Is Drinking Too Much a Problem in the US?

Drink up.

A new study has found 18% of men and 11% of women in the US drink more alcohol than is recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture, while 8% of men and 3% of women can be classified as “heavy drinkers.”

Men should drink a maximum of two drinks a day, while women should drink one, reports the USDA.

Nutritionist Patricia Guenther, who led a study that appears in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Diabetics said:

And in fact, most adults don't drink at all on any given day. But the fact remains that it is a significant public health problem that many people do drink to excess.”

Perhaps even more alarming is the fact that, according to the Center for Disease Control, 14 million women binge drink three times a month, enjoying about six beverages in each instance.

Perhaps one of the most interesting finding was that men between the ages of 21 and 30 were most likely to be heavy drinkers, while women between the ages of 51 and 70 were the most likely to drink heavily among their gender.