CBS News, March 16, 2011
"A pint or two on St. Patrick's Day is usually no biggie. But doctors are reminding revelers about the dangers of excessive merrymaking - on St. Pat's Day or any other holiday.
'It's obvious that holidays like St. Patrick's Day are associated with heavy drinking,' addiction psychiatrist Dr. Mark L. Willenbring, former director of the division of treatment and recovery research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Addiction, tells CBS News. 'There tends to be much more social approval of getting drunk on a holiday. Lots of people are doing it, and people are more forgiving about it.'
More forgiving on holidays, maybe. But there's little doubt that binge-drinking is risky business no matter when it occurs.
How risky? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, alcohol-related accidents and health problems cause more than 79,000 deaths a year. The agency defines binge drinking as men having five or more alcoholic drinks in a short period of time or women having four or more drinks in a short period. What counts as a drink? Dr. Willenbring says it's 12 ounces of beer, one shot of vodka, or five glasses of wine." Read More
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