Proforma Safety Blog

Significant Number of Baby Boomers are Binge Drinking

Posted by proforma on August 17, 2009

This study is not only thought provoking for its obvious implications for performance and safety on the job, but also for general health as well.

A study by Duke University reports a significant percentage of adults in the Baby Boomer generation are binge drinking — which is imbibing five or more drinks at a time.

Researchers at Duke University collaborated with the National Survey on Drug Use and Health to prepare the study, which reported 22% of men and 9% of women ages 50 to 64 engaged in binge drinking within the past month of the survey. Their research was based on a survey of 11,000 men and women that took place in 2005 and 2006, as reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

The American Geriatric Society guidelines for older people define two or more drinks a day as heavy or “at-risk” drinking. The Duke University study also found that 19% of the men and 13% of the women were consistently drinking at this level.

The study’s lead author, Dr. Dan Blazer, concludes these older binge drinkers cannot “metabolize alcohol as quickly, they may be on medications, or they may have some health problems that alcohol may contribute to.” He added that these individuals may increase their risk for stroke, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, neurological damage and poor diabetes control.