Vital Signs: Binge Drinking Among Women and High School Girls—United States 2011

            Binge drinking has become a tremendous problem among young women.  Not only are the percentages of women who binge drink high, the risks that come with binge drinking are very costly, physically, emotionally, and financially.  The CDC utilized two programs, BRFSS and YRBS, to collect data from a range of women.  Their results yield finding for alcohol consumption and binge drinking.  After recording the results, there showed a higher rate of alcohol consumption and binge drink in high school girls, specifically grades 11 and 12.  There were also high rates of alcohol consumption and binge drinking in women ages 18-24 and 25-34.  Women and high school girls who reported binge drinking often did it frequently and intensely, averaging 3.2 episodes a month with 6.4 drinks per episode.  The higher rates of binge drinking were found among non-Hispanic white females and typically in households with incomes greater that 75,000. 

            The problem of binge drinking among young women has now become a rising issue in the field of public health.  Alcohol use among these populations is estimated to have accounted for 23,000 deaths and 633,000 years of potential life lost.  Binge drinking accounts for more than half of these.  Binge drinking has potential to lead to an array of harmful, and sometimes fatal, diseases such as, liver disease, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, and breast and other cancers.  A large problem in binge drinking in young women is the affect it has on their reproductive health.  Drinking sometimes makes women vulnerable and susceptible to unprotected sex.  This could lead to STIs, HIV, unintended pregnancies, and exposing the fetus to alcohol during the pregnancy.  These issues tremendously affect women’s health.  When these issues occur in the young populations who reported binge drinking, the consequences become more costly and detrimental to their health and, potentially, their lives. Therefore, making binge drinking a public health issue.

            Honestly, these results do not shock me; in fact, they were expected.  My age falls into a range where binge drinking has extremely high rates.  I experience first hand the pressures of drinking and binge drinking.  Media, television shows, movies mostly shed light on the “positives” of drinking.  Alcohol consumption is shown as fun and a good time.  This is what leads to the drinking among young women.  The age group 18-24 year olds are mostly college students who have no supervision and feel free to try new experiences like binge drinking.  In the high school population, there is desire to be older, and the models of older women they have are the college women partying and binge drinking regularly.  The results came back at rates I had expected.  There were some flaws in collecting the data, but, for the most part, the results are about where they should be if not lower than the actual statistic.

            A plan to reduce binge drinking in these populations is a very challenging task.  My plan to reduce binge drinking would to place limits on how many liquor stores there are in a given area.  Also increasing the price of alcohol will reduce the purchase of it among these populations who could be on a budget and can’t afford the higher prices.  I would also implement an educational problem displaying all the harms that come with binge drinking.  I feel these consequences, if displayed correctly, will be enough to scare some women and reduce their binge drinking habits.