Binge drinking is very common among teens, but lots of people aren't aware that their drinking habits qualify as bingeing. Find out what binge drinking means, the risks of bingeing on alcohol, and how to kick the habit.
What Is Binge Drinking?
Binge drinking is defined as having five or more alcoholic drinks within a few hours. Nearly two out of three high school students who drink alcohol say that they binge, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Binge drinking is dangerous because it puts teens at risk for a variety of health problems, both now and in the future, and impairs their ability to make smart choices.
How Common Is Binge Drinking Among Teens?
According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, more than 5 million high school students binge drink at least once a month. On the flipside, the majority of teens are not binge drinkers, according to a 2003 survey by the CDC.
Drinkers between the ages of 18 and 20 make up about 51% of the binge drinkers in the United States, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2003. The CDC says that binge drinking is twice as common among men and teen boys as it is among women and teen girls.
What Are the Risks Associated with Binge Drinking?
Binge drinking puts teens at risk for making unhealthy choices about driving, sex, drug use, problem solving and more.
According to research published over the past few years in the medical journal Pediatrics, teens who binge drink are:
- four times more likely than non-bingers to have been in a physical fight in the past year
- four times more likely to have been raped or to have experienced dating violence in the past year
- four times more likely to have attempted suicide during the past year
- 11 times more likely to get in the car with someone who's been drinking during the past month.
Binge drinking also puts teens at risk for alcohol poisoning.
Long-term risks of binge drinking include liver damage, mental health problems and alcoholism.
How Can I Stop Binge Drinking?
If you are a teen who drinks, learn to pace yourself. One helpful tool for learning how to do this is a Blood Alcohol Calculator, which can help you figure out if you're drinking too quickly or if you've simply had too much.
It's also important to consider why you drink. Is it to fit in with your friends? To deal with stress? To make yourself feel more attractive? In most cases, there are better ways to feel good about yourself and be well-liked that don't involve alcohol.
If you think you or a friend might have a problem with binge drinking, talk to a nurse, doctor, counselor, teacher, mentor, clergy member or parent. These people can provide you with support and help you find resources to kick the habit.
