Enjoy a good drink or two ... or five? According to a new study released Thursday, you're not alone.
The University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation found that while the percentage of people who drink any alcohol has been steady, heavy drinking among Americans has risen dramatically, up 17.2 percent since 2005. What's more, the study found the sharp rise in heavy and binge drinking stems mostly from women drinking heavily more often, though results vary widely among U.S. counties.
In 2012, the study found 8.2 percent of Americans rated as heavy drinkers and 18.3 percent were binge drinkers. Heavy drinking is defined as in the past month, having more than one drink per day for women and more than two per day for men. To rate as binge drinking, at least once in the past month, women must have had four or more drinks in one session, and men five or more drinks.
Click here to read the study and here for an interactive map showing rates in U.S. counties for numerous different health categories.
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