Binge Drinking: A Contributor to Wasted Lives and Unfulfilled Potential

What is Binge Drinking?

Binge drinking is defined as the consumption of four or more drinks for women or five or more drinks for men during one occasion, and/or getting drunk more than once per month. A drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, 1.5 ounces or one shot of liquor, or 12 ounces of wine cooler. (One drink does not equal a keg-size cup. Keg cups can hold up to three drinks.) Binge drinking is drinking as much as possible as fast as possible for the sole purpose of getting drunk.

12 OUNCES EQUALS

The Dangers of Binge Drinking

Binge drinking increases the risk of alcohol related injury (due to high risk activities such as drinking and driving), unplanned/unprotected sex, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, date rape, violence, suicide, alcohol poisoning, alcoholism, and death. Statistics have shown that people who binge drink are 2 to 5 times more likely to experience problems from drinking, including legal problems related to drinking, i.e., DUI/DWI. Binge drinking can also lead to liver disease, cancer, heart disease and brain damage.

Facts You Should Know

Over forty-one percent of college students engage in binge drinking, according to the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention.

The four leading injury-related causes of death among the under-20 crowd are motor vehicle crashes, homicides, suicides and drowning, with many of these being attributed to binge drinking and alcohol.--Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Non-binge drinkers often suffer effects and injury, including rape, sexual advances and property damage, as a result of their binge drinking friends, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.

How to Help a Binge Drinker

If you are with someone who has had too much to drink:

Cut off the supply of alcohol.

Help the person avoid dangerous situations (i.e. driving, sexual activity, wandering around in dark or unfamiliar territory or alone).

If your friend is unconcious, roll him/her on his/her side to prevent choking on vomit.

Never leave the person unattended.

Dial 9-1-1 or call local emergency services in your area.

If your friend has passed out, s/he is probably in the beginning stages of alcohol poisoning. Without professional medical treatment, alcohol poisoning can lead to coma and to death.

Binge Drinking: A Contributor to Wasted Lives and Unfulfilled Potential

12 OUNCES EQUALS