Joy Manning explores the growing population of women who regularly binge drink — 70 percent of whom are over the age of 26, and many of whom are well-educated, well-paid, and career-oriented. While these women don’t fit the criteria for alcoholism, they put themselves at risk for immediate and future health problems, from drunk driving and risky sexual behavior to breast cancer and Type 2 diabetes. She speaks to three women who have learned to moderate (or eliminate) their alcohol intake after months or years of abuse, and to doctors who explain the gap between what’s culturally and socially acceptable and what’s actually safe.
