You Call that Binge Drinking?

It’s not surprising to anyone living in the upper Midwest that North Dakotans lead the nation in binge drinking. A government study released last week showed that 31% of North Dakota residents 12 and older had engaged in binge drinking at least once in the last month. Shocking until you read how they define binge drinking: five or more drinks on one occasion over the last 30 days.

So, hypothetically, if one were to have three drinks with dinner before a hockey game, and then a couple afterwards, one would be an out-of-control binge drinker? Sure, five drinks is a lot for a twelve year old, but over a few hours, that would barely get a largish adult to the legal limit for driving.

Don’t talk to me about binge drinking until you at least reach double digits. At that threshold, I’m sure the North Dakotans would still be in the lead, but the percentage wouldn’t be close to 31%.