Binge Drinking: What It Does to Your Body
Please donate today to help us save, support, and change lives. In some cases, the people around you might continue to pressure you to drink. Perhaps you’re worried that they’ll think less of you if you don’t drink more.
Alcohol abuse can cause or worsen symptoms of depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders. You might experience adverse effects on your mood while you’re intoxicated and even https://ecosoberhouse.com/ after you sober up. Alcohol abuse and mood disorders can even form a dangerous cycle. The lack of sleep worsens your depressive systems, so you turn to alcohol again.
Alcohol poisoning
With these conditions, you’ll only notice symptoms during alcohol intoxication or withdrawal. These symptoms typically improve quickly when alcohol use stops. Alcohol use can factor into mental health symptoms that closely resemble those of other mental health conditions.
Because excessive alcohol use impairs judgment and inhibitions, it can lead to risky behavior that can come with some serious consequences. Binge drinking has different effects on different people. If your alcohol use is causing trouble for you at work, at home, in social situations, or at school, it’s a problem.
What Exactly is Binge Drinking and Why is it Dangerous?
Binge drinking can have serious health effects, both short-term and long-term. This is usually five or more drinks for men, or four or more drinks for women, within a two-hour timespan. However, everyone is different, and some people, particularly younger teens or preteens, will drink less and still reach this BAC. Cutting back on the amount or frequency of drinking can reduce these risks. Binge drinking is defined as men consuming five or more drinks within about two hours.
- This is when your blood alcohol levels are so high that your body isn’t able to remove the toxins quickly enough.
- In early 2017, the 18-year-old was found dead in her dorm room after a night of excessive drinking with her roommate, according to a Chicago Tribune article.
- You might convince yourself that you need to drink to impress someone or fit in with the crowd.
You might wake up with questions like, “Did I do something stupid to endanger my loved ones? ” These lapses in memory only add to the sense of dread and confusion you experience the next day. Binge drinking has been described by both number of drinks and blood alcohol content (BAC). Excessive drinking is also bad for the cardiovascular system, leading to increased risk of heart attack, high blood pressure, and irregular heartbeat. Binge drinking is defined as four or more drinks within two hours for women and five or more drinks within two hours for men. With numerous drinking games, alcohol consumption turns into a competition.
How to Stop Binge Drinking
If you’re having a hard time shifting your focus from internal to external, consider the quality of your inner self-talk. Are you beating yourself up for a mistake you made earlier? Dissect and challenge those worries with more realistic thoughts.
As there are many different kinds of malts, liquors and wines, it’s important to pay attention to the labels and serving sizes. Women for Sobriety – Organization dedicated to helping women overcome addictions. Al-Anon and Alateen – Support groups for friends and families of problem drinkers.
Recognizing the harmful effects of binge drinking is the first step toward recovery. Seeking alcohol treatment will show you how to eliminate drinking from your life, as well as prevent further problems. Binge drinking by adults has a huge public health impact, and influences the drinking behavior of underage youth by the example it sets. We need to reduce binge drinking by adults to prevent the immediate and long-term effects it has on the health of adults and youth. In 2010, excessive alcohol use cost this country $249 billion.
In times of stress, hardship, or loss, help your loved one find better ways to cope with negative emotions. If they’re going through a breakup or job loss, for example, be there to listen and assure them that things will get better. Instead of going to a bar where they can “drown their sorrows,” offer other alternatives, like taking binge drinking effects a hike together or going on a road trip. You might even want to vocalize when you’re done drinking. Saying something like, “Well, that’s my one drink for the night,” might help your loved one remember their own limit. For example, they might decide to stick to one drink per occasion or no more than three drinks per week.