Prevalence of binge drinking by state
While having an occasional drink may seem harmless, there are undoubtedly consequences for drinking heavily. According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), excessive alcohol consumption over time can lead to chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure, liver disease, cancer, and has even accounted for 95,000 deaths a year in the U.S.
The Community Preventive Services Task Force, an independent, nonfederal group of public health and prevention experts, has suggested several strategies for preventing excessive drinking. Some of these suggestions include raised alcohol taxation, regulating the number of alcohol outlets and availability, and enforcing laws preventing alcohol sales to minors.
Citing data released by the CDC in October 2021 based on a May 2018 survey, Zinnia Health identified rates of binge drinking across the U.S. Binge drinking is defined as four or more drinks on one occasion for women and five or more for men. The research only surveyed people who binge drank in the past 30 days. The CDC definition does not encompass what qualifies as binge drinking for trans or nonbinary individuals.
