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 America has a drinking problem, with 2,200 people dying each year from alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning happens when people drink an excessive amount of alcohol in a short amount of time, causing high levels of alcohol in the body to interfere with and even shutdown parts of the brain that are critical for controlling vitals like heart rate, body temperature, and breathing. Over 38 million Americans binge drink an average of four times a month, and consume an average of eight drinks per binge, according to the new CDC Vital Signs report. Key findings of this Vital Signs report include: 
 
 There are more than 2,200 alcohol poisoning deaths in the U.S. each year – an average of 6 alcohol poisoning deaths every day. Interestingly, the report shows that the majority of alcohol poisoning deaths happen in adults between the ages of 35 and 64, and 76% of those who die are men, revealing binge drinking is not a behavior solely observed among young people. The CDC reports that while the most deaths occur among non-Hispanic whites, American Indians and Alaska Natives have the most deaths per million people. Deaths rates from alcohol poisoning vary widely across states, from 5.3 alcohol poisoning deaths per million residents in Alabama to 46.5 deaths per million residents in Alaska. States with stronger alcohol policies also have less binge drinking, and should partner with community workers including police and health workers for better programs, CDC says. Alcohol dependence (alcoholism) was identified as a contributing factor in 30 percent of these deaths, and other drugs were noted to have been a factor in about 3 percent of the deaths. The CDC says the report shows alcohol poisoning deaths are a greater problem than previously believed, and that the numbers are likely an underestimate since alcohol-related deaths are known to be underreported.
– If most people were asked to name the demographic mostly likely to die from alcohol poisoning after binge drinking, it's a safe bet that "college students" would be at the top of the list. As it turns out, the correct answer is middle-aged white men, reports ABC News. A new CDC report shows that 2,200 Americans, or about six people per day, die from alcohol poisoning each year—the result of drinking too much in too short a time. But 75% of those victims are ages 35 to 64, most are men, and most are white. "What I think very interesting in this is that these people have probably been doing this for a long time, so why are they now dying of it?" asks the director of the Addiction Institute of New York. He figures most victims are probably weekend drinkers who wouldn't think they had a problem. "This is showing the dangers, the real dangers, of binge drinking, which we tend to associate with younger people." The report also finds that 38 million Americans binge-drink four times a month, with an average for eight drinks per sitting, reports Time. On a per-capita basis, American Indians and Alaska Natives have the most deaths. (At the very least, binge drinking seems to mess up your immune system.)