America, Can We Talk About Your Drinking?
Percentage who reported
binge drinking during
the past month (2013)
All people ages 18-29
All people ages 30-49
All people ages 50-74
Many alcohol researchers and substance-use clinicians believe the steady increase in problem drinking arises from a deeply felt sense of despair: “Since the attacks on 9/11, we’ve been in a state of perpetual war,
and a lot of us are traumatized by that,” said Andrew Tatarsky, a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating people with substance-use disorders.
Since the early 2000s, according to five government surveys Dr. Grucza has analyzed, binge drinking — often defined as five per day for men
and four per day for women — is on the rise among women, older Americans and minorities.
Because of the stigma associated with alcohol problems, women — especially those with children — are less likely to seek help.
Most of the people I’ve spoken to were college-educated; it’s a sad fact that many people learn to drink excessively in college.
Epidemiologists say that excessive and binge drinking begins in college, and
that for many it continues through early adulthood with after-work happy hours — so much so that Thursdays, in many circles, have become “Little Friday”— code for hitting the bar after (or in some Silicon Valley companies during) work.