When it comes to binge drinking, it turns out college students aren’t the only offenders. Many baby-boomer women and men ages 50 to 64 are also guilty of going beyond the occasional after-dinner drink.

Duke University researchers surveyed 11,000 men and women from 2005 to 2006 and found that nine percent of women and 22 percent of men in this age group have engaged in binge drinking within the past month of being questioned — meaning they throw down five or more drinks in one sitting. For those over 65, three percent of women and 14 percent of men are binge drinkers. That sounds like a lot more than a nice glass of wine or two with dinner. The study — called one of the largest surveys of substance use among people older than 50 and published today in the American Journal of Psychiatry — also found that 13 percent of women and 19 percent of men had two or more drinks per day, and therefore are considered heavy drinkers for their age. But more alcohol for older people means more health risks, including possible conflicts with medications they’re taking, stroke, liver disease, cardiovascular disease and poor diabetes control.

"People need to know that sitting down and drinking five cocktails or seven or eight beers is not without consequence," said Dr. Dan Blazer, the study’s lead author and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke Medical Center. "It’s a condition that could fly under the radar, but it can lead to problems."

There are other signs that older women may be drinking more than they should. A British study recently found that the ­average consumption by British women aged 16 to 24 rose from 7.3 units a week in 1992 to 10.8 in 2006, but the biggest increase was among women over 65, rising from 2.7 units to 5.1 a week. 

To our wOw readers: About how many drinks per day or week do you drink? And do you think drinking two a day is OK?