What Is Binge Drinking and 10 Health Impacts
Another common and more immediate effect of binge drinking is alcohol poisoning. This is when your blood alcohol levels are so high that your body isn’t able to remove the toxins quickly enough. As far as long-term effects, binge drinking can also lead to internal damage, especially if you’re regularly engaging in binge drinking episodes. 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. Unlike binge drinking, the problem of alcohol use disorder isn’t measured by a particular number of drinks.
College Students and the Dangers of Binge Drinking
Your body can only process about one unit of alcohol per hour (watch our What is a Unit? animation to find out more). Make sure you credit yourself for your accomplishments and find ways to enjoy life without alcohol. You can consider going on a vacation or buying something nice for yourself. Hosted by Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares strategies for coping with alcohol cravings and other addictions, featuring addiction specialist John Umhau, MD. If you drink and it is possible that you could become pregnant, frequent home pregnancy testing can help protect your child from prenatal alcohol exposure. It is not known if any amount of alcohol is safe to drink while you are pregnant.
- If you drink and it is possible that you could become pregnant, frequent home pregnancy testing can help protect your child from prenatal alcohol exposure.
- For example, if a 12-ounce beer has about 150 calories, and you drink five, you’ve consumed an additional 750 calories which can quickly add inches to your waistline.
- You might even want to vocalize when you’re done drinking.
- It can be hard to stop if you frequently drink or binge drink.
- Maybe you feel overconfident in your ability to drive while intoxicated, or you don’t think of the risks involved with physical stunts or going home with a stranger.
What Are the Consequences and Health Effects of Binge Drinking?
Simply explain why you’re concerned about their binge drinking. You might point out the effects that it’s having on their mood or physical health. Or you could let them know how it’s affecting your relationship.
What Happens to Your Body When You Binge Drink
To help an underage drinker drop the habit, you’ll need to understand their motivations and be willing to converse with them in a nonjudgmental way. Because underage drinking can come with legal consequences, it’s also necessary to establish rules and consequences. In addition to taking breaks for water, make a habit of slowly sipping your alcohol. Rather than chug your beer or mixed drink, take time to hold it in your mouth and appreciate its taste. If you have a hard time moderating your pace, try to stick with drinks that have low alcohol content. When you feel isolated or lack direction and purpose, it’s common to turn to alcohol and other drugs to fill that void.
Take the first step of your recovery journey by contacting the First Step Behavioral Health specialists. Reach out with questions, assistance with insurance verifications, or to schedule an appointment. Excessive alcohol use can harm people who drink and those around them. You and your community can take steps to improve everyone’s health and quality of life. Moderate drinking is having one drink or less in a day for women, or two drinks or less in a day for men.
- BetterHelp is an online therapy service that matches you to licensed, accredited therapists who can help with depression, anxiety, relationships, and more.
- Excessive drinking is also bad for the cardiovascular system, leading to increased risk of heart attack, high blood pressure, and irregular heartbeat.
- It’s not uncommon for people to get defensive when others point out their unhealthy drinking habits.
- Binge drinking is defined as men consuming five or more drinks within about two hours.
- This is because alcohol can cross into your unborn baby’s bloodstream.
Nine out of 10 binge drinkers aren’t dependent binge drinking on alcohol, but doctors and scientists think they’re more likely to develop alcohol use disorder. Most American adults drink alcohol at least occasionally, but about 1 in 4 knock back several drinks in a short period of time at least once a year. About 1 in 6 American adults say they regularly binge drink, sometimes several times a month.
Short-term Risks of Binge Drinking
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. If you are a heavy drinker, the first risk that you face is developing an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Binge drinking is not just a problem for teens and college students. Many people in the United States engage in this dangerous drinking habit. For students who binge-drink, getting drunk is often the main goal.