Esser MB, et al. - Researchers focused on the link between alcohol drinking patterns and prescription opioid misuse in the U.S. by analyzing data from the 2012, 2013, or 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (analyzed in 2017–2018). Participants were 160,812 subjects (aged ≥12 years) who responded to questions regarding prescription opioid misuse and alcohol intake. They found that among the 4.2 million people who misused prescription opioids during 2012–2014, more than half were binge drinkers, and the odds of misusing prescription opioids was nearly twice among binge drinkers than among nondrinkers. To attenuate opioid misuse and overdoses involving alcohol, widespread use of evidence-based strategies for preventing binge drinking might be of value.