 75 percent of the more