Understanding Binge Drinking National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism NIAAA

If someone loses control over their drinking and has an excessive desire to drink, it’s known as dependent drinking (alcoholism). Sustainable recovery is possible and the best version of youself awaits at our Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia addiction recovery center. We’ll help you learn that the opposite of addiction is connection.

• Unlike binge drinking, the problem of alcohol use disorder isn’t measured by a particular number of drinks.
• Long-term damage from heavy alcohol use isn’t limited to people with alcohol use disorder.
• Contrary to popular belief, most people who drink excessively are not alcoholics.
• If acetaldehyde builds up in the body, it damages DNA and prevents cells from reproducing or repairing themselves.

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One glass of wine, maybe two, can quiet the mind, but what about a third or a fourth? There’s self-care—the buzzword of my generation—and then there’s self-medication. Here’s a sobering fact, a report from the American Society of Clinical Oncology suggests that one drink a day—wine or otherwise—can raise a female’s risk for developing breast cancer by 4%. Still, among the health-conscious, vino enjoys celebrity status as the unicorn drink that can supposedly slim your waist and strengthen your immune system. She was organized, composed, and maybe a little too tightly wound by day. Binge drinking is common among college students, but high-intensity drinking often involves even more extreme drinking patterns, which can be much more dangerous.

• Going from two daily units to three (a glass of wine to one and a half) was like aging three and a half years.
• However, once we get dependent we tend to “push through,” and we just accept that we don’t feel great.
• A 2024 study concluded there to be no safe level of alcohol consumption when looking at its relationship with dementia.
• To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level, both men and women are advised not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week.
• Tribe Sober is an international community which offers a membership program.
• Take a break, and yes, those first few weeks may be hard, but get your attitude right.

Your Top Questions About Moderate Drinking and Health, Answered

For women, four or more alcoholic beverages in a short period are considered binge drinking. These limitations make it hard to know how much to rely on studies that find health risks (or benefits) to alcohol consumption. Binge drinking also increases the likelihood of unsafe sexual behavior and the risk of sexually transmitted infections and unintentional pregnancy. Because of the impairments it produces, binge drinking also increases the likelihood of a host of potentially deadly consequences, including falls, burns, drownings, and car crashes.

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This is sometimes called the “5+/4+ rule” (5-plus/4-plus rule) of binge drinking. In addition, those who binge drink may find themselves struggling with work or school performance. Alcohol-related absences, poor decision-making, and lack of focus can negatively affect academic or career progression. Social and professional consequences are often underestimated, but they can have long-lasting effects on a person’s future. Of course, no one needs to wait for new guidelines or warning labels to curb their drinking.

Binge drinking in adolescence can lead to long-term consequences that impact cognitive functions, memory, and school performance. Knowing your limits, including what number of drinks qualifies as binge drinking, is an excellent first step in preventing future binge drinking episodes. Binge drinking can also harm relationships with family, friends, and colleagues. Often, people who binge drink are less aware of the impact their behavior has on those around them. Arguments, misunderstandings, and broken relationships can occur as a result of reckless behavior during drinking sessions. People who are heavily intoxicated are a danger to themselves and others.

• The statistics paint a clear picture of the dangers and economic burdens stemming from binge drinking.
• I am sad to learn that so many older women are drinking too much and wonder “why”?
• Schools and community programs play a crucial role in promoting better decision-making related to alcohol consumption.

Health Fast Facts

The Chief Medical Officers for the UK recommend that if you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant, the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all to keep the risk to your baby to a minimum. As well as the NHS, there are a number of charities and drug addiction treatment support groups across the UK that provide support and advice for people with an alcohol misuse problem. Dependent drinking usually affects a person’s quality of life and relationships, but they may not always find it easy to see or accept this.

We tend to think that once the “morning after” feeling has gone, then we are fine, but in fact, our body and brains need more time to recover. To decrease the risk of developing an alcohol use disorder, say no to binge drinking. What starts with one decision to have a drink can end with irreversible damage. Binge drinking is dangerous and increases the risk of blackouts, memory loss, alcohol poisoning, injury, car crashes, physical and sexual assault, sexually transmitted diseases, and numerous problems at school and work.

Highlighting specific data such as state comparisons on binge drinking rates helps create targeted approaches that meet local needs. According to the PTTC Network, important data topics for addressing alcohol-related harms include various alcohol-related issues, such as cancer and homicide rates. In 2021, it was estimated that over half of the approximately 88,000 alcohol-related deaths in the U.S. were attributed to binge drinking, highlighting its severe life-threatening consequences. The overall yearly cost of binge drinking impacts the U.S. economy by more than $200 billion, encompassing healthcare expenses, lost productivity due to workforce disruptions, and various property damages caused by alcohol’s effects. Adolescents who have experienced childhood trauma may also have a higher tendency to engage in binge drinking due to disrupted growth in brain regions and patterns of connections between these areas. According to NIAAA, approximately 178,000 deaths in the U.S. from 2020 to 2021 were linked to excessive alcohol use, with a significant portion of these resulting from binge drinking.

Alcohol Affects Women Differently

I was surprised to learn that the binge drinking effects Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration defines low-risk drinking in females as imbibing no more than seven drinks over the course of a week but no more than four drinks in a sitting. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, breastfeeding parents should restrict their drinking further. Those who are nursing should limit themselves to two or fewer servings a day—and wait two hours after a drink to feed their baby.

The Short-Term Dangers of Binge Drinking

At Georgia Addiction Treatment Center, we understand that every person struggling with addiction is unique. That means that every person’s path to recovery must be unique as well. With more than 40 million Americans suffering at the hand of addiction, it is more important than ever that we address this crisis head-on.