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Why are the "Binge Drinking" levels set where they are?

In the College Alcohol Study, as well as most other research on alcohol consumption, the concept of "binge drinking" is an important one. Almost all researchers now define "binge drinking" as having 5 or more drinks in one sitting for males and 4 or more drinks in one sitting for females. These levels were not arrived at arbitrarily: careful examination of data reveals that the number of negative consequences of drinking increases dramatically at these levels of consumption. The gender-specific levels were created when it was determined that women suffered roughly the same number of negative consequences after having 4 beverages as men did after having 5 (probably due to differing metabolic rates and body mass).

The following graphs display the 1998 College Alcohol Study survey results for undergraduates at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Students are divided into those who are above and those who are below the "binge drinking" cutoff based on their self-reported "usual" drinking levels. Clearly, the negative consequences of drinking increase dramatically when students drink at the "binge drinking" level. Students drinking at or above the binge cutoff are considerably more likely to cause harm to themselves and others, and to suffer unwanted negative consequences of others’ drinking.

Source: 1998 College Alcohol Study, Harvard School of Public Health

Source: 1998 College Alcohol Study, Harvard School of Public Health

1. Wechsler H, Dowdall G W, Davenport A, and Rimm, EB. A Gender-Specific Measure of Binge Drinking among College Students. American Journal of Public Health. 1995;85:982-985.

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Last revision 07/08/05