Public Health and the Rise of High-Intensity Drinking 

New Year’s Eve is often associated with raising a glass – traditionally a glass of champagne.  For many, it doesn’t stop with a toast of bubbly as the year comes to a close. Celebrations often include imbibing at a rate generally considered as binge drinking, defined as four to five drinks in a two-hour span.

According to The New York Times, health research has revealed an even more dangerous pattern on the rise among some age groups : high-intensity drinking, defined as consumption of eight or more drinks in a row for women and 10 or more for men. 

With increased drinking comes many well-known hazards: drunk driving, injuries, acute alcohol poisoning, and more. Health research has also indicated there are other dangers that can take years to surface, such as an increased risk of cancer and heart disease.  

Rethink the Drink, an Oregon Health Authority initiative, strives to acknowledge the contributions of the Oregon craft beer, wine, and spirits industries while addressing the public health issues that accompany increasing rates of high-intensity drinking.  

The OHA web site offers links to research that includes an explanation of the connection between alcohol consumption and cancer. Alcohol is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning it is known to cause cancer. After drinking, the body breaks down alcohol into acetaldehyde, a chemical that damages your DNA and prevents your body from repairing that damage. With the DNA damaged, a cell can begin growing out of control and create a cancer tumor. Because alcohol is a carcinogen, lower levels of drinking can also be harmful, even if you don’t feel drunk. 

While Oregon pinot noirs and IPAs are known all over the world, there is a darker side to alcohol consumption. According to Rethink the Drink, one in five Oregon residents drink excessively. Combine that with the fact that 2,000 people die every year from alcohol-related causes, and it’s clear drinking poses a real threat to public health.  

The campaign encourages a balanced conversation about the role alcohol plays in all our lives. While offering resources for those for whom total abstinence is the best choice, Rethink the Drink also promotes a more nuanced approach to alcohol consumption, including a tool created by the Centers for Disease Control for assessing and decreasing alcohol use. 

Besides famous wines and whiskeys, Oregon is also known as the home of some of the best coffee and tea in the country. Craft mocktails – delicious concoctions of fruit juices, fresh herbs, and other unique flavors – are showing up on drink menus at popular hot spots.  

If you are concerned about the toll alcohol is taking on your health or the life of someone you care about, LifeWorks NW has experienced, culturally-sensitive staff here to help. Our peer mentors can offer guidance from those with lived and living experience of alcohol use disorder. Contact us by calling 503-645-9010 or emailing intakereferrals@lifeworksnw.org.