From 2006 to 2010, an estimated 88,000 died per year due to excessive alcohol use, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The United States Department of Transportation’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis reported that more than 31% of total driving fatalities were related to alcohol-impaired driving. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), excessive drinking increases one’s risks for injuries and death. Alcohol accounts for 60% of fatal burn injuries, homicides and drownings; 50% of sexual assaults and severe trauma and injuries; and 40% of fatal vehicular crashes, suicides and falls.
Despite these alarming statistics, binge drinking is expected to rise, not just in the United States but around the world (Manthey, Shield, Rylett, Hasan, Probst & Rehm, 2019).