Challenging Wisconsin’s Drinking Culture

 According to Vital Signs, the Centers for Disease Control’s monthly call to action on a pressing public health concern, binge drinking is a more pervasive and costly problem than previously estimated.  The report released earlier this month by the CDC indicates that 1 in 6 American adults binge drinks, defined as consuming 5 or more drinks in 2 hours for men and 4 or more drinks in 2 hours for women, putting them at increased risk for injury and disease.  Unfortunately, the numbers show that Wisconsin tops the list of binge-drinking states with 25.6% of adults reporting binge-drinking behavior.  This important report dispels many myths about binge drinking, which may help us better understand and tackle a largely ignored public health problem.  Despite controversies regarding the best way to manage binge drinking, it is important to acknowledge the problem and to start a discussion about changes that can be made on the individual level, as well as the policy level, to mitigate the damages caused by binge drinking.  See the complete report at:  http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/bingedrinking/