Binge Drinking

You might think it’s no big deal to tie one on now and then, but overdoing it on booze causes more than 80,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, and it’s the third-leading cause of preventable deaths.
 Contrary to popular belief, it’s not the college kids who are overdoing it the most. It’s the over-65 set that binge drinks more often than any other age group. What counts as binge drinking? For women, having more than four drinks in a row; for men, five or more drinks. Most binge drinkers are not alcohol-dependent — meaning, you don’t have to be an alcoholic to go overboard with alcohol. While an occasional drink or two with dinner is fine, women should have no more than one drink per day, while men should consume no more than two.