The Dangers of Binge Drinking Health Encyclopedia University of Rochester Medical Center

Pregnant women who binge drink can affect their child’s physical and cognitive development. A child with FASD might experience heart or bone problems, reduced attention span and memory, or learning disabilities. Research suggests that alcohol consumption is also a risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome. Binge drinking involves a pattern of short but heavy bursts of alcohol use. When you drink like this, you consume enough alcohol over the course of two hours to raise your blood alcohol concentration to the legal limit of intoxication (0.08 percent in the U.S.) or higher.

And peer pressure doesn’t necessarily come in the form of friends loudly encouraging you to drink more. You might convince yourself that you need to drink to impress someone or fit in with the crowd. This can be particularly true of teens who want to drink to seem older or more mature. Maybe you feel overconfident in your ability to drive while intoxicated, or you don’t think of the risks involved with physical stunts or going home with a stranger. Because excessive alcohol use impairs judgment and inhibitions, it can lead to risky behavior that can come with some serious consequences. Alcohol can damage body tissues and interfere with your body’s ability to absorb nutrients and break down harmful chemicals.

What Is Binge Drinking?

There is great heterogeneity in the scales used for personality assessment, based on various theoretical models, which makes it difficult to compare the results of different studies. An effort is required to agree on a measurement instrument that integrates those dimensions or facets that represent the main risk factors in BD. Moreover, when it is complemented with the Big Five dimensions of Conscientiousness (for its relevance in health habits) and Extraversion, it could improve the information collected on personality. Furthermore, only a minority of articles has compared the scores obtained with normative data from their corresponding countries, or in the cases where these do not exist, making some sort of conversion to normative scores (z, T,…). That is, finding higher or lower scores of a certain dimension in BD with respect to another group does not always imply that these are values outside the normal population range. Studies show that people who binge-drink throughout high school are more likely to be overweight and have high blood pressure by the time they are 24.

• Both binge drinking and alcoholism have severe consequences and should be addressed.
• This is not the first study to address the health effects of binge drinking.
• According to the  Center for Disease Control (CDC), one in six adults in the United States participates in binge drinking about four times per month, consuming an average of seven alcoholic beverages per incident.
• For example, a woman over 6 feet tall may be able to safely drink more alcohol than a woman who barely clears 5 feet.

You’ll need to exhibit 2 out of the 11 criteria listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) within the same 12-month time period to receive an official AUD diagnosis. Keep in mind, too, that AUD can have effects that extend beyond your physical health. According to the World Health Organization’s Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health 2018, roughly 70 percent of alcohol-attributable deaths happen as a result of health issues. What’s more, many people simply don’t digest alcohol easily, so a lower tolerance for alcohol doesn’t always relate to body size or gender.

What is binge drinking?

Binge drinking is defined as consuming 5 or more drinks on an occasion for men or 4 or more drinks on an occasion for women. Zhang et al. (39) have proposed several alcohol consumption trajectories, based on a cohort followed for 15 years, which can give meaning to the heterogeneity of existing results with the Big Five model. These authors suggest two risk profiles, the “Resilient” one, more vulnerable to social pressure for drinking, and the “Reserved” one, with higher risk for alcoholism. The first is characterized by high Agreeableness, Extroversion, and Openness, whereas the second is defined by high Conscientiousness and low Extraversion, Openness, and Agreeableness. High Extraversion also appeared related to BD in other longitudinal study (5). Nine out of 10 binge drinkers aren’t dependent on alcohol, but doctors and scientists think they’re more likely to develop alcohol use disorder.

Binge drinking in college while juggling classes and extracurriculars can lead people to believe they are high-functioning alcoholics. However, this is a dangerous path and can lead to major social, emotional and professional issue that can be detrimental to a person’s livelihood. One of population of people that binge drinks often is college students. People addicted to alcohol will almost certainly require medical assistance before they can stop drinking. In some cases, they will even need help to keep their drinking at a safe level. On the other hand, a binge drinker can stop after any binge session and return to a sober life.

Binge Drinking vs. Alcoholism: Key Differences

Affecting the central nervous system, alcohol affects the brain leading to a higher chance of anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders. While bingeing alcohol is generally considered a one-off moment, alcoholism is consistent behavior and action in which the individual cannot control their drinking and uses it as a coping mechanism throughout the day, each day. Another way that individuals can avoid alcohol is to remember to eat regularly. When people are hungry or thirsty, they often look for something to drink. In fact, some people will automatically reach for an alcoholic beverage.

Try to make those types of activities take a backseat to other hobbies. To help an underage drinker drop the habit, you’ll need to understand their motivations and be willing to converse with them in a nonjudgmental way. sober house Because underage drinking can come with legal consequences, it’s also necessary to establish rules and consequences. If no one’s pressuring you, but you still feel a desire to fit in, have a non-alcoholic beverage.