Many Americans are clueless when it comes to what high-risk drinking looks like and may not even realize they’re binge drinking, report the experts at Caron Treatment Centers. In fact, according to Caron’s new holiday survey, many people accept higher-risk drinking at holiday parties despite observing significant consequences of alcohol consumption such as drunk driving, sexual harassment and violence.
The annual survey was commissioned by Caron Treatment Centers and conducted by Harris Interactive. This online omnibus poll was based on a nationwide sample of 1,968 adults in the U.S. aged 21 and over.
“Alcohol is still the number one cause of damaging behavior at holiday celebrations throughout the U.S.,” said Dr. Harris Stratyner, PhD, Regional Clinical Vice President of Caron Treatment Centers in New York. “We tend to see an increase in alcohol abuse during the holidays and the findings show that many people have no sense of how much alcohol is healthy to consume or how it impairs them when they go past that low-risk limit. It’s a serious public safety concern when 60% of adults who attend holiday parties witnessed dangerous and even illegal behavior.”