New government statistics show college-age binge drinkers average an astounding nine drinks each time they get drunk.

Now, to some college students, having nine drinks might not seem like a lot, but based on what the Center for Disease Control classifies as binge drinking it is.

The CDC classifies binge drinking as having four or five alcoholic beverages on one occasion. Now, for a tiny 110-pound girl drinking four or five cosmos will get you pretty wasted. But to her 250-pound boyfriend, five beers will barely give him a buzz.

However, even four beers will put you over the legal limit to drive home afterwards.

Health officials say that the trend in binge drinking contributes to problems like drunk-driving accidents, violence and fetal alcohol syndrome.

About 17 percent of the adults surveyed said they’d had an episode of binge drinking in the previous month. It was more common for those ages 18 to 34.

The report is based on telephone surveys last year of more than 450,000 U.S. adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released it on today.