The Health Risks Of Binge Drinking

We often hear someone say “I’m a social drinker”, or “I only drink in moderation” when describing their drinking habits. And while being responsible drinkers, many people become alcohol dependent by consuming alcohol frequently in certain amounts: they binge drink.

Binge drinking is a problematic addiction that carries with it many health risks and social problems.

Binge Drinking Defined

Medical professionals and researchers define binge drinking as having many drinks on one occasion: 5 or more for a male, 4 or more for a female. Below is a list of standard drink amounts:

• 341 mL (12 oz.) beer, cider or cooler (5% alcohol)
• 142 mL (5 oz.) wine (12% alcohol)
• 85 mL (3 oz.) fortified wine (18% alcohol)
• 43 mL (1.5 oz.) liquor (40% alcohol)

Alcohol affects everyone differently, and that is especially true for young people and teenagers that binge drink. Not being accustomed to alcohol, teenagers may suffer severe reactions to excessive alcohol consumption such as: alcohol poisoning, intoxication, black-out, vomiting etc. Adults, however, are not immune from the damaging effects of binge drinking either. Some of the signs of a binge drinker may include:

• Drinking more than planned
• Drinking more often
• Drinking early on in the day
• Not  being able to slow or stop drinking
• Needing more alcohol to get the same effect
• Being defensive about your drinking
• Having blackouts or memory lapses after drinking 
• Giving up things that you once enjoyed doing
• Taking part in risky and dangerous activities

Binge Drinking: Health Risks

In the United States, binge drinking is responsible for half of the 88,000 alcohol related deaths reported yearly (car crashes, suicides, alcohol poisoning, violence). Clearly, binge drinking is hazardous to many people’s lives and there are short-term and long-term health risks associated with this addiction.

The short-term health risks associated binge drinking include:

• Poor motor control and slow reaction time: misjudging a situation and what is being said
• Hostility: getting into a fight or being assaulted
• Having unwanted sex or pushing sex on others
• Developing increased anxiety, depression, irritability
• Dehydration: feeling hungover, headaches, blackouts from drinking
• Slower breathing: going into respiratory arrest
• Getting injured or killed from a fall, a fire, or drowning

Overtime, binge drinking can have much more serious long-term health risks. These may include:

• Damage to the stomach, liver, and brain: higher chances of breast, stomach, throat, esophagus or colon cancer
• Developing an addiction to alcohol: teenage binge drinkers are three times more likely to develop alcohol abuse disorders in their adulthood
• Legal problems and arrests by the police

If you suspect that you have a problem with binge drinking, or are concerned about a loved one’s alcohol drinking habits, please contact us today to find out how we can help you recover.