Drinking too much in a short period of time can reduce your heart rate, breathing, and body temperature. Seizures, loss of consciousness, and even death can occur. Binge drinking involves a pattern of short but heavy bursts of alcohol use.
Alcohol Use
According to 2021 data from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 21.5 percent of people in the U.S. ages 12 and older reported binge drinking during the past month. The definition of heavy drinking is based on a person’s sex. For women, more than three drinks on any day or more than seven drinks a week is heavy drinking. For men, heavy drinking means more than four drinks on any day or more than 14 drinks a week. Adults under 35 are more likely to do this than other age groups, and men are twice as likely as women.
Lifestyle Quizzes
Binge drinking – having a lot of alcohol in a short space of time – can be extremely dangerous.1 Our bodies can only process roughly one unit of binge drinking alcohol an hour – and less for some people. Tapering your alcohol use can take longer to stop drinking, but it might be better long-term. Consider talking to a healthcare professional for a successful taper. It can be hard to stop if you frequently drink or binge drink.
How much alcohol can you drink?
Too much binge drinking at a young age can lead to a more dangerous, unhealthy path in the future. Most people who binge drink are not dependent on alcohol. It’s common for binge drinking to occur socially—for example, at a wedding reception, house party, or a night out. This type of drinking behavior is prevalent among college students. The effects of binge drinking can increase the risk of being hurt or harming others. Excessive alcohol consumption can also put people at significant risk of a deadly overdose.
Health Consequences of Binge Drinking
- Watching a friend or family member struggle with a binge-drinking habit can be difficult, even heart-wrenching.
- A person’s BAC is the percentage of alcohol in their blood, and in the United States, a BAC of 0.08% means the person is legally intoxicated.
- The definition of heavy drinking is based on a person’s sex.
Binge drinking can be described as drinking too much alcohol in a short time. Although people commonly binge drink at ages 18-34, it can happen at any age. Young drinkers tend to use alcohol to break the rules or assert their independence from their parents. This is one of the reasons binge drinking is so common on college campuses.
According to Dr. Streem, the bottom line is that Americans need to drink less alcohol.
- Because of this initial effect, people often use alcohol to cope with social anxiety.
- As consumption goes up, the risk goes up for these cancers.
- If you stop binge drinking, you may find that your ability to pay attention, plan, make decisions, process emotions, and control your impulses will improve.
- This type of drinking behavior is prevalent among college students.
- This is one of the reasons binge drinking is so common on college campuses.
