Our survey asked about the use of alcohol in several ways. One of the easier queries to interpret relates to the incidence of "binge" drinking. The respondents were asked how many times in the past month they had consumed five or more drinks on a single occassion. This pattern of drinking is of particular concern because of its relationship with compromised driving, sexual activity and other risky behaviors, as well as direct alcohol poisoning.

The graph shows that, overall, the responses in our area were rather similar to those in the rest of the state and the nation. The inner bars in the graph, however, displaying the responses of area women and men under age 25, show how much more prevalent this pattern is within this age group compared to all other ages.

All forms of alcohol and other substance use issues are tracked through the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Additional related resources include state and national statistics and Michigan Department of Community Health's resources on how to minimize binge drinking.