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The newest report of CDC Vital Signs states that no day passes in the United States without an average of six people dying after having drunk a lot of alcohol in a very short time – a situation called alcohol poisoning due to binge drinking.
The alarming news shows that more than 2,200 American fall victims to alcohol poisoning per year. Contrary to popular belief, the problem is not only among young people; adults (35 to 64 years old) amount to 75 percent of these deaths, and the victims are most often white males. Binge drinking presents a serious problem for many people, even though this particular study emphasizes the damages of alcohol on middle-aged men.
The report specifies that the brain gets quite a rush when high levels of alcohol enter the bloodstream, causing it to shut down different areas which control important functions (breathing, heart rate and body temperature), the result being death. Alcohol poisoning most often occurs when people binge drink; basically, if you’re having drinking more than five portions of alcohol at a time, the risk increases. The CDC reported a shocking number 38 million American adults binge drinking approximately four times per month and, respectively, eight drinks each time.
One of the solutions would be more effective programs and laws which would hinder binge drinking. This would help avoid the related health and social harms, the worst of which are the deaths from alcohol poisoning.
The capital risk factor in deaths caused by binge drinking is alcoholism. National data covering two years of research discovered that at least 30 percent of all cases name alcoholism as a major factor. Many more cases involving alcoholism have not been reported, the study authors say. Too many people have not even considered seeking help for alcohol-related issues. However, acknowledging the problem brings us only halfway there – getting people to open up about drinking issues is even harder. The researchers are working on finding a new and improved way to screen patients without making them feel judged about their problems.
The director of the Addiction Institute of New York is Paul Rinaldi. He said that there might be a reason why deaths related to binge-drinking are more often reported in older adults – they may be less resilient. But this does not mean that there is less of a problem among the youth and their drinking habits.
Image Source: Science Daily
