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To the Editor: In their article on binge drinking among US adults Dr Naimi and colleagues¹ defined binge drinking as "the consumption of 5 or more alcoholic beverages on one occasion." Although this definition of abusive drinking is frequently used in research, it may have little clinical relevance.

First, this definition does not account for the drinker's weight or drinking history, the time period over which the alcohol was consumed, or whether any food was eaten during the drinking episode. Not surprisingly, studies have demonstrated that a sizeable percentage of so-called binge drinkers fail to reach blood alcohol concentrations of 0.06% or higher.^2-3

Second, their definition does not conform to the clinical meaning of binge drinking, which refers to an intermittent yet prolonged episode of alcohol abuse.⁴ The popular concept of binge drinking is similar. Consequently, the public can misinterpret headlines about binge drinking research and develop an exaggerated view . . . [Full Text of this Article]

RELATED ARTICLE

Definitions of Binge Drinking—Reply
Tim Naimi, Bob Brewer, Ali Mokdad, Clark Denny, Mary Serdula, and Jim Marks
JAMA. 2003;289(13):1636.
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