Binge drinking has become a nationwide problem, with more than 38 million adults binge drinking about 4 times a month, according to a report released yesterday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Binge drinking is defined as the consumption of 5 or more drinks for men and 4 or more drinks for women in a short time period. According to the study, the average number of drinks per binge was 8.

Overindulging causes 80,000 deaths in the country each year and is associated with automobile crashes, violence, and sexually-transmitted disease. Heavy drinkers cost the U.S. economy $223.5 billion in 2006, through health care expenses, crime and lost productivity.

“We’re talking about a risk behavior that’s quite widespread in the population,” said Robert Brewer, an epidemiologist at the CDC, according to BusinessWeek.com. “And where people have the impression it’s not such a bad thing to do.”

The data for the report was collected in 2010 from more than 450,000 randomized telephone surveys in 48 states and Washington D.C. (Tennessee and South Dakota were not included.)

If you are an organization or institution involved in substance-abuse research or related program development projects, you may be interested in the following grant opportunities:

NIDA Science Education Drug Abuse Partnership Award Program

The purpose of the Science Education Drug Abuse Partnership Award (SEDAPA) program is to fund the development and evaluation of innovative programs and materials for enhancing knowledge and understanding of neuroscience and the biology of drug abuse and addiction among K-12 students, the general public, health care practitioners, and other groups.

Treatment of Co-Occurring Alcohol Use Disorders and Depression/Anxiety Disorders

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), invites applications to support research on the treatment of individuals with co-occurring alcohol use disorders and depression/anxiety.

 Structural Interventions, Alcohol Use, and Risk of HIV/AIDS

The NIAAA, NIH invites research grant applications from institutions/ organizations that propose to investigate the effectiveness of structural interventions that reduce the risk of HIV/AIDS transmission by changing the environment of alcohol use.

Culturally-Based Chemical Dependency Early Intervention and Recovery RFP

The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division of the Minnesota Dept of Human Services is seeking responders to implement Culturally-based Early Intervention and/or Recovery Support Services for underserved populations.

2012 NIDA Translational Avant-Garde Award for Medication Development for the Treatment of Substance –Use Disorders

The NIDA Translational Avant-Garde Award is designed to support dedicated and talented basic and/or clinical researchers with the vision, drive and expertise necessary to translate research discoveries into medications for the treatment of Substance-Use Disorders (SUDs).

If you are interested in applying for these or other grants, please visit our services page or contact up on how we can help.