Binge Drinking Facts

Alcohol has been consumed in some form or the other by man since the dawn of civilization. Today every occasion calls for a toast and every social gathering needs a drink. Alcoholic beverages have become a part and parcel of our culture and its popularity is so widespread that many people do not realize the fact that they have actually crossed the line from being social drinkers into full-fledged alcoholics. After five days of hectic work, the sight of young people sloshed in bars and pubs is no longer a new sight. Alcohol today has become a rescuer which people cling on to in order to find a way out of their hectic schedules and tensions. Drinking heavily over the evening or a similar time span these days has become one of the most common types of alcohol abuse, and this can prove to be very harmful. Mentioned below are some shocking facts about binge drinking. Read on to learn more about them.

• Studies have proven the fact that more than 35% of adults with some alcohol problem like binge drinking are around the age of 19. The study also reveals that the problem of binge drinking is more among college students and also surprisingly among high school students even below the eighth grade!
• Binge drinkers do not consume alcohol every day. They consume alcohol only twice or thrice a week, but the quantity they consume at a time is high. Another interesting fact about binge drinkers is that they may not be addicted to alcohol.
• Excess of alcohol consumption can cause learning problems and can make adult alcoholism common in children who binge drink.
• Alcohol accounts for half of all the adolescent deaths because it increases incidents like accidents, date rape, fights and road accidents. Teenagers tend to get addicted and more dependent on alcohol when compared to adults.
• Another possible danger of binge drinking is that teenagers normally do not foresee the future consequences of excessive drinking. They are at a stage of development where they can’t imagine how dangerous their habit of binge drinking can be.
• Binge drinking can cause alcohol poisoning leading to coma or even death.
• Studies show that more than 70% of binge drinkers are around the age of 25. This habit is more common among boys of the same age than girls.
• Other possible damages that binge drinking can cause is dehydration that will gradually affect the health of one’s skin. Dehydration will cause lack of supply of essential nutrients needed by the body causing other health issues as well.
• Alcohol also accelerates the process of mental deterioration also known as ‘dementia’. In fact alcohol consumption is the second leading reason that leads to dementia.
• The year 1995 brought forward as many as 318 cases of death due to binge drinking in the U.S. Most of the people among the 318 were between 15-24 years. Binge drinking was also responsible for 15,935 road accidents that took place in America in 1998.
• Research shows that girls from middle class families are more prone to binge drinking than those from reduced backgrounds. Research has also found that girls falling under the age group 14 consume more alcohol when compared to their male counterparts of the same age group.
• Some of the serious health problems that binge drinking can lead to are impaired judgement and irresponsible sexual activity among others.
• Binge drinking can also make a teenager more violent when compared to teens who do not consume alcohol at all. A 2003 survey conducted by the ‘Centre for Disease Control and Prevention’ (CDC) showed that teenagers who engaged in binge drinking were 4 times more likely to get involved in physical fights than teens who do not consume alcohol at all.