Binge drinking on the rise; early warning sign of health problems to come
Posted Oct 25, 2016 05:10:58 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Did you have more than five drinks on your tab the last time you went out for happy hour? If you did in the last month, you’re among the increasing number of Canadians who binge drink.
New statistics out of the University of Calgary show more than 20 per cent of Canadians are binge drinkers.
Dr. Andrew Bulloch said the figures that really stick out are the habits researchers found for men and women between 18 and 24 years old. Of that age group, 40 per cent binge drink, but as they get older, the number drops.
“It’s just as much an increase in people 65 years or older, as younger people, just the absolute proportion of those people doing it is less as you get older,” Dr. Bulloch, researcher with the university’s Mathison Centre for Mental Health, said.
He also pointed to another study, which has its own theory as to what’s causing the rising trend.
“They attribute it to alcohol becoming more affordable or available and more effectively advertised,” he added.
He warned of future medical problems such as cancer, liver sclerosis, and depression tied alcohol abuse.
