Author: Charles Frank

Binge drinking: Definition, effects, and how to stop

The definition of binge drinking, according to the National Institute on Alcohol and Alcoholism (NIAA), is “alcohol consumption that brings the BAC to 0.08 g/dL.” Binge drinking is when a person consumes enough alcoholic beverages during a 2-hour period to bring their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08% or higher. Binge drinking frequency decreases with age but remains common among older adults. More than 1 in 10 people aged 65 and older binge drink at least once a month. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines binge drinking as an episode of alcohol use that raises your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 percent (0.08 grams of alcohol per deciliter) or higher. Drinking alcohol three days in a row is not good for you, but it’s not necessarily considered binge drinking either.

Binge Drinking Health Effects

Knowing your limits, including what number of drinks qualifies as binge drinking, is an excellent first step in preventing future binge drinking episodes. “Because the blood level of the alcohol becomes much higher with binge drinking, you’re much more exposed to the acute toxicity of alcohol,” Dr. Streem explains. What many people might think of as a fun night out on the town can be very risky — or in some cases, life-threatening, Dr. Streem notes. More than half of all drinking-related deaths are caused by binge drinking. Binge drinking isn’t necessarily an indicator that you or a loved one has alcohol use disorder (also known as alcoholism), which is a dependency on alcohol consumption.

Binge drinking can lead to bigger substance abuse and health problems

However, they were not correlated among adults without a high school diploma; in 2018, intensity by education level was highest among this group. During 2018, one in six U.S. adults reported binge drinking during the past 30 days. Among those who binge drank, 25% did so at least weekly, on average, and 25% consumed at least eight drinks during a binge occasion. Some sociodemographic groups and states with low binge drinking prevalence reported large quantities of alcohol consumed during binge occasions. Binge drinking, one of these patterns, involves consuming several drinks in a short period of time.

You might, for instance, feel an urge to drink even when you no longer want to, and have cravings when you try to avoid alcohol. In short, your relationship with alcohol may have started to disrupt your daily life and activities. While drinking alcohol is normalized socially and is legal above the age of 21 in the United States, it can still have harmful impacts on the body. The National Helpline does not provide counseling, but it does connect callers with local resources such as counseling services, support groups, and treatment facilities.

1. Unfortunately, even one night of binge drinking can be dangerous to your health.
2. These problems include hangovers, injuries, overdoses, alcohol use disorder, heart and liver disease, and cancer.
3. Lasting changes in the brain caused by alcohol misuse perpetuate AUD and make individuals vulnerable to relapse.
4. Keep in mind, too, that AUD can have effects that extend beyond your physical health.
5. Still, both patterns of drinking can lead to health concerns and affect your overall well-being and quality of life.

The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend that if people consume alcohol, they do so in moderation. This means women should drink no more than one drink a day, while men should drink no more than two. Drinking in moderation is considered to be consuming two drinks or less in a day for men and one drink or less in a day for women. Men (28.8%) are more likely to binge drink than women (20.4%), but the difference is getting smaller. Treatment tends to have more benefit when you address unwanted patterns of drinking sooner rather than later. So, you don’t have to wait until alcohol use feels uncontrollable before reaching out for help.

Fast facts about AUD

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than half of all deaths involving alcohol each year are caused by binge drinking. And a more recent 2021 study showed that binge drinkers are more likely to also abuse other substances, such as the misuse of prescription drugs. This is sometimes called the “5+/4+ rule” (5-plus/4-plus rule) of binge drinking. “People who binge drink are more likely to develop alcohol use disorder, particularly if they continue to binge drink even if it causes them problems,” Dr. Koob says. Binge drinking can also lead to risky decision-making and result in a range of physical and social consequences including violence and unsafe sexual behavior. The number of women who binge drink has steadily increased over the past decade, Dr. Koob says.

How Does Binge Drinking Affect Adolescents?

How quickly a person’s body absorbs alcohol may depend on their sex, age, and body size. But it typically takes four or more standard drinks for women and five or more standard drinks for men to reach a BAC of 0.08% during a 2-hour binge drinking period. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking alcohol, typically within a 2-hour period, which brings a person’s BAC to 0.08% or higher.

“These numbers can vary based on the person’s metabolism, size, and weight,” he says. Smaller people, for instance, could reach the threshold with fewer drinks. Women typically reach this level after about four drinks, and men after about five drinks in two hours.

But the definition of what constitutes a binge-drinking episode may surprise you. The higher your BAC level, the higher your chance of alcohol poisoning. You may have AUD if you continue to drink despite any physical, emotional, and social consequences you experience. Perhaps you even want to drink less, or stop drinking entirely, but find yourself unable to quit.

For example, a 2018 cross-sectional study found a strong relationship between adolescents who binge drink and developing AUD. For example, a 2018 meta-analysis found a significant increase in alcohol use and binge drinking over the past 10–15 years, but not among all demographics. It was middle-aged and older adults who showed the most substantial increase in binge drinking.

That said, certain patterns of alcohol use do pose some cause for concern. Questions or messages regarding errors in formatting should be addressed to Millions of people act as long-distance caregivers, supporting loved ones who are aging or coping with an illness or disability….