One in Six American Adults Binge Drink

One in six American adults—37 million—binge drink about once a week, a new study finds. They average seven drinks per binge, HealthDay reports.

In 2015, American adults consumed more than 17 billion binge drinks, according to the researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“This study shows that binge drinkers are consuming a huge number of drinks per year, greatly increasing their chances of harming themselves and others,” study co-author Dr. Robert Brewer said in a CDC news release. “The findings also show the importance of taking a comprehensive approach to prevent binge drinking, focusing on reducing both the number of times people binge drink and the amount they drink when they binge.”

The findings appear in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.