Smart Woman: Binge Drinking
By: Maxine Ridling
Updated: January 9, 2013
One in 8 women and 1 in 5 high school girls binge drink. That's four or more drinks in 2 or three hours for females.
It's most common among women ages 18 to 34, in high school girls, among whites and Hispanics, and in women with household incomes of 75 thousand dollars or more.
Drinking too much increases a woman's risk for breast cancer, heart disease, liver disease, sexually transmitted diseases, unintended pregnancy and other health problems.
And 23,000 women and girls in the us are killed each year from too much alcohol. Half of them had been binge drinking .
Talk is a great way to fight binge drinking including discussions between health care providers and women and girls about the dangers of excessive drinking.
Parents also need to play a role by discussing the topic and discouraging teens from consuming alcohol. Of course, pregnant women and underage youth should not drink alcohol at all.
The U.S. dietary guidelines recommend if you drink that you do so in moderation, which means no more than one drink.


