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INFORMATION:
What Are the Risks of Binge Drinking?
Many people don’t think about the negative side effects of drinking. Although they think about the possibility of getting drunk, they may not give much consideration to being hung-over or throwing up.
You may know from experience that excessive drinking can lead to difficulty concentrating, memory lapses, mood changes, and other problems that affect your day-to-day life. Binge drinking carries more serious and longer-lasting risks.
Alcohol Poisoning
Alcohol poisoning is the most life-threatening consequence of binge drinking. When someone drinks too much and gets alcohol poisoning, it affects the body’s involuntary reflexes — including breathing and the gag reflex. If the gag reflex isn’t working properly, a person can choke to death on his or her vomit.
Other signs someone may have alcohol poisoning include:
extreme confusion
inability to be awakened
vomiting
seizures
slow or irregular breathing
low body temperature
bluish or pale skin
If you think someone has alcohol poisoning, call 911 immediately.
Impaired Judgment
Binge drinking impairs judgment, so drinkers are more likely to take risks they might not take when they’re sober. They may drive drunk and injure themselves or others. Driving isn’t the only motor skill that’s impaired, though. Walking is also more difficult while intoxicated. In 2000, roughly one third of pedestrians 16 and older who were killed in traffic accidents were intoxicated.
People who are drunk also take other risks they might not normally take when they’re sober. For example, people who have impaired judgment may have unprotected sex, putting them at greater risk of a sexually transmitted disease (STD) or unplanned pregnancy.
Physical Health
Studies show that people who binge-drink throughout high school are more likely to be overweight and have high blood pressure by the time they are 24. Just one regular beer contains about 150 calories, which adds up to a lot of calories if someone drinks four or five beers a night.
Mental Health
Binge drinkers have a harder time in school and they’re more likely to drop out. Drinking disrupts sleep patterns, which can make it harder to stay awake and concentrate during the day. This can lead to struggles with studying and poor academic performance.
People who binge-drink may find that their friends drift away — which is what happened with Chet and Dave. Drinking can affect personality; people might become angry or moody while drinking, for example.
Alcoholism
Some studies have shown that people who binge-drink heavily — those who have three or more episodes of binge drinking in 2 weeks — have some of the symptoms of alcoholism.
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