Binge Drinking Kills Six Americans, Mostly Middle-Aged Men, Every Day:CDC

By Peter R - 07 Jan '15 09:07AM
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Binge drinking kills far more middle-aged men than youngsters, a new CDC report claims.

Overturning decades-old notion that binge drinking kills more college-goers, the report that said three out of four people who died of excessive alcohol consumption between 2010 and 2012, were aged between 35 and 64, Reuters reported. Only 5.1 percent who died during the study period were aged young people between 15 and 24 years. Every year in the US, 2,200 people die of alcohol poisoning, which accounts for six days per day.

"On average, 6 people died every day from alcohol poisoning in the US from 2010 to 2012. Alcohol poisoning is caused by drinking large quantities of alcohol in a short period of time. Very high levels of alcohol in the body can shutdown critical areas of the brain that control breathing, heart rate, and body temperature, resulting in death. Alcohol poisoning deaths affect people of all ages but are most common among middle-aged adults and men," CDC report said.

According to The Seattle Times, CDC's definition of binge drinking varies for women and men. Women who have four or more drinks and men who have more than five drinks per session are said to be binge drinking. One of the other important observations that the report pointed out was that less than a third of those who died were alcoholics.

"US adults who binge drink consume an average of about 8 drinks per binge, which can result in even higher levels of alcohol in the body. The more you drink the greater your risk of death," the report warned.

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