Health warnings about excessive or binge drinking over New Year's Eve holiday from state officials

Just say no to one more for the road.

On the eve of New Year's Eve, New York state officials are warning of the dangers of heavy and binge drinking.

A recent state study found that one in six adults — 16.7% of the state's adult population — admitted binge drinking or heavy drinking within the past year. The study also reported those drinking patterns lead to an estimated 6,700 alcohol-related deaths each year in New York.

"As we prepare to gather with loved ones and celebrate the new year, it's important to know the behaviors and risk factors associated with binge drinking," state Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said in a statement. "Binge and heavy drinking have dangerous short- and long-term health impacts and lead to thousands of premature deaths in New York every year."

The findings, released Thursday, come from the health department's annual Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System report, officials said.

Those findings estimated 14.7%t of adults in New York reported binge drinking episodes, while an estimated 6.5% reported heavy drinking.

The survey results are compiled by the health department's Center for Community Health.

Officials said excessive alcohol use is "one of the leading causes of preventable and premature deaths" in the U.S. — responsible for about 140,000 deaths annually. Additionally, officials said, excessive alcohol consumption leads to short-term impacts such as violence and "unintentional injuries," while long-term heavy alcohol consumption leads to increased risks for health issues such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke, liver disease and other digestive diseases. An estimated 3.2% of all cancer deaths in New York state also are attributable to alcohol consumption, officials said.

The report found that while binge and heavy drinking affects all population groups, it was more commonly reported "in men, and adults with an annual household income of $75,000 or more," officials said, adding: "White, non-Hispanic adults also reported higher rates of binge-drinking (17.3%) and heavy drinking (9%) when compared to adults representing other racial and ethnic groups." Binge drinking was "significantly higher" in adults who also reported frequent mental distress, as well as among adults who smoke cigarettes, officials said.

Officials said the COVID-19 pandemic and related protocols also "may have" had an impact on the occurrence of binge and heavy drinking, adding that the report "acknowledged changes in alcohol policy could have impacted the patterns of alcohol consumption after bars, restaurants, and pubs closed down for a period of time" — only to have serve-to-go alcoholic drinks authorized, as liquor retail outlets were deemed "essential" and allowed to remain open.

For more information on treatment and prevention sources go to the OASAS website at https://oasas.ny.gov or to find additional information related to excessive alcohol use visit the state Alcohol Surveillance and Epidemiology Program at AlcoholData@health.ny.gov.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”