The CDC is more likely to consider you a heavy drinker than you think
Women: Do you have a glass of wine at dinner on most nights? Or maybe you crack open a beer on the porch at night? The CDC wants you to know you’re a heavy drinker.
You’re not alone, though. According to a report on nationwide drinking habits from 2002-2012, 6.7 women are heavy drinkers, compared to 9.9 percent of men. In Nevada, those numbers jump to 7.8 percent and 10.8 percent, respectively. Drill down deeper and Clark County is 7.2 percent and 9.8 percent, a little lower than the state average.
The county with the most heavy drinkers is Esmeralda County, where 22.2 percent of women and 22.7 percent of men fit the bill.
How does the CDC define heavy drinking? Women who drink more than one drink a day and men who drink more than two are considered heavy drinkers (although not necessarily alcoholics, they point out). Interestingly, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines that amount as “moderate” drinking. The NIAAA considers you a heavy drinker if you drink five or more drinks at least five times in 30 days.
That’s what the CDC calls binge drinking. Here’s how those numbers break down:
Nationwide:
- 12.4 percent of women
- 24.5 percent of men
Nevada:
- 11.8 percent for women
- 24.8 percent for men
Clark County:
- 11.1 percent of women
- 23.5 percent of men
If those numbers seem surprising, keep in mind the data wasn’t tracking drinking that took place in the state (where the Strip would drive the numbers way up), but by people who lived there.
You can play around with the data visualization here.
Contact Stephanie Grimes at sgrimes@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @stephgrimes
