Alcohol use is very common in our society. Drinking alcohol has immediate effects that can increase the risk of many harmful health conditions. Excessive alcohol use, either in the form of heavy drinking (drinking more than two drinks per day on average for men or more than one drink per day on average for women), or binge drinking (drinking 5 or more drinks during a single occasion for men or 4 or more drinks during a single occasion for women), can lead to increased risk of health problems such as liver disease or unintentional injuries. According to national surveys, over half of the adult US population drank alcohol in the past 30 days. Approximately, 5% of the total population drank heavily while 15% of the population binge drank. Our national surveys previously defined binge drinking as 5 or more drinks for both men and women. From 2001-2005, there were approximately 79,000 deaths annually attributable to excessive alcohol use. In fact, excessive alcohol use is the 3rd leading lifestyle-related cause of death for people in the United States each year.

Alcohol use poses additional problems for underage drinkers.

Prevalence of binge drinking and heavy drinking among adults in the United States, 1992–2006.

[A text description of this graph is also available.]

Notes:
† Binge drinking data represent all respondents who report consuming 5 or more drinks on an occasion through 2005. Data from 2006 represent men who report consuming 5 or more drinks on an occasion, and women who report consuming 4 or more drinks on an occasion, during the past 30 days.

‡ The 1992–2000 data represents all respondents aged 18 years and older who report an average of two or more drinks per day (i.e., 60 or more alcoholic drinks a month). The 2001–2006 data represents all male respondents aged 18 years and older who report an average of more than two drinks per day and female respondents aged 18 years and older who report an average of more than one drink per day.

Source of data is the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS); information about the BRFSS is available at http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/index.htm.

Data included are those from states (including the District of Columbia) in applicable years. Data points represent  the median prevalence of states participating in any year.

Binge drinking data represent all respondents who report consuming 5 or more drinks on an occasion through 2005. Data from 2006 represent men who report consuming 5 or more drinks on an occasion, and women who report consuming 4 or more drinks on an occasion, during the past 30 days.

The 1992–2000 data represents: All respondents aged 18 years and older who report an average of two or more drinks per day (i.e., 60 or more alcoholic drinks a month).

The 2001–2006 data represents: All male respondents aged 18 years and older who report an average of more than two drinks per day and female respondents aged 18 years and older who report an average of more than one drink per day.

Data are available for the following years: 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000.

* Links to non-Federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. Links do not constitute an endorsement of any organization by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at this link.

Page last reviewed: April 2, 2008
Page last modified: April 2, 2008
Content source: Division of Adult and Community Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion