How has binge drinking culture shaped your relationship with alcohol? Insider wants to hear from you.

• Binge drinking is the most common and costly pattern of alcohol abuse in the US, the CDC says.
• Oftentimes, the drinking habits someone develops when they're young stay with them later in life.
• We want to hear from you: How has binge drinking culture affected your relationship with alcohol?

Whether you took your first secret sip at a high-school party or waited until your 21st birthday, chances are, if you're an American over the age of 18, you've consumed alcohol.

According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more than 85% of people 18 and older reported they had consumed alcohol at some point in their lifetime. Nearly 70% had consumed alcohol in the past year, and more than 50% had drunk alcohol in the last month.

But beyond the tipsy confidence a few boozy beverages may give a person lies an ominous threat: binge drinking.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings a person's blood-alcohol concentration to 0.08 g/dl or above. In layman's terms, it's what happens if men consume five or more drinks, or women consume four or more drinks in about two hours.

Though most people who binge drink don't have a severe alcohol-use disorder, binge drinking is the most common, costly, and deadly pattern of excessive alcohol use in the US, according to the CDC, with one-in-six US adults binge drinking about four times a month.

Most common among younger adults aged 18-34, binge drinking habits form for many in young adulthood or on college campuses, where a culture of partying is often the norm. But the drinking habits people develop when they're young, often stay with them long after the bouncer stops checking their ID - more than half of the total binge drinks consumed are by those older than 35.

Insider wants to hear from you about your experiences with drinking and how binge drinking culture has impacted your long-term relationship with alcohol.

Have the drinking habits you developed as a younger person stayed with you as you've matured? Have you stopped drinking or considered sobriety at any point? Has the pandemic exacerbated binge drinking among you or your friends? Have you been exposed to binge drinking behavior and chosen not to participate? Do you like to have a couple extra drinks when you party and think the worry is overblown?

We want to hear from people of all experiences and backgrounds - different ages, races, geographic locations, socioeconomic statuses, genders, etc. From students to octogenarians, we want to talk about all things alcohol with you. Insider can offer anonymity in certain cases.

If you have a story to tell or want to share your experience, reach out to Erin Snodgrass at esnodgrass@insider.com.