In countries like Great Britain, women are drinking almost as much as men. But in the U.S., men still far outpace women when it comes to problems like binge drinking, heavy drinking, and alcohol dependence.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reported that the 2004-05 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that men are twice as likely (10.5 percent) as women (5.1 percent) to meet the criteria for alcohol dependence or abuse, and that men also are more likely to be binge drinkers (30.8 percent) than women (15.1 percent).

The report found that 10.5 percent of men were classified as heavy drinkers, compared to 3.3 percent of women.

Overall, 44.7 percent of heavy drinkers ages 12 and older met the criteria for alcohol dependence or abuse, as did 18.5 percent of binge drinkers, 3.8 percent of other current drinkers, and 1.3 percent of those who did not report drinking alcohol within the past month.