Heavy drinking on the rise in America

A study was conducted by the University of Washington recently to research the drinking patterns in the United States; an endeavor intended to help Government and social organizations address drinking problems with more insight and understanding. There are variations in the pattern between each State, but the study found that heavy drinking has been on the rise since 2005 at an increase of 17 percent.

Who are the heavy drinkers?

The biggest problem this study discovered is that while the number of adults consuming alcohol hasn’t changed, the amount of alcohol being consumed has. This means that more and more people are becoming heavy drinkers compared to before. To give you some startling facts from the research – it shows that Menominee County in Wisconsin has the highest number of binge drinkers in the United States. 36 percent of adults in the entire county binge drink. Madison County in Idaho, on the other hand, is the county with the least number of adult binge drinkers. Heavy drinkers are different from binge drinkers in the sense that they drink large quantities of alcohol on a more regular basis while binge drinkers do so occasionally but might consume an even larger quantity of alcohol in that one night. The heaviest drinkers in America are in Esmeralda County in Nevada. Hancock County in Tennessee, on the other hand, has the lightest adult drinkers. The study also showed regional patterns where New England, the Midwest, and along the Pacific Coast are the areas in America that suffer from the maximum drinking problem.

Higher number of women drinking

The study was also able to uncover that women are now drinking more as well. This is something that is important to study more closely since alcoholism has been studied more or less from the male perspective until now. Health implications and causes concerned with women drinking is something that needs more studies and research now more than ever.

Health Issues caused by heavy drinking

The easiest excuse that heavy drinkers give for not being concerned about their habits is that they are not alcoholics, by which they mean that they do not depend on or are addicted to alcohol. The truth, however, is that heavy or binge drinking can still have adverse negative effects on their health and on others around them. If you think you may have a problem with heavy or binge drinking and would like to consult a professional, advisors are standing by at The Last Resort to talk with you. Call 512-750-6750 today.