By Matt Leingang
The Cincinnati Enquirer

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About 12.5 percent of adults in Greater Cincinnati binge drink, according to a new study believed to be the first to comprehensively report over-consumption of alcohol in 120 U.S. metropolitan areas.

The good news: We're below the national median of 14.5 percent and we do not make the list of the top 20 binge-drinking areas, which are clustered in Texas, Nevada, Minnesota, Iowa and North Dakota.

San Antonio topped the list at 23.9 percent.

But the binge-drinking rate in Greater Cincinnati, which includes Northern Kentucky and parts of Indiana, is slightly higher than rates in Cleveland, Columbus, Lexington and Louisville.

The study, which appears in the April issue of the American Journal of Public Health, defines binge drinking as having five or more alcoholic beverages on at least one occasion in the past month.

"There's a lot of people in here like that," said Jennifer Nesbitt, a bartender at Arlin's Bar and Garden on Ludlow Avenue in Clifton. "It's probably the same with every bar you talk to. They have their regulars who come in just about every day, and you have to cut them off."

Experts said it's hard to speculate why our rate is higher than nearby cities.

"Generally, you find binge drinking in groups where the social norm encourages or accepts high-risk alcohol consumption," said Erin Paul, a drug and alcohol prevention specialist at North Key Community Care in Florence. "It could be within social groups or even family groups."

The difference in binge-drinking rates among Ohio and Kentucky metropolitan areas may not be statistically significant in all cases, said the study's lead author, Dr. David Nelson, a senior scientific adviser with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For example, Louisville's rate of 12.4 percent is just one-tenth of a percentage point below Greater Cincinnati's. But Cleveland stands out with a binge-drinking population of just 8.8 percent

One possible explanation: Greater Cincinnati has a notoriously high smoking rate, and smoking is a behavior often linked to binge drinking.

About 33.3 percent of people in the 14-county region smoke, according to a 2003 report by the Health Improvement Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati. The national rate is 23 percent.

Binge drinking is under greater scrutiny these days, especially on college campuses. It's an especially hazardous form of alcohol consumption that is linked to motor vehicle crashes, homicide, suicide, domestic violence, child abuse and high-risk sexual behavior.

Alcohol use results in about 100,000 deaths a year in the United States, which makes it the country's third-leading cause of preventable death.

"We did this study to raise awareness about the issue and to give to cities something that they can use as a guide to reduce binge drinking," Nelson said.

Data for the study came from a health behaviors survey conducted by the CDC between 1997 and 1999, the latest numbers available.

Metropolitan areas with younger populations - college towns, for example - typically have higher estimates, the study said. Overall, men between the ages of 18 and 34 were mostly likely to be binge drinkers, the study said.

Religious beliefs and attitudes toward alcohol among Mormons and Southern Baptists probably explain low binge-drinking rates in Utah and parts of the South.

Other factors that contribute to the variation among cities:

• The ability to access alcohol during certain times of day or night.

• Pricing and taxes.

E-mail mleingang@enquirer.com