1 in 6 US Adults Binge Drink Once A Week

The highest sum total number was that of 841 in Arkansas; followed by MS, at a total of 831; then Kentucky; then Hawaii, at 611. Researchers calculated Washington, D.C., had the lowest number, at 316. This meant that an estimated 1 in 6 adults (or 37 million adults in total) binge drink about once a week with the average binge-drinker consuming seven drinks per binge.

A report from ABC News explained the methodologies used by the CDC in the new study, as the agency's researchers, for the first time, collected data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

This study shows that binge drinkers are consuming a huge number of drinks per year, greatly increasing their chances of harming themselves and others. That comes up to a staggering total of 17.5 billion binge drinks in a single year.

Kentucky came out near the top on that as well, at 94 drinks per adult - eighth in the nation.

Interestingly, although binge drinking is more prevalent among young adults between the ages of 18 and 34, over half of the binged drinks were consumed by those 35 years old and above. At 46 drinks, Utah ranked at the bottom. That's significantly more than the official definition of binge drinking, which is at least five drinks for men, or at least four drinks for women, within an approximate span of two hours.

The national average was 467 drinks for each binge drinker.

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System is a phone survey that collects yearly data on health and risk behaviors of USA adults.

Americans are binge-drinking more and more, a new study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states. Annually, binge drinking is responsible for more than half of the 88,000 alcohol-attributable deaths and three-quarters of the $249 billion in economic costs associated with excessive drinking in the United States.

Then, the researchers took these monthly binge-drinking episodes and multiplied it by 12 to get a yearly estimate.

Although some studies have shown that drinking modest amounts of alcohol can benefit the coronary health of healthy adults, drinking a lot of it can lead to irregular heartbeat, cardiomyopathy, stroke, and high blood pressure. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force also recommends alcohol screening and brief intervention by health care providers as part of routine clinical care. When the numbers were tallied, the researchers discovered the extent of America's binge drinking problem in 2015, as USA adults consumed about 17.5 billion binge drinks that year.