Frequent binge drinking among 9/11 first responders is higher than in any other group affected by the terror attacks, an alarming new study finds.
Nearly 14 percent of those with the highest exposure to the attacks — rescue and recovery workers — reported heavy boozing, according to the study by researchers from the city Health Department and Columbia University and published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
About 10 percent of those with high exposure reported recurrent bingeing, compared with just 4.4 percent of people with no exposure.
The habitual boozing — defined as having five or more drinks on at least five occasions in a 30-day span — was not just found in the short term, but up to six years post-disaster.
Researchers tracked 41,284 people in the World Trade Center Health Registry who, overall, were more likely to be binge drinkers, at 7.8 percent, compared with New York City adults, 5.7 percent.