* Binge drinking in the United States...

* Binge drinking in the United States is defined as five or more drinks per occasion.

* The Harvard School of Public Health is more gender specific--five or more drinks in a row for men, four or more for women.

* Two or more binges within two weeks is considered “frequent bingeing.”

* A Harvard University study shows 44% of U.S. college students are binge drinkers, 19% are frequent bingers.

* Of high school seniors, 28% engage in binge drinking, although African American and Asian American teens seem less likely to engage in harmful drinking behavior than Caucasian or Latino teens.

* A Swedish study defines binge drinking as half a bottle of spirits or two bottles of wine on the same occasion.

* In Finland, 40% of females and 60% of males who drink are considered binge drinkers.

* In pre-Columbian Mexico, drinking appears to have been confined to ceremonial occasions, with regular drunkenness considered an offense and punished, sometimes by death. Today, drunkenness, especially in women, is still frowned upon in rural Mexico, although binge drinking is common during celebrations.

* A study on drinking patterns in Italy defines an average of eight drinks a day as normal.

Source: The International Center for Alcohol Policies.