CDC exposes troubling trend among women

SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (WWLP) - New numbers reveal binge drinking as a growing problem among women.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently surveyed more than a quarter of a million women; experts say the results of the study exposed a troubling trend.  

Researchers found dangerous drinking patterns were reported in one out of eight women over the age of 18.

“I don’t know whether I would find it surprising.   I don’t think that in my time here in Amherst I haven’t seen huge changes,” said Amherst college student Jasmine Hardey. 

The CDC defines binge drinking as consuming four or more drinks on one occasion. Some call the pattern a rite of passage for college students, others say students drink to relieve stress and socialize.

“You can get kind of crazy and it’s a release from the pressure.  And there’s tons of pressure to achieve,” said Amherst psychologist Elizabeth Hemley. 

Many of Hemley’s clients are college students; she believes lowering the drinking age could help curb the problem.

But the report found that women are not only drinking more, they are also drinking often.  18 to 34-year-olds reported doing it at least three times a month. The numbers are even higher for high school students, with one out of every five high school girls admitting to binge drink. 

“Typically when you talk alcohol abuse on college campuses, it tends to be male-based.  So you’re often looking at numbers around violence and vandalism,” said Karen Jacobus, a health educator at Mount Holyoke College.

Risk factors associated with excessive drinking can vary from cancer to heart disease.  Jacobus says those issues change depending on the demographic. 

“What we do see are those increased risks around injury, unprotected sex, sexually transmitted infections,” said Jacobus inside the college’s health center on Wednesday afternoon. 

The South Hadley school, where an estimated 15% of students reported binge drinking, was one of the first in the country to target women and drinking.  Jacobus is a health educator for the Alcohol & Drug Awareness Project, a program established by the school more than three decades ago. She hosts workshops in residential halls and during orientation and says the research could help outreach efforts. 

Last year, excessive drinking resulted in the deaths of an estimated 23,000 women.