What Constitutes Binge Drinking?

Binge drinking is the activity of drinking alcoholic beverages in groups, with the primary objective to intoxicate oneself by heavy consumption of alcohol. Another definition is the everyday heavy drinking sessions. This style of drinking is common in various countries throughout the world. Behaving recklessly and neglecting the responsibilities become an everyday occurrence in this case. These activities are often indulged under the influence of medication. The amount of intake varies within various cultures.

There is no exact definition as to which amount of drinking qualifies as binge drinking. However, it is said that, on an average basis, for males, five or more standard sized drinks, and for females, four or more drinks of the same size, make it a binge. This estimate is also referred to as a 5/4 calculation. This is an estimate as the exact level of intoxication varies with variables such as weight and others.

There is even more severe form of drinking, termed as extreme drinking or industrial strength bingeing. It is mostly calculated as ten or more standard drinks. Such an aggressive drinking is sometimes associated with social and physical harms.

Some factors that encourage this kind of drinking include drinking game shots and chugging. Drinking game competitions are quite frequent with the younger adults, who take such games as perseverance and strength of a person. It is considered a matter of honour for students to try to break new records. This game is played more to get a sense of adventure rather than for the joy of drinking.

All of this fun and apparent harmless recreation actually results in several negative repercussions. Often drinking large amounts of alcohol makes a person unconscious. This could result in social inappropriate acts such as being physically violent by damaging property or injuring others and using abusive language. Furthermore, driving after drinking such large amounts could also result in life threatening accidents. It is not just the drinker but also the people around him whose lives become threatened.

Apart from the social effects, binge drinking has many physical and health problems associated with it. Alcohol poisoning is one of these problems and could be fatal. The poison affects the involuntary reflexes, including breathing and the gag reflex. Where this reflex does not work properly, the person may gag to death on his or her own vomit. Other physical effects include extreme confusion, vomiting, insomnia, seizures, bluish or pale skin and low blood pressure.

Younger generation is attracted to alcohol for a variety of reasons. One major reason is the way these drinks are presented to stand for fun and excitement by commercials and by liquor stores, bars and alcohol beverage companies. It is not uncommon for young students to get dragged into it all through peer pressure or the need to look "cool".

Binge drinking can be avoided, provided that you are serious about getting rid of it as a habit; you can approach your parents, or talk to the doctor or a counsellor. There are so many centres that are working towards this purpose. Employing various therapies like hypnotherapy, they drag the drinker out of this pitiful situation. Hence, when the drinking exceeds a certain limit, it is called binge drinking, and it has many bad effects on life.