Binge drinking is on the rise and not just from college students. In a recent study by The National Survey on Drug Use and Health, almost a quarter of individuals age twelve and up reported having engaged in binge drinking within the last month. That’s underage drinkers, college drinkers, and adult drinkers.

According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 70% of binge drinking episodes involve adults age 26 and older. When you hear binge drinking you may think of reckless 18 and 19 year-olds in high school or college, but in actuality almost three-fourths of the time it’s someone who can legally drink and goes too far. Just what is binge drinking and what are the dangers?

The generally accepted term for binge drinking is consuming a large amount of alcohol over a short period of time, or to be more exact 5 or more drinks in a row by men and 4 or more drinks in a row by women. “In a row,” is a phrase that is open to interpretation, but the CDC describes it as consuming those drinks in about two hours. Most people would agree however if someone is downing enough drinks to get drunk within a very short amount of time, they are most likely binge drinking.

The negative results on a person’s health from binge drinking are quite serious. High blood pressure, liver disease, and increased risk of accident or injury from severe intoxication are just some of the dangers.

Alcohol poisoning, which results from ingesting a large amount of alcohol over a short period of time is another danger of binge drinking. Someone is suffering from alcohol poisoning when their breathing is weak, their skin is cool to the touch, and they continue vomiting. If someone passes out and can’t be woken up, they need to be taken to a hospital immediately.

Someone doesn’t need to have all these symptoms to be suffering from alcohol poisoning. A toxic level is like having poison in your body and the symptoms of alcohol poisoning are not always visible.

 Underage youth are told not to drink because it is illegal, but we forget the 70% of binge drinkers who can legally drink. When those over 21, binge drink they are still harming their bodies—and if they get in a car they can harm others.

There is no perfect solution because people have to make their own choices, but through education and resources like Cortland Area Communities That Care (CACTC), people can become aware of the dangers of binge drinking—regardless of their age—and through being informed possibly make healthier decisions.

CACTC can be resource for anyone looking to become more informed about binge drinking, or alcohol and drug abuse in general, as well as our partner agency, the Cortland Prevention Resource (CPR). When individuals learn more about substance abuse, along with the damage it causes we can reduce problems such as binge drinking.  

You can’t force someone to drink less, but you can point out that 5 drinks over 2 hours is a poor idea, whether you’re 21, 41, or 61. If you would like more information contact the CACTC office at 607-299-4910 or CPR at 607-753-8970.

David Bitterbaum is an AmeriCorp volunteer with Cortland Area Communities that Care (CACTC). In the fall, he will be attending graduate school in St. Louis, Missouri at Washington University, the George Warren Brown School of Social Work.