Binge Drinking; A Sneaky Habit Among Young Adults

Binge drinking? What the heck is that? Let’s do a little analyzing: Binge is “a period or bout, usually brief, of excessive indulgence, as in eating, drinking alcoholic beverages, etc.; spree.” (Dictionary.com). According to Wikipedia; “The Journal of Studies on Alcohol defines binge drinking as an extended period, typically at least two days, during which time a person repeatedly becomes intoxicated and gives up usual activities and obligations in order to be intoxicated.” (Wikipedia). When we hear this phrase, most of us associate it with college student’s partying habits but also young, yet mature people in any social setting.

For whatever reasons, research indicates that among grownups, there are more younger than older people that engage in heavy periodic alcohol consuming. It goes without saying that there are a few negative risks attached to this kind of alcohol use, such as traffic accidents, violence, unprotected sex and even sexual assults, just to mention a few. People with such drinking habits also constitutes a big part of the clients at alcohol or drug rehab programs.

Studies conducted in the 1990s suggest that excessive drinking and driving under the influence of alcohol are more prevalent among college students than among non-students.

So what do we know about college age students and other younger adults? Following are the primary findings from the 2002 report confirming the consecutive trend of alcohol abuse in college students. This report also showed the prevalence of alcohol abuse in non-students, a retreat from previous studies.

* Drinking on a daily basis was substantially less common than both heavy and binge drinking, reported by less than 2 percent of full-time students and 3 percent of non-students.

* Heavy drinking rates peaked at age 21 for full-time students as well as non-students.

* Binge drinking rates peaked at age 21 both for full-time students and non-students.

* More than 1 in 10 younger adults aged 18 to 24 were heavy alcohol drinkers, and almost 2 in 5 were binge drinkers.

* The full-time students in this study aged 18 to 21 had higher rates of binge drinking than non-students.

The survey also studied the beliefs toward alcohol and safety connected with the students practice of binge drinking. In most cases, those surveyed saw no risk in weekly binge drinking. However, at least 25 percent of young adults between 18 and 24 perceived a great risk in weekly binge drinking. Overall, full-time college students were less likely to feel great risk in weekly binge drinking, and differences were statistically significant for those aged 19, 20, and 21.

On the behavior side of this survey, the students were more likely to use seat belts while driving. The survey also shows that non-students at each age were less likely than full-time students to drive while under the influence of alcohol. This difference, however, was not statistically significant among 24 year olds.

Early drug or alcoholism treatment is recommended. Studies indicates that females and males who participated in binge drinking could suffer from depression at a later time. According the National Institute of Drug Abuse, males run the risk of depression increased 3 to 4 times, in comparison with abstainers, if they participated in binge drinking and used marijuana frequently. Those affected shouldn’t hesitate to seek help from an effective treatment facility in order to move forward to a healthy future. BTW, check out what children and alcoholism have to do with each other.