KatarzynaBialasiewicz for Getty Images
KatarzynaBialasiewicz for Getty Images

While excessive drinking is dangerous for everyone, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) cautions men especially to watch their alcohol habits because men are greater risk-takers in general. For example, they are more likely to drive fast or not wear a seat belt after drinking, “further increasing their risk of injury or death,” according to CDC. Other alcohol-related stats CDC lists for adult men include:

  • 58% of men report drinking alcohol during the previous 30 days.
  • 23% of men report binge drinking five times a month, averaging eight drinks per binge.
  • Men are almost twice as likely as women to binge drink (90% of people who binge drink are not alcoholics or alcohol-dependent).
  • 4.5% of men meet the diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence, compared with 2.5% of women.
  • Men consistently have higher rates of alcohol-related deaths and hospitalizations than women.
  • Male drivers in fatal motor vehicle crashes are almost twice as likely as women to have been intoxicated.
  • Men are more likely than women to have been drinking prior to committing suicide.
  • Alcohol consumption increases men’s risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, liver and colon.
  • Excessive alcohol use can interfere with testicular function and male hormone production, resulting in impotence, infertility and reduction of male secondary sex characteristics such as facial and chest hair.
  • Excessive alcohol use is commonly involved in sexual assault, and it increases men’s chances of engaging in risky sexual activity such as unprotected sex, sex with multiple partners and sex with a partner at risk for sexually transmitted diseases.

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