A person’s body metabolizes alcohol into a chemical called acetaldehyde. This substance is toxic, leading to nausea, headaches, and other unpleasant symptoms. If you or someone you love struggles with alcohol or drug use, you are not alone. Find the comprehensive treatment and support you need at First Step Behavioral Health.
What are the potential long-term health risks of drinking too much alcohol?
Excessive drinking, or alcohol misuse, includes binge drinking, heavy drinking, and any drinking by a pregnant person or an individual under the legal age. A single episode of binge drinking can cause these immediate effects, and likely a hangover the next morning. Repeated binge drinking can have severe long-term effects on both physical and mental health. Over time, frequent binge drinking can lead to severe long-term consequences, including a life-threatening addiction to alcohol. Many people think of heavy drinking as part of American culture.
Heavy Drinking
It doesn’t matter how tiny the glass is, or how little you drink before becoming intoxicated. For example, a woman over 6 feet tall may be able to safely drink more alcohol than a woman who barely alcoholism clears 5 feet. Similarly, a short man with a lower body weight may become intoxicated more quickly than a tall man with a higher body weight. “These numbers can vary based on the person’s metabolism, size, and weight,” he says.
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Understanding the effects of binge drinking can increase your motivation to cut back on how much alcohol you consume in one sitting. If any of that sounds familiar, consider rethinking your relationship with alcohol. You don’t have to give up drinking entirely—there’s plenty of middle ground between binge drinking and total abstinence. Once you find that middle ground, you can continue to enjoy your favorite drinks without jeopardizing your health, safety, or sense of well-being. For example, if your drinking habits negatively impact relationships with family or friends, cause problems at work or school, or lead to physical and mental health issues, you likely have an alcohol problem.
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A binge can quickly elevate a https://dev-shadel.pantheonsite.io/2022/10/11/how-long-does-cocaine-stay-in-your-system-3/ person’s blood alcohol content (BAC). Binge drinking can quickly result in a BAC that is 0.08% or higher. This is the BAC level where people are legally considered too intoxicated to drive safely. This typically happens after four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men within about two hours.
- It’s easy for high school and college students to get caught up in a social scene with lots of peer pressure.
- Alcohol detox and rehab involve going through rehab treatment after allowing your system to completely detox from alcohol.
- It might help to not drink for a while or limit yourself to one drink per week.
- Excessive alcohol use can harm people who drink and those around them.
This hyper-excitatory state triggers alcohol withdrawal symptoms. About 28.9% of full-time college students aged years reported binge drinking during the last month, according to data from the 2022 NSDUH survey. Among women who drank alcohol, 1 in 4 reported binge drinking in the previous month. They have reported having, on average, three episodes every month. About 12.0% of adults aged 65 and more engaged in binge drinking during the last month, according to 2023 NSDUH data. To express more granularly, the rate of binge drinking among older males is 12-14% and 3-4% in older females.
Alcohol is available in many social situations like sporting events, happy hours, parties, and barbeques. The majority of adults in the United States drink alcohol from time to time. Many people grab a drink with coworkers, have a glass of wine or two with dinner, or have a beer at the end of the day regularly. Independent of these factors the Center for Disease Control and Prevention gives estimates for how many drinks is considered binge drinking for the average adult. For males, binge drinking is considered consuming five or more drinks on one occasion (or within a timespan of two to three hours). For females, binge drinking is considered consuming four or more drinks in the same time period.
These changes can make it very hard for people to quit drinking how to avoid binge drinking when they want to. It is essential to seek treatment as soon as you recognize the signs of addiction in yourself or a loved one. If you struggle to control your drinking or you’ve tried to stop without success, you may need professional treatment. Comprehensive treatment programs can help you address the roots of alcohol use disorder (AUD). Binge drinking puts a person at risk of serious, potentially life-threatening danger.
