The Alcoholic

Binge drinking in the United States is often defined as consuming five or more drinks for men or four or more drinks for women within a two-hour period of time. While the common perception in this country is that binge drinking has increased dramatically in recent years, statistics show that the opposite is actually true. Media outlets have been sensationalizing this alcohol issue, leading the public to believe that virtually every high school and college student in this country suffers from alcohol abuse.

According to data, the number of high school seniors who said they had consumed at least five drinks on one occasion within the past two weeks was 41.2 percent in 1980. By 1990, the figure had decreased to 32.2 percent, and in the year 2003 it was 27.9 percent. Similar numbers have been found in multiple surveys studying alcohol consumption and alcoholism. Six worldwide surveys have also discovered that the amount of binge drinking among members of the military has also decreased.

The misleading reports on television and in newspaper articles can be dangerous because they lead young people to believe that everyone else participates in drinking large amounts of alcohol at a time. Thus, it doesn’t seem like a big deal to them to engage in this activity when they go to a high school party or go away to college. The fear is that it will lead to increased rates of alcohol abuse and alcoholism among young people and perhaps reverse the trend of declining binge drinking.

This is not to say that the current state of binge drinking isn’t an issue that is worthy of concern. There are many serious health concerns related to this risky form of alcohol abuse, including death from alcohol poisoning. Alcohol treatment programs are available for anyone who has a problem with binge drinking or alcoholism.

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