Health Impacts of Binge Drinking

                                                                                                                                    Ben Massey

As we joked in class there was an obvious absence of alcoholic drinks recorded from Friday and Saturday in our food records. While college freshmen are still underage, “The College Alcohol Study (CAS) found that for a sample of 140 colleges in the United States, 44% of the responding students were binge drinkers” (Courtney Polich 2010). I decided to research the health effects of binge drinking because it is such a relevant topic to our undergraduate class. Binge drinking is defined by the Center for Disease Control as “when men consume 5 or more drinks, and when women consume 4 or more drinks, in about 2 hours.” (CDC). Any student will tell you that most people who choose to drink in college usually consume this amount or much more. People choose to drink for a variety of reasons; in college social gatherings are the main reason for alcohol consumption. The choice to binge drink has many long term health effects and could have dangerous immediate effects as well. 

First and foremost it is important to remember that alcohol is viewed by the body as a poison when consumed in large quantities. Similar to other intoxicants your body will tolerate it up to a point and then your stomach will reject the substance. Too much alcohol in a short time could lead to alcohol poisoning, which left untreated could cause permanent brain damage or death. Another common cause of alcohol related death is asphyxiation on vomit while passed out.     When binge drinking occurs it is usually in a social setting and encouraged by the group. These circumstances manifest immediate risks for participants. Not all people process alcohol at the same rate, when binge drinking in a group, it can be easy for some participants to drink too much too fast.

The risks of binge drinking are furthered when moving between locations. The dangers of drinking and driving are apparent and have been pounded into every adolescent American. However many college students do not consider the fact that after consuming alcohol pedestrians are more likely to be killed by a motorist. According to a Institute for Highway Safety study “In 2009, 37 percent of fatally injured pedestrians 16 and older had blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) at or above 0.08 percent (Q&A: Pedestrians).

Binge drinking has noticeable long-term effects as well as an increased immediate risk,

“Heavy social drinkers, defined to include those who engaged in binge-drinking episodes, demonstrated delayed auditory and verbal memory deficits that were related to task difficulty. These deficits were not found for the light social drinkers.”(Courtney Polich 2009).

Constant exposure to alcohol can alter brain function, especially in adolescents whose brains have not fully matured. Binge drinking as also been proven to increase the likelihood of birth-defects if consumed while pregnant.

All of the science points to the conclusion that binge drinking is detrimental to an individual’s health over the short and long term. Many of these risks can be managed if the consumer is smart while consuming alcohol and aware of his or her tolerance. A person can also expect to see relatively minor health effects if binge drinking is exchanged for light social drinking. However the root binge drinking lies in the population of America’s universities. It is not realistic to expect college students to partake in “light social drinking” over binge drinking. Instead we should focus on continued education about the risks and effects of binge drinking, most importantly the signs and symptoms of alcohol poisoning.  

CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alcohol and Public Health. 2010. Web. <http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/underage-drinking.htm>.

Insurance Institute for Highway Saftey . Q&A: Pedestrians. 2010. Web. <http://www.iihs.org/research/qanda/pedestrians.html>.

Courtney, Kelly E., and John Polich. "Binge Drinking Effects on EEG in Young Adult Humans." International journal of environmental research and public health 7.5 (2010): 2325-36. Print.

Courtney, Kelly E., and John Polich. "Binge Drinking in Young Adults: Data, Definitions, and Determinants." Psychological Bulletin 135.1 (2009): 142-56. Print.