Binge Drinking And The Dangers Of Excess

Binge drinking is one of the most common and the most dangerous forms of alcohol abuse. Certainly, alcoholics are very often practictioners of binge drinking, although this is not necessarily the case. Many alcoholics do drink steadily, but at a comparatively leisurely pace. Binge drinking is just as common if not moreso amongst the average drinker, who may be a problem drinker on the way to alcoholism, but who may simply be a problem drinker. The foremost evidence of this is the fact that young people, of the age of twenty or less, are the single most common participants in binge drinking.

Most Western societies throughout the world now have drinking cultures that almost literally encourage young people to start drinking at an early age. In the United States, college life is virtually synonymous with binge drinking – work all week, party all weekend. Young people are the most susceptible population to the pitfalls of binge drinking, such as accidents, injuries, or alcohol poisoning. Just about every college student in modern society has at least one story of a friend who was rushed to the hospital to get their stomach pumped. The stereotypical fraternity rush activities are centered around binge drinking – while this clearly is not universally the case, there are certainly enough accidental illnesses and deaths on college campuses every year to at least consider the stereotype.

Binge drinking is seen as a game, or a joke, or a national pastime – that last one is a telling turn of phrase, by the way. This is all noted even before any discussion of sporting events, where binge drinking is as commonplace as hot dogs and cheerleaders.

Under the safest of conditions, binge drinking still has many potential drawbacks. For young people, their studies and personal obligations may be affected. For older binge drinkers, employment and serious relationships can be affected. Binge drinking is a pummeling of the brain and nervous system with alcohol, a substance that can have adverse effects on those areas even when used in moderation. And for potential alcoholics, of course, binge drinking is like throwing a juicy steak in a lion’s cage. Alcoholism is believed to be at least partially genetic – if that is the case, then it is present in the potential alcoholic’s system, lying dormant, waiting to be awakened. Binge drinking is presumably a supremely effective trigger to full-blown alcoholism.

Binge drinking should obviously only ever be practiced infrequently, away from crowded bars or roadways or any other potentially dangerous environment. Binge drinking in America is a rite of passage, and there are those who believe that young people should be allowed to indulge in binge drinking so that they can learn to drink in moderation. However, practitioners of binge drinking must be made aware of the many potential dangers of the activity, and should always be aware of the possibility that excessive binge drinking on a regular basis (and sometimes even infrequently) is a warning sign to be heeded.