How many drinks in one session qualifies as binge drinking? There’s no strict definition — instead the term generally means drinking heavily on a single occasion or over a short period of time with the aim of getting drunk.
Some people think that a heavy-drinking session occasionally or once a week is no problem if they don’t drink every day. But ‘saving up’ your drinks and then having them all at once isn’t a smart option — it can be harmful even if you don’t drink alcohol very often. There may be direct and immediate effects on your health, an increase in short-term harm such as injury to yourself and others and over a longer period of time too much alcohol can have long-lasting consequences on your health and wellbeing.
How can binge drinking affect my health?
Short term problems
Some problems caused by binge drinking are immediate and could include:
- headaches
- feeling sick and vomiting
- dizziness
- dehydration
- some memory loss
- passing out
- feeling ‘hungover’ the next morning
- alcohol overdose or ‘alcohol poisoning’. It’s possible to overdose on alcohol just like any other drug. It happens when a person’s blood alcohol level rises to a dangerous point. Signs of alcohol overdose include nausea, vomiting, shallow breathing, having a fit, losing consciousness or going into a coma. Severe alcohol poisoning can be fatal.
Long term problems
Regularly drinking too much alcohol can increase your risk of long-term health problems such as:
- liver damage
- stomach ulcers
- high blood pressure
- sexual impotence, especially in men
- heart damage
- brain damage
- some cancers, particularly of the mouth, throat or oesophagus
- problems with your nervous system
- physical and/or psychological dependency on alcohol. This is when alcohol becomes necessary for you to continue to function physically and/or emotionally. If you try to stop drinking or cut down the amount you drink, you may experience withdrawal symptoms such as shaking, anxiety, vomiting, sweating and insomnia.
What other problems can binge drinking cause?
In the short term you could risk:
- problems at work caused by hangovers
- losing valuable items such as wallets and mobile phones
- doing injury to yourself and maybe others too as a result of falls, traffic accidents or assault
- increased vulnerability to unsafe or unwanted sexual advances, which could lead to sexually transmitted infections or unwanted pregnancy
- drink driving which, apart from the extreme risks of being killed or seriously injured, could also lead to charges and a loss of licence if you are caught.
Long term problems include:
- more permanent memory loss
- problems with relationships at school, at work or at home
- financial problems due to reckless spending on alcohol or while under the influence of alcohol, or due to time off work to recover from your drinking
- emotional and mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety.
How big a problem is binge drinking?
According to Australian research:
- Over 10 percent of people aged 14 and over drank at levels that increased their risk of long-term alcohol-related harm
- At least 26 percent of people aged 14 and over drank at levels that increased their risk of alcohol-related harm in the short-term at least monthly
- More 20–29 year olds drank at risky levels than any other age group
- Over 16 per cent of 20–29-year-old women drank at levels that increased their risk of long term alcohol-related harm
- Alcohol is responsible for approximately one in four hospitalisations of 15–25 year olds
- On average, four Australians under the age of 25 will die in any given week due to alcohol-related injuries.
Common tips for staying out of trouble with alcohol
- Have a non-alcoholic drink first to take the edge off your thirst and help slow down drinking
- Drink slowly — sip, don’t gulp
- Drink from a small glass. Some wine glasses can hold two or more standard drinks
- Try a low alcohol or no-alcohol drink
- Eat before and while drinking — this will slow the rate at which your body absorbs alcohol. But go easy on salty snacks — they make you thirsty
- Avoid getting into ‘rounds’ or ‘shouts’ — they can make you drink faster and drink more
- Set limits for yourself and stick to them. Don’t let other people talk you into drinking more than you want
- Do something other than drink. Dancing, playing music or games can take the focus away from drinking
- Think ahead. If you’re out with friends and driving, decide which one of you won’t drink and will be the designated driver.
What help is available?
Whether it’s yours or someone else’s drinking problem, there are services that can help. Some of these services are listed below in the Further Information section.
Further information
DrugInfo Clearing House: to help you find a range of free, anonymous drug and alcohol services that may be available in your local area. www.druginfo.adf.org.au/support
SMART Recovery: free self-help program offering face-to-face or online group support smartrecoveryaustralia.com.au/
Alcoholics Anonymous www.aa.org.au/
The Australian Centre for Addiction Research: offers free controlled drinking programs by correspondence or online www.acar.net.au/cdcp01.html
The Australian Drug Foundation www.adf.org.au/
Sources
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2007 National Drug Strategy Household Survey. Canberra, ACT: AIHW. 2008 [accessed 20 Aug 2010] Available from: http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10674
DrugInfo Clearinghouse. The Facts about Binge Drinking. [online] Melbourne, VIC: Australian Drug Foundation. 2002. [accessed 19 Aug 2010] Available from: http://www.druginfo.adf.org.au/druginfo/fact_sheets/the_facts_about_binge_drinking/the_facts_about_binge_drinking.html
Headspace. Alcohol and binge drinking. [online] North Melbourne, VIC: Headspace. c2010 [accessed 19 Aug 2010] Available from: http://www.headspace.org.au/default.aspx?page=173
National Drug & Alcohol Research Centre. The Harmful Effects of Alcohol. [online] Kensington, NSW: University of NSW Faculty of Medicine. c2005 [accessed 19 Aug 2010] Available from: http://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/NDARCWeb.nsf/resources/NDARCFact_Drugs5/$file/HARMFUL EFFECTS ALCOHOL.pdf
National Health and Medical Research Council. Australian Guidelines: To Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol. Canberra, ACT: Commonwealth of Australia. 2009 [accessed 19 Aug 2010] Available from: http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/file/publications/synopses/ds10-alcohol.pdf
Reach Out. Binge drinking. [online] Rozelle, NSW: Inspire Foundation. 2009 [last updated 27 Nov 2009, accessed 19 Aug 2010] Available from: http://au.reachout.com/find/articles/binge-drinking
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