How can you tell if you’re a binge drinker? Try Phoenix House’s 30 question self-assessment test, and see if you’ve ever fallen for the “8 Drinking Myths,” which show that you might be a high-risk drinker if you:

  • Believe you’re more fun when you drink;
  • Think that everyone drinks heavily at parties;
  • Think that it’s no one else’s business how much you drink;
  • Think that school is for partying; you’ll get your act together after you graduate.

Mackay-Smith is especially zeroed in on college women and the increasingly dangerous behaviors many of them engage in. “Recent trends suggest that not only are more college women drinking, but more women are drinking more,” she says, citing the “College Drinking Report” from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

“It’s called ‘convergence theory.’ Over time, it appears that women’s drinking behaviors are becoming more like men’s, which has always been more high-risk,” says Mackay-Smith.

What she is also seeing is the aggressive marketing by bars, such as 2-for-1 (or more) “happy hours,” and “ladies’ nights” where women drink for free. She also notes the types of drinks that many women currently favor, such as shots of hard liquor mixed with energy drinks or sweet-flavored drinks like Cosmopolitans, tend to mask the bitter taste of alcohol and lead to more drinking.