In recent years a debate has developed over the appropriateness of using the term "Binge drinker" to describe individuals who report having five or more drinks on an occasion within the past two weeks (or, sometimes, 30 days). Opponents argue that the connotation of the term does not mesh with the way it is operationalized in typical surveys and that it lacks precision since the acute effects of any quantity of alcohol depend on a variety of factors (e.g., consumption rate, body size and composition, contents of stomach, gender). Proponents argue that this measure is strongly related to reports of also experiencing problems, many of which may result from heavy drinking. To add some data to this debate, we examined measured BACs of students (N=3,953) obtained in two separate probability sample surveys (1997 & 1999) of college students as they returned home between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. Forty-nine percent qualified as "binge" drinkers by the standard measure; 23% were "frequent bingers" and 26% were "infrequent bingers;" 12% had consumed > 5 drinks the night of the interview. The two main findings are: (1) frequency of self-reported heavy drinking is clearly associated with measured BAC on a specific occasion, including both weekend and week nights; (2) about half of "binge drinkers" had zero BACs on the night they were interviewed. Among those who had "binged" the evening they were interviewed, fewer than half had BACs exceeding 100 mg/dL. Implications of these findings for research and policy development are discussed. See www.2outof3unc.org
Learning Objectives: N/A
Keywords: Alcohol Use, College Students
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