Author: James Anderson
Drinking Levels Defined National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism NIAAA
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. Too much alcohol affects your speech, muscle coordination and vital centers of your brain. A heavy drinking binge may even cause a life-threatening coma or death.
However, even a mild disorder can escalate and lead to serious problems, so early treatment is important. Knowing your limits, including what number of drinks qualifies as binge drinking, is an excellent first step in preventing future binge drinking episodes. Unfortunately, even one night of binge drinking can be dangerous to your health. Additionally, a 2017 study suggests that binge drinking may be an early risk factor of developing AUD. For example, a 2018 cross-sectional study found a strong relationship between adolescents who binge drink and developing AUD.
What is binge drinking?
A person could be defined as a binge drinker even if he or she never becomes intoxicated. The term, however, has succeeded in drawing public awareness to the problem of excess drinking.[citation needed]. The 2015 study results showed Americans were consuming about seven drinks during each episode of binge drinking. If your pattern of drinking results in repeated significant distress and problems functioning in your daily life, you likely have alcohol use disorder.
Binge drinking is when someone drinks a large quantity of alcohol in a short amount of time. Many experts define it as drinking enough alcohol during a 2-hour period to bring the BAC to 0.08%. Generally, this is around four drinks for women and five drinks for men. But bodies absorb alcohol differently depending on factors including body type and age. 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. People with alcohol use disorder frequently binge drink, but they do this on a more regular basis than people who engage in single episodes of binge drinking.
She specializes in a variety of health topics including mental health, dementia, celiac disease, and endometriosis. Naturally, you may wonder how much alcohol you have to drink to get to that point. The answer depends on your sex, age, body mass, metabolism, the type of alcohol, and more.
What Are the Consequences and Health Effects of Binge Drinking?
This critical developmental stage is where lifelong adult traits e.g., talents, reasoning and complex skills mature; however alcohol and in particular binge drinking may disrupt and interfere with this developmental process. Data suggest that even one episode of binge drinking can compromise function of the immune system and lead to acute pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) in individuals with underlying pancreatic damage. Binge drinking is a pattern of drinking an amount of alcohol—beer, wine, liquor, and similar beverages—that brings your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) up to 0.08 grams of alcohol per deciliter (100 milliliters) of blood (0.08 g/dL). This is the amount of alcohol in your system to be considered legally impaired. For most adults, that equates to five drinks for men or four drinks for women within a two-hour period. Individuals of African descent have a lower level of binge drinking followed by those of Asian descent.
- A heavy drinking binge may even cause a life-threatening coma or death.
- Drinking alcohol three days in a row is not good for you, but it’s not necessarily considered binge drinking either.
- For most adults, that equates to five drinks for men or four drinks for women within a two-hour period.
The CDC recommends that if you don’t already drink, you shouldn’t start for any reason. Federal and state health agencies also offer resources and can refer you to someone who can help. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force also recommends screening and counseling for alcohol misuse in primary care settings. Complete results of the 2015 study can be found in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
These people can support you when you say no to an extra drink or ask to hang out in a different environment where you’re less likely to want a drink in hand. This is sometimes called the “5+/4+ rule” (5-plus/4-plus rule) of binge drinking. Binge drinking is when you drink enough alcohol to bring your blood-alcohol content up to the legal limit for driving. That works out to about five alcoholic drinks for men or four for women in less than 2 hours. A drink is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of liquor.
It also includes binge drinking — a pattern of drinking where a male has five or more drinks within two hours or a female has at least four drinks within two hours. Binge drinking is a type of excessive alcohol consumption that raises the BAC to 0.08 g/dL, the point at which a person is legally impaired. This usually involves drinking five or more drinks for men or four or more for women on a single occasion lasting a few hours. Most people who binge drink are not addicted to or dependent on alcohol. However, binge drinking can increase your risk of developing alcohol use disorder.
Binge drinking
Large amounts of alcohol consumed over a long period of time can negatively impact the parts of your brain that deal with judgment, balance and coordination. 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.
“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. But both alcoholism and binge drinking can have similar health consequences. Genetic, psychological, social and environmental factors can impact how drinking alcohol affects your body and behavior. Theories suggest that for certain people drinking has a different and stronger impact that can lead to alcohol use disorder. Adults under 35 are more likely to do this than other age groups, and men are twice as likely as women. People who make more than $75,000 a year and are more educated are most likely to binge drink.
Because denial is common, you may feel like you don’t have a problem with drinking. You might not recognize how much you drink or how many problems in your life are related to alcohol use. Listen to relatives, friends or co-workers when they ask you to examine your drinking habits or to seek help. Consider talking with someone who has had a problem with drinking but has stopped.