Binge drinking: Encyclopedia - Binge drinking

Binge drinking

Binge drinking, by almost any definition is undesirable. It is sometimes associated with crime, particularly street fights after the closing time of clubs and bars. It can also be associated with alcohol-related traffic accidents, employment problems, legal difficulties, financial loss, family disputes and other interpersonal problems.

Binge drinking - Definitions

Binge drinking is commonly defined as drinking alcohol solely for the purpose of intoxication. The accepted clinical definition is a period of continuing intoxication lasting for at least two days during ehich time the drinker neglects usual responsibilities. There are also non-medical or non-clinical definitions of what constitutes binge drinking. A man consuming five drinks in one sitting and a woman consuming four drinks on one occasion is a fairly common definition. However, an occasion can last an entire day. Reseach has found that almost half of persons labeled bingers on the basis of the five/four definition do not achieve a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher. Therefore, by this definition, a drinker doesn't even need to be intoxicated to be labeled a binger. For this reason the five/four definition has been criticized by some scientific journal and professional organizations.

Other people consider such factors as social setting, how quickly the drinks were consumed, the type of drinks and perhaps even the drinker's age and body type when defining binge drinking. A problem with considering type of drink consumed is that standard drinks of beer, wine and liquor (distilled spirits) contain equivalent amounts of alcohol.

Binge drinkers are usually not alcoholics, although many alcoholics are bingers.

Binge drinking - Prevalence of binge drinking

Binge drinking - North America

College students are sometimes seen as having a propensity to binge-drink, especially in the United States, despite the fact that the U.S. drinking age is 21. Common stereotypical participants include athletes and fraternity/sorority members, particularly after final examinations, sporting events, and during spring break.

One common explanation of this propensity for binge drinking is that many college students are living on their own for the first time, free of parental supervision, among peers, especially those of the opposite sex.

Some people argue that binge drinking happens in the U.S. not in spite of the strict underage drinking laws, but rather because of it. Proponents of a lower drinking age argue that strict drinking laws drive underage drinkers underground, instead of in a licensed establishment where they will be better supervised and under less pressure to binge. Proponents of the drinking age at 21 dismiss such arguments and argue that underage binge drinking should be curtailed through strict enforcement of the laws against it.

The U.S. state where binge-drinking is most prevalent is North Dakota, where the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimated that 31 percent of residents ages 12 and older had engaged in binge drinking, defined as the consumption of five or more drinks in a sitting, at least once in the last 30 days. This was attributed in the media to the fact that they lived in North Dakota that there was nothing else to do. The survey found that the lowest binge-drinking rate in the U.S. was in Utah; this is attributed in part to the large Mormon population there and some restrictive state laws.

Over 40% of college and university students are often reported to be bingers, based on the five/four definition. However, when the medical/clinical definition is applied, it appears that fewer than one-half of one percent of college students has binged in the previous year.

In Canada, binge drinking, especially among youth and university students, is a common phenomenon. Often, binge drinking is accompanied by hostile behaviour and violence, as can be seen in the many Canadian bars and alcohol licensed establishments where fights abruptly break out. During Canadian university frosh weeks, such as at the University of Ottawa, student binge drinking is a notorious activity, drawing large numbers of students, mostly undergraduate, to downtown Ottawa (including districts such as The Market) where alcohol abuse is rampant. Ottawa, among other university towns and cities in Canada, contain student drinking sub-cultures, perhaps reflective of the larger society's tolerance for inordinate drinking.

Binge drinking - Elsewhere

In most of Europe, children and adolescents routinely experience alcohol much earlier than in the U.S., and often with parental approval and supervision. The drinking age in most countries is 18, and in many jurisdictions younger people can purchase certain types of alcohol in certain settings, such as in a restaurant with a parent. Parents may also choose to provide beverages such as diluted wine with a meal to encourage responsible consumption of alcohol. Nevertheless, binge drinking is quite common among college students, as is the case in the United States. It is not uncommon for students in Belgium to go party wildly (ou "aller en guindaille") in the local equivalent of frat houses ("cercles"). However, binge drinking is among most middle or upper class people beyond the age of 30 quite uncommon. Europeans (especially Germans) may test their limits earlier, but as alcohol is not that restricted, the thrill of getting drunk doesn't exist once one reaches the legal drinking age. In German colleges there is no ban for alcohol at college parties hence everyone attending is usually 18 and thus legally allowed to consume alcohol.

In most European nations, binge drinking is usually seen to be less of a problem than it is in the United States. However, in the UK, some areas of the media are spending a great deal of time reporting on what they see as a social ill that is becoming more prevalent as time passes. In response, the government has introduced measures to deter disorderly behavior and sales of alcohol to people under 18, with special provisions in place during the holiday season. In January 2005, it was reported that 1 million admissions to UK accident and emergency units each year are alcohol-related; in many cities, Friday and Saturday nights are by far the busiest periods for ambulance services.

In 2005, the Licensing Act 2003 comes into effect in the UK, partly intended to tackle binge drinking. Some observers however believe it will exacerbate the problem.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Binge drinking", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki