Excessive alcohol use, including binge drinking, contributes to an estimated 1,635 deaths annually in Colorado, which is an average of almost five deaths each day. Excessive drinking is associated with harms to individuals (e.g., violence, injuries, cancers, and high blood pressure) and also has large costs to society. Excessive alcohol use cost Colorado $5 billion in 2010, almost half of which was paid by government. Binge drinking contributes the most to these adverse outcomes, accounting for half of the alcohol-related deaths and three quarters of the economic costs. Binge drinking is defined as having four or more drinks for a woman or five or more drinks for a man, on a single occasion. Excessive drinking is an important public health concern for Colorado as one in five adults (19%) and one in six high school youth (16%) report binge drinking.
