CDC: One in Five High School Girls Binge Drinks
- Religion Today
- Updated Jan 10, 2013
![CDC: One in Five High School Girls Binge Drinks](https://i.swncdn.com/media/700w/crosswalk/resource/areas/crosswalk/resources/images/defaultimages/article-large-landscape.png)
Millions of high school-aged girls and women binge drink, behavior that can have disastrous results, including long-term health effects, according to a new report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CNN reports. For females, binge drinking means consuming four or more drinks in one sitting; for males, it's five or more drinks. Previous reports have focused on higher rates of binge drinking among males, but the CDC in its new report aimed to raise awareness of the problem among women. Of the estimated 23,000 annual deaths attributed to excessive alcohol use among women and girls, binge drinking was responsible for more than half, said Dr. Thomas Frieden, CDC director. About 50 percent of all the alcohol consumed by adults, and about 90 percent of all alcohol consumed by young people, is consumed during a binge drinking session, he said. The greatest frequency of binge drinking is found among women aged 18 to 34 and high school-age girls: One in eight women binge drinks, and one in five high school girls binge drinks, nearly as high as the binge drinking rates among high school boys. About 62 percent of high school senior girls who drink reported binge drinking.