Binge drinkers need help, but few docs ask about their behaviors

Binge drinking is bad. We know this. It ups the odds for violence, for fetal alcohol syndrome, and for such diseases as breast cancer. That makes it an obvious health issue, but a recent CDC survey revealed that although more than three-quarters of patients were asked about their alcohol habits at routine checkups, less than half were asked about binge drinking, defined as five or more drinks on an occasion for men and four or more drinks for women. And of those people who were asked and fit the binge-drinking criteria, most weren’t offered any help. Alcohol screening combined with brief counseling do work to reduce binge drinking, research has shown, but only if people get them.