I recently came across an insightful article in the March 6, 2014, edition of the Inland Empire Community Newspaper.  Loma Linda University conducted a study on binge drinking and provided in-depth statistics "of California adults by gender and detailed race ethnicity categories, which [were] published online in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse on Feb. 12" (Duncan, 2014, p. 5).  Data was gathered via California Health Interview Surveys (CHIS) from 2007 and 2009 and included over 98,662 responses from adults and encompassed a wide range of socio-demographic characteristics.  "According to Jim Banta, PhD, MPH from the Center for Leadership in Health Systems at LLU School of Public Health and lead researcher of the study, the significance of the study is that it provides detailed binge drinking rates by gender and in race/ethnicity compared to previous reports (as ctd. in Duncan, 2014, p. 5).  The research also made adjustments for other factors, such as age, education level, and income.  A particularly interesting facet of the study reports detailed data "on Asia-Americans by nationality, who as a group, generally have low rates of binge drinking.  There is variability not often detected when looking at Asians as a group; for example, an estimated 28.1% of Korean men binge drink, compared to 11.9% of Chinese men" (as ctd. in Duncan, 2014, p. 5).  Similar variability was also reported for Latino groups with specific stats based on nationality and gender.  Overall, non-Hispanic whites have the highest rate of binge drinking, including frequency for the past year as opposed to other racial/ethnic groups.  So, what exactly is binge drinking you may be wondering?
        
          The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 grams percent or above.  For men, this typically occurs when 5 or more drinks are consumed and for women, four or more in approximately two hours.  The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has estimated that 92% of U.S. adults who drink excessively report binge drinking in the past 30 days and that an average 70% of binge drinking episodes involve adults 26 years of age or older.  Binge drinking accounts for 40,000 deaths every year in the U.S. and has been linked to domestic abuse, violence, academic and personal problems, risk-taking behaviors, physical injury to both self and others, driving while intoxicated, and failure to adhere to medications (as ctd. in Duncan, 2014, p. 5).  While binge drinking may not be equivalent to or ultimately lead to alcoholism, it is a serious problem with negative consequences. 

Considering the statistical data and human cost what initiatives should efforts concentrate on?  Statistics, while helpful, only tell us so much.  Should the focus be on those at greatest risk or encompass everyone?  After all, most of us have witnessed a close family member, friend, or co-worker in the throes of alcohol abuse.  Likewise, many of us are familiar with the feelings of anxiety, anger, helplessness, and sorrow wrought by alcoholism.  How do we provide our youth, educators, families, etc. with the tools to deal with alcoholism?  For that matter, what would those tools be? 

References:

Duncan, M. J. (2014, March 6th). Study provides detailed stats on binge drinking. Inland Empire Community Newspapers.