Binge drinking a summer hazard

For many young people, summer activities often involve binge drinking. Binge drinking, having five or more drinks on one occasion, is a growing problem, says Dr. Katie McQueen, assistant professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. Fifty percent of all emergency-room trauma cases are secondary to alcohol, McQueen said. That includes automobile accidents, shootings, stabbings and drownings.

"That is important to remember because so many people include swimming, boating and driving in their summer activities," she said. If you are too drunk to drive, you are too drunk to swim or operate a boat or personal watercraft, McQueen said.