It’s all about moderation
For many people, having a drink, or several, with friends is an event that is often highly anticipated. Socially viewed as a way to bond with friends and let loose, a couple drinks can easily turn into an excessive evening of binge drinking.
The health issues that come with binge drinking can have serious short- and long-term effects. When I talk about health, I don’t mean just the physical repercussions that accompany drinking too much alcohol, like a bad hangover. Alongside the physical health issues, binge drinking can cause serious mental health problems.
According to the Canadian Centre for Addictions and Mental Health, binge drinking is defined as having too many drinks during one occasion. For a male, it is considered that five or more drinks is too much and for a female it is four or more drinks. To give more context, one drink is a 341 millilitre can of five per cent beer or a 43 millilitre shot of 40 per cent liquor.
The average body takes over an hour to process one drink of alcohol, drinking faster than this will make it so your body cannot eliminate the alcohol, which causes you to get drunk. Drinking too much has many adverse effects on your health. For starters, binge drinking can cause short- and long-term damage to your liver. Down the road, this could result in liver failure or cancer.
Other physical health issues include short- and long-term damage to your brain, pancreas, and stomach. Memory loss from blacking out can cause significant damage to your long-term memory. Alcohol can cause gastritis in your stomach, or in more severe cases, an ulcer. An ulcer is a hole in the stomach lining that is extremely painful and often requires surgery.
Arguably the most severe physical effect of binge drinking is alcohol poisoning, which can result in death. In the United States, there is an average of six alcohol poisoning deaths every day. Signs of alcohol poisoning include passing out, losing balance, talking incoherently, and throwing up.
Physical detriments aside, the mental health effects of binge drinking can affect your life. Alcohol is a depressant and can cause and worsen existing symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Alcohol can also provide you with a false sense of happiness. If drinking feels like a crutch when you are sad then you should take a step back and re-evaluate why that is the case. Excessive alcohol consumption can quickly turn into an alcohol addiction. Awareness is critical; if you notice a friend or family member developing an addiction to alcohol, get them help quickly. Help can include intervening in their life, organizing non-drinking activities, or seeking professional aid.
The most effective way to avoid the health effects of binge drinking is simply not to do it. However, there are other ways of mitigating alcohol consumption when you are out drinking with friends. Know your limit, don’t let anyone peer pressure you into drinking more than you intended. Between alcoholic drinks, drink water or a soft drink and eat food before and during drinking. This is only effective if you are drinking slowly, not chugging.
Knowing your plans ahead of time is also crucial, plan to walk or take a cab, do not drive. Do not leave your drink unattended, someone could slip something unwanted into it. Finally, stop drinking before you feel drunk. Please drink responsibly, drink with friends, and always establish a sober member of the group at the beginning of the night, if something bad does happen, he or she can help make coherent decisions.