Preventing Excessive Alcohol Use: What Public Health Can Do

Excessive alcohol use, including underage drinking and binge drinking (drinking 5 or more drinks during a single occasion for men or 4 or more drinks during a single occasion for women), is responsible for 80,000 deaths and 2.3 million years of potential life lost in the U.S. each year, and cost the United States $223.5 billion in 2006 or about $1.90 per drink.

This powerful session of Public Health Grand Rounds explored the public health impact of excessive alcohol use and evidence-based strategies to prevent it, with specific attention to the role that state and local public health agencies play in addressing this important public health problem.

Presented By

Bob Brewer, MD, MSPH
CAPT, U.S. Public Health Service
Alcohol Program Leader
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC
“Public Health Impact of Excessive Drinking”

David H. Jernigan, PhD
Director, Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY)
Associate Professor, Department of Health, Behavior and Society
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
“Alcohol Marketing as a Risk Factor for Underage Drinking”

James F. Mosher, JD
President, Alcohol Policy Consultations
Senior Policy Advisor, The CDM Group, Inc.
“Understanding Alcohol Regulation in the United States”

Jim Roeber, MSPH
Alcohol Epidemiologist, Injury and Behavioral Epidemiology Bureau
Epidemiology and Response Division
New Mexico Department of Health
“Efforts to Address Excessive Drinking in New Mexico”

Facilitated By

Tanja Popovic, MD, PhD, Scientific Director, Public Health Grand Rounds 
John Iskander, MD, MPH, Deputy Scientific Director, Public Health Grand Rounds
Susan Laird, MSN, RN, Communications Manager, Public Health Grand Rounds

Additional Resources

• CDC Alcohol and Public Health website
• CDC Vital Signs (Binge Drinking)
• The Community Guide, Preventing Excessive Alcohol Consumption