Binge drinking: Summer hazard for young people
By Dana Benson
Fun at the beach is a summer ritual. Unfortunately, for many young people, that often involves binge drinking.
Binge drinking – defined as having five or more standard drinks on one occasion – is a growing problem among young people, said Katie McQueen, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.
Risky behavior
"It is hazardous for a number of reasons, but the biggest problems with binge drinking are the increased likelihood of trauma and impaired judgment, especially about things of a sexual nature," said McQueen, who is principal investigator of InSight, a collaborative drug and alcohol screening program run through Ben Taub General Hospital.
Fifty percent of all emergency room trauma cases are secondary to alcohol, McQueen said. That includes automobile accidents, shootings, stabbings and drownings.
"That is important to remember because so many people include swimming, boating and driving in their summer activities," she said. "A good rule of thumb is if you are too drunk to drive, you are definitely too drunk to swim or operate a boat or jet ski."
Lower inhibitions
Teenagers and young adults should also be aware that alcohol decreases inhibitions and will make them more sociable and perhaps more flirtatious.
"They should think about what decisions they want to make about sex before they have that first drink, before their judgment is impaired," McQueen said. "It's the same idea as figuring out a designated driver beforehand."
Summer revelers should also ask themselves if they really want to go to a party that is strictly about alcohol. If the answer is no, look for and support alternate activities that don't involve alcohol.
"If you do go to a party where there is going to be a lot of drinking, the first thing you grab should be a nonalcoholic drink, like a bottle of water," McQueen said.
Facts on binge drinking
- Binge drinking is defined as having five or more drinks on any one occasion
- A standard drink is half an ounce of alcohol, which can be found in one 12-ounce can of beer, one 5-ounce glass of wine or one mixed drink containing 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor.
- Binge drinking generally begins around age 13, increases during adolescence and peaks from age 18 to 22.
- If a parent is an alcoholic, his or her children have four times the risk of being alcoholics.
- Binge drinking during college may be associated with mental health disorders such as compulsiveness, depression and anxiety.
- Alcohol poisoning is the most serious consequence of binge drinking. It is a severe and potentially fatal reaction to an alcohol overdose in which the central nervous system starts to shut down, including involuntary functions that regulate breathing and heart rate.
