The Centers for Disease Control released an an analysis today of the "prevalence of binge drinking (defined as four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men on an occasion during the past 30 days) among U.S. adults aged 18 and older."

Some of the findings might surprise you. Some may not. According to the CDC:

• Excessive alcohol use accounted for an estimated average of 80,000 deaths and 2.3 million years of potential life lost in the United States each year during and an estimated $223.5 billion in economic costs in 2006.
• Binge drinking prevalence among men (23.2 percent) was twice that of women.
• Binge drinking is more common among those with household incomes of $75,000 or more, but the largest number of drinks consumed per occasion is significantly higher among binge drinkers with household incomes of less than $25,000 – an average of eight to nine drinks, the report said.

• Adult binge drinking is most common in the Midwest, New England, the District of Columbia, Alaska and Hawaii, the report said. However, binge drinkers consume more drinks in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah, the Midwest, and some states where binge drinking is less common - including Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina.

(AP archives photo)

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