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Consuming around four or more alcoholic beverages for females and five or more for males, within a span of two hours, is known as binge drinking.(Image credit: Jackyenjoyphotography via Getty Images)ShareShare by:
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Alcohol is often freely available during the holiday period and other celebratory occasions. However, what quantity constitutes excess?
To put it briefly, what is considered “binge drinking,” and what are the possible impacts on health?
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Binge drinking denotes the consumption of sufficient alcohol by an individual within approximately two hours to elevate their blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08% or greater. Specifically, that equates to a minimum of 0.08 grams of alcohol per deciliter of blood, and for typical adults, it involves roughly four or more beverages for females and five or more for males. In the U.S., one standard drink is composed of 0.6 ounces (14 grams) of unadulterated alcohol, which corresponds to about 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor.
The boundary for binge drinking is diminished for females due to the fact that their bodies generally exhibit a higher proportion of fat and a lower proportion of water in comparison to males of similar weight. Given that alcohol is soluble in water but not in fat, females consequently attain an elevated BAC relative to males following ingestion of an identical quantity.
Of particular importance is the recognition of a behavior even more drastic than binge drinking, recognized as high-intensity drinking. As per the NIAAA definition, this entails drinking at levels surpassing binge drinking thresholds by a factor of two or greater — namely, 10 or more beverages for males, or 8 or more for females, within a timeframe of about two hours.
What are the health implications of binge drinking?
In the immediate aftermath, because alcohol decelerates cerebral activity, a person’s reflexes subsequent to binge drinking are more sluggish relative to their typical state, potentially triggering incidents like falls, drownings, and vehicular accidents. This subdued brain function likewise renders individuals more prone to engaging in hazardous conduct, such as irresponsible sexual activity or aggression, as elucidated by Sarah Church, a psychologist and CEO of Wholeview Wellness, a treatment center in New York City for addiction.
Ingesting an excessive quantity of alcohol in a solitary instance compromises the hippocampus, a cerebral area of vital significance for the establishment of memories. Resultantly, blackouts may occur, inhibiting an individual from recalling occurrences during their period of inebriation.
Upon reaching inordinately elevated levels of alcohol in the bloodstream, cerebral regions accountable for indispensable functions — notably respiration, cardiac rhythm, and alertness — likewise initiate a process of functional cessation. This phenomenon, referred to as alcohol poisoning, has the potential to induce vomiting, convulsions, a comatose state, or even mortality.
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Health consequences associated with repeated instances of binge drinking
A solitary episode of binge drinking has the potential to elicit these prompt ramifications, together with a likely hangover the following morning. Incessant binge drinking can precipitate grave protracted effects on both physical well-being and mental health.
The liver’s function encompasses the metabolism of alcohol, and thus, the ingestion of a quantity of alcohol exceeding the organ’s processing capacity may culminate in severe impairment, instigating liver ailments. Frequent heavy alcohol use is similarly detrimental to the heart. Increased alcohol intake correlates with elevated arterial blood pressure, which, over a period of time, places strain on the heart and can result in cardiovascular diseases, thereby amplifying the susceptibility to myocardial infarction and cerebrovascular accidents.
Protracted, substantial alcohol usage is additionally destructive to nerves, at times inducing “alcoholic neuropathy.” Manifestations encompass numbness, painful sensations in the limbs, and locomotion impediments.
NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator
Explore resources for problematic treatment with this digital navigator tool from the NIAAA.
Sufficient substantiation exists to conjoin significant alcohol utilization with augmented prevalence rates of diverse carcinomas. Linnea Axman, the associate dean at the University of Phoenix College of Nursing, indicated that “the prevalence of cancer affecting the esophagus, stomach, pancreas, [and] liver is heightened in individuals who routinely consume substantial quantities of alcohol.”
It equally perturbs intestinal well-being. The gut serves as the habitat for a considerable assemblage of bacteria, constituting the “gut microbiome,” and “ingesting immoderate volumes of alcohol can precipitate gut dysbiosis, which entails an imbalance within the gut microbiome,” according to Trista Best, a registered dietitian. This denotes that particular categories of intestinal bacteria proliferate excessively, while others dwindle, yielding detrimental repercussions.
Alcohol can concurrently debilitate the intestinal lining, rendering it more penetrable, and thereby facilitate the infiltration of noxious elements into the bloodstream, as noted by Best. This occurrence has the potential to foment protracted inflammation of the digestive tract.
Binge drinking elevates the likelihood of acquiring an alcohol use disorder (AUD), a pathological condition characterized by craving for alcohol, impairment in the regulation of alcohol consumption, and a deleterious emotional condition during abstinence. While not all participants in binge drinking develop an AUD, their heightened susceptibility remains substantial.
Dr. Rostislav Ignatov, a psychiatrist and chief medical officer at The Haven Detox, a collective of addiction treatment facilities, elucidated that high-intensity drinking intensifies the entirety of these hazards linked to binge drinking. In the short run, the probability of experiencing severe alcohol poisoning or organ failure is more pronounced with high-intensity drinking as opposed to binge drinking. Over the long haul, the former expedites the manifestation of organ degradation and cancer typically associated with binge drinking, he stated.
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Peter Vernig, a psychologist and vice president of mental health services at Recovery Centers of America, stated that “individuals harboring anxieties pertaining to their drinking behaviors should consult with a healthcare specialist to ascertain the most appropriate treatment alternatives for their circumstances.”
Treatment modalities span from inpatient programs, involving residence at a treatment center, to community-based therapeutic interventions and consultations. Prescription medications are similarly available, exemplified by naltrexone, designed to mitigate alcohol cravings and reliance. Vernig underscored that “the paramount course of action entails extending an appeal for assistance and initiating the dialogue.”
Disclaimer
This piece is meant for general knowledge purposes only and should not be considered as health advice, whether mental or physical.
Clarissa BrincatLive Science Contributor
Clarissa Brincat is a freelance writer specializing in areas related to health and medical research. After earning an MSc in chemistry, she came to the realization that she would rather write about science than actually partake in it. She gleaned experience in editing scientific manuscripts in a time as a chemistry copyeditor, before taking up a medical writer position at a healthcare company. Creating content for doctors and experts is fulfilling, but Clarissa was interested in communicating with a more generalized demographic, which naturally brought her into freelancing in the sphere of health and science writing. She has also been published in Medscape, HealthCentral and Medical News Today.
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