Updated: September 2024

Author: Division of Substance Use Programs, Vermont Department of Health

This indicator, or population measure, is part of our Healthy Vermonters 2030 data set. Read more about how this data helps us understand and improve the well-being of people in Vermont on the Healthy Vermonters 2030 webpage.

Because this data is meant to show how the health of our state changes during the decade from 2020-2030, some indicators may have very few data points for now. Keep checking back to see the progress our public health system and partners are making.

We would like to see the percent of people over age 21 who engage in binge drinking to decrease to 16% or lower by 2030.

According to the National Survey of Drug Use and Health, alcohol is more than twice as likely to be used by Vermonters than any other substance.  It is the most commonly used substance among Vermonters.  Binge drinking is most common among adults.

Since 2011, the percentage of Vermont adults 18+ who use alcohol has remained stable, with nearly two-thirds reporting drinking in the past 30 days.  According to 2021 Vermont BRFSS data, seventeen percent of Vermont adults say they binge drank in the past month, statistically similar to the 15% of U.S. adults.

Looking for more data?

• See previous data similar to this indicator from our 2020 Scorecards.
• See the corresponding national Healthy People 2030 objective for the proportion of adults binge drinking.

Reducing binge drinking among people age 21 and over is a Healthy People 2030 Leading Health Indicator. It is a high priority objective to drive action toward improving overall health and well-being.

From the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism:

While drinking any amount of alcohol can carry certain risks, crossing the binge threshold increases the risk of acute harm, such as blackouts and overdoses. Binge drinking also increases the likelihood of unsafe sexual behavior and the risk of sexually transmitted infections and unintentional pregnancy. These risks are greater at higher peak levels of consumption. Because of the impairments it produces, binge drinking also increases the likelihood of a host of potentially deadly consequences, including falls, burns, drownings, and car crashes.

In addition to short-term effects, alcohol affects almost all tissues in the body. Over time, alcohol misuse, including repeated episodes of binge drinking, contributes to liver and other chronic diseases as well as increases the risk of several types of cancer, including head and neck, esophageal, liver, breast, and colorectal cancers.

You can find more information specifically about the impacts of alcohol misuse in this Department of Health data brief on Alcohol-Related Deaths Among Vermonters.

According to National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) results, alcohol is the most commonly used substance among Vermonters. From the 2022 BRFSS data, binge drinking is common, especially among males, persons aged 18-34, who are white, though 21% of members of the BIPOC community reported binge drinking as compared to 18% for their White, non-Hispanic counterparts. Further, LGBTQ+ adults and adults with no disability are statistically more likely to binge drink than non-LGBTQ+ adults and those with a disability.

In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Open in 2022, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research found that in the United States, an estimated one in five deaths among adults aged 20-49 years is due to excessive alcohol use. In Vermont, excessive alcohol use is associated with nearly one in four deaths (24.7%) among people aged 20-34 and one in five (19.3%) of those aged 35-49.

The CDC also found that between 2019 and 2020, alcohol-induced deaths were higher, and increasing more rapidly, in rural areas than in urban areas. For this analysis or rural vs. urban areas, only the combined Chittenden/Franklin/Grand Isle Counties were categorized as urban. The other 11 Vermont counties were considered rural.

A comprehensive approach is the most effective at addressing the many factors of harmful alcohol use. This includes using multiple evidence-based programs, practices, and policies such as those listed in the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) or recommended by The Community Guide. These include programs serving youth and families, as well as community-wide strategies such as media advocacy and community education.

Binge alcohol use is defined as drinking five or more drinks (for males) or four or more drinks (for females) on the same occasion (i.e., at the same time or within a couple of hours) on at least one day in the past 30 days.

The Vermont Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is the data source for this indicator. Data is collected annually.

2021 BRFSS data for this indicator is also reported by sex, age group, education level, income range, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability status. (page 64 of the 2021 BRFSS Annual Report).