Binge drinking
hideBinge drinking is the modern definition of drinking alcoholic beverages with the primary intention of becoming intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time. It is a kind of purposeful drinking style that is popular in several countries worldwide, and overlaps somewhat with social drinking since it is often done in groups. However, it is also done alone as a method of self medication. The exact degree of intoxication, however, varies between and within various cultures that engage in this practice. Formerly, most countries defined the term as a multi-day heavy drinking session during which the drinker neglects usual responsibilities and otherwise behaves recklessly. In Russia, many people often still define it this way.
There is currently no international consensus on how many drinks constitute a "binge," but the term is often taken to mean consuming 5 or more standard drinks (male), or 4 or more drinks (female), in about two hours for a typical adult. This is called the "5/4 definition." However, these numbers vary significantly based on weight and numerous other variables. Other, less common definitions are based on blood alcohol concentration. For example, the NIAAA recently redefined the term "binge drinking" as anytime one reaches a peak BAC of 0.08% or higher as opposed to some (arguably) arbitrary number of drinks in an evening. One study showed that university students often have numerous different definitions of "binge drinking" depending on their drinking habits, with drinkers having significantly higher definitions than nondrinkers. Whatever the numerical definition used, rapid consumption (shots, chugging, or drinking games) is often implied when the term is used colloquially, since one can remain relatively sober if the 4 or 5 drinks are spread out widely over the course of a long evening.
The British Medical Association notes that "in common usage, binge drinking is now usually used to refer to heavy drinking over an evening or similar time span - sometimes also referred to as heavy episodic drinking. Binge drinking is often associated with drinking with the intention of becoming intoxicated and, sometimes, with drinking in large groups." It is sometimes associated with physical or social harm.
In the United States, sometimes the term "extreme drinking" or "industrial-strength bingeing" is used to describe a more severe form of (single-evening) binge drinking; it is often defined as ten or more standard American drinks on a single occasion (sometimes as eight drinks for women). If done over 2 to 3 hours, a typical adult would have a peak BAC of at least 0.20%.
For more information about Binge drinking, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with binge drinking
Older problem drinkers use more alcohol than do their younger counterparts
Nov 20, 2009 |
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Older adults who have alcohol dependence problems drink significantly more than do younger adults who have similar problems, a new study has found.
Coed college housing connected to frequent binge drinking
Nov 17, 2009 |
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A new study in the Journal of American College Health finds that students placed by their universities in coed housing are 2.5 times more likely to binge drink each week than students placed in all-male or all-female housin ...
UK incidence of children living with substance-misusing parents considerably underestimated
Oct 08, 2009 |
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Current figures underestimate the number of children who may be at risk of harm from parental substance use. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Public Health have generated new estimates using five nation ...
Binge drinkers let down guard against infection
Sep 17, 2009 |
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As if a bad hangover wasn't enough of a deterrent, new research has shown how binge drinking weakens the body's ability to fight off infection for at least 24 hours afterwards. The study, published today in the open access ...
Heavy-drinking colleges showing no improvements
Sep 10, 2009 |
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U.S. colleges with the biggest student drinking problems have so far failed to turn the tide, according to a new study.
Rate of teen binge drinking cut more than 1/3 by prevention system
Sep 07, 2009 |
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Rates of binge drinking were 37 percent lower among eighth-grade students in communities in seven states that used a prevention system designed to reduce drug use and delinquent behavior compared to teenagers in communities ...
Study: 1 in 10 binge drinkers get on the road
Sep 01, 2009 |
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(AP) -- One in 10 binge drinkers got behind the wheel the last time they drank heavily. And half of those drivers left from a bar, restaurant or nightclub after downing five or more drinks, a new study has found.
Survey Reveals Binge Drinking Among Older Adults
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Aug 17, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- One of the largest surveys of substance use has found a remarkable amount of binge-drinking among older Americans. The findings, published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, were reported by researchers at Duk ...
Binge drinking affects attention and working memory in young university students
Aug 11, 2009 |
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A new study looks at binge drinking's impact on attention and visual working memory processes in young Spanish university students. Results indicate that binge drinkers expend more attentional effort to complete a given task, ...
A double-threat to teen health: Researchers say smoking, binge drinking need to be addressed
Aug 09, 2009 |
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As teens head back to school, health teachers may want to revise their lesson plans. Temple researchers have found that kids who engage in heavy drinking will more than likely also engage in heavy smoking, and they say educators ...
Binge drinking linked with hemorrhagic stroke in Korean men
Jun 25, 2009 |
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Frequent binge drinking may dramatically increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke, according to a South Korean study published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Cartographic treasures show little change in city life
Jun 24, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A unique collection of rare Manchester maps reveals how worries about congestion and binge drinking were just as prevalent 100-years-ago as they are today.
Higher drinking age linked to less binge drinking... except in college students
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Jun 22, 2009 |
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New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found substantial reductions in binge drinking since the national drinking age was set at 21 two decades ago, with one exception: college students. ...
Prevention program helps teens override a gene linked to risky behavior
May 15, 2009 |
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A family-based prevention program designed to help adolescents avoid substance use and other risky behavior proved especially effective for a group of young teens with a genetic risk factor contributing toward such behavior, ...
Adolescent binge drinking may compromise the brain's white matter, necessary for information relay
Apr 22, 2009 |
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Researchers know that the integrity of the brain's white matter is compromised in adult alcoholics, but it is unclear when during the course of drinking white matter abnormalities become apparent. A study of adolescent binge ...
