When it comes to matters about health, binge drinking poses a great danger to everyone because of its health consequences, physical injuries, and the money you spend on your drinks and hospitalization. Considering all these things, it’s wise if you take a step back and reflect on your drinking habits.
In this article, we’re going to talk about the dangers associated with binge drinking and how it can impact your life. We don’t prohibit you from consuming alcohol, yet we want you to have full control of it, rather than letting the alcohol control you.
What are the short-term dangers of binge drinking?
Binge drinking is when you quickly consume five to four or more drinks in a shorter time frame, mostly less than two hours. On average, most binge drinkers consume seven glasses in one session.
Loss of Coordination
The sudden rush of alcohol in your system causes you to blackout and lose control of your senses and movements. Consequently, it’s the main reason why you fall down a stair or stumble unknowingly on the side, giving you physical injuries.
Alcohol-related Accidents
Alongside this, motor and car crashes due to drunk driving are also one of the rampant dangers when you binge drink. So far, there are around 1,825 students reported experiencing alcohol-related vehicular accidents, and most of them are within the age of 18 to 24 years.
Violent Behavior
If not an alcoholic motor crash, then another short-term danger is physical violence among drinkers and non-drinkers. Many people react differently when drunk. Some just stay in their seat and laugh, while others go on a frenzy and attack other people. Having said that, there are approximately 696,000 students who experienced alcohol-related physical violence and abuse in the U.S.
Sexual Crimes
Lastly, sexual harassment and rape is another danger when you binge drink. Some students or adults use alcohol and maybe put a drug (like a sleeping pill or Ecstacy) on the drink before giving it to their female friends and workmates. So far, there are 97,000 cases of alcohol-related sexual harassment and rape reported in the U.S.
Alcohol Poisoning
Alcohol is a strong sedative especially if you’re drinking those with higher alcohol concentration. It depresses the activity of your lungs, brain, heart, and body. If you consume alcohol in a very high volume, with or without any other drugs used alongside, then you are at risk of coma or sudden death.
Having said that, around six people in the U.S. die from alcohol poisoning, where 76% of them are within the age of 35 to 64 years and most of them are male. Moreover, the usual victims of alcohol poisoning are the non-Hispanic whites and the American Indians.
Solitary Binge Drinking and Suicide
Some experts have studied the relationship between suicide and binge drinking, and they found a significant relationship between these two variables. They found out that there is a high risk of suicidal behavior and deaths among American college students.
In their study, they found out that most students or individuals who have thoughts of suicide and who have committed it were found to be a solitary binge drinker. When you are drinking alone and in large volumes, you are more prone to being depressed, which reinforces your previous thoughts of ending your life.
With that being said, it’s better if you talk to a psychologist or counselor when you are depressed and have suicidal thoughts, rather than keeping it to yourself and drowning in alcohol.
Binge Drinking Increases the Risk for Cancer
When you abuse your body, it always ends drastically, the same thing when you consume too much alcohol. Having said that, here are the following reasons why alcohol consumption increases your risk of acquiring cancer:
- The more alcohol you drink, the more acetaldehyde is produced in your body. This compound is both a carcinogen and toxin, which greatly damages your healthy cells.
- When your body breaks down alcohol, it also creates a molecule with reactive oxygen that can damage the proteins and lipids inside your body.
- When there’s too much alcohol inside your stomach and intestines, it causes inflammation inside while also decreasing your intestines’ ability to absorb nutrients and vitamins. Consequently, this leads to malnutrition and the weakening of your immune system, which helps protect you from getting sick.
- An increased alcohol concentration in your blood also promotes the production of estrogen in your blood, which leads to breast cancer.
Binge Drinking Increases the Risk of Stroke
In the medical field, there are three types of stroke – ischemic, hemorrhagic, and transient ischemic attack. Among these types, too much alcohol consumption elevates the risk that you’ll get hit by an ischemic stroke.
What is an ischemic stroke?
It’s the most common type of stroke which hits 87% of the general population. This happens when your artery is being blocked, and so the supply of oxygenated blood can’t get through your brain.
Based on a study conducted by a group of medical personnel, they recruited 15,965 Finnish men and women between the age of 25 to 64 years. Those who were assigned with the role to binge drink consumed six or more drinks for men, while four or more drinks for women.
They used the same kind of liquor for all participants and then found out that binge drinking significantly contributes to the risk of having a stroke. The hazard ratio of binge drinkers (1.99) was higher than those who didn’t consume alcohol (hazard ratio of non-binge drinkers = 1.85).
Binge Drinking and Alcoholism
Conversely, most binge drinkers have a higher risk of developing alcohol dependence in the long-run. This is possible because your body will soon form a tolerance for each previous volume of drinks you consume. The tolerance develops quicker if you drink more often in a week.
Unfortunately, when your binge drinking turns to alcoholism, that’s where the hardest part starts since you can no longer live normally without grabbing a drink per day. Your body gets weak and you don’t feel normal when you don’t get a taste of liquor in your mouth and system.
All things considered, it’s much better if you don’t reach this far, because of the physical and behavioral damage it can do to your life and body. Anyhow, if you feel like having some problem controlling your alcohol consumption, then talk to a counselor or doctor as early as possible.
They have the experience and expertise of helping you overcome this bad habit, and for you to regain back your healthy and normal life.
