How Many Drinks Count As Binge Drinking?
Drinking of alcoholic beverages in a gathering of people with the intention of consuming it in large quantities is called binge drinking. Another way to refer to it is multi-day heavy drinking sessions. This type of drinking alcoholic drinks is quite commonplace around the world. The whole session of drinking these beverages involves the person acting entirely carefree about all of his obligations and responsibilities. In most cases, it is done without any partner and is taken as a form of self medication. Cultures usually determine the extent of the drinking that takes place.
There is no well defined and calculated limit for the drinks that make up a binge. But, according to an approximate calculation, often 5 or more standard drinks in males and 4 or more drinks in females constitute a binge. This is called 5/4 calculation. However, the extent of intoxification depends upon the weight and many other variables.
Something that is even more dangerous than binge drinking is extreme drinking or industrial strength bingeing. For this to take place, one takes more than ten or more intakes of the standard sized drink. This kind of reckless drinking usually results in social or physical disturbances.
Some factors that encourage this kind of drinking include drinking game shots and chugging. Drinking game competitions are quite frequent with the younger adults, who take such games as perseverance and strength of a person. It is considered a matter of honour for students to try to break new records. This game is played more to get a sense of adventure rather than for the joy of drinking.
All these activities carried out under the guise of fun and adventures have had many bad effects. Drinking this heavily leads to unconsciousness, usually leading up to antisocial behaviour, which leads to damaging property, arguments, hurting and injuring yourself and maybe others. After drinking, driving may cause fatalities for the drunk driver and others. Usually people around the drinker tend to end up humiliated, pushed or assaulted.
In addition to social harm, this kind of drinking also affects the health and physical well being of the person. The worse is alcohol poisoning, which leads to problems in involuntary reflexes such as breathing and gag reflex. Damage to such indispensable reflexes might even make a person choke to death on his vomit. Other ways through which drinking affects health are forgetfulness, throwing up, insomnia, seizures, bluish or pale skin and running low of the temperature.
There is a great deal of controversial factors involved in attracting teenagers towards this activity. Liquor stores, bars and alcoholic beverage companies always want to make a profit, and present drinking as a fun activity. Peer pressure is another great factor for hooking high school students into the social scene. They are starting out an adult life and always curious about alcohol, wanting to taste it at least once.
Binge drinking can be avoided, provided that you are serious about getting rid of it as a habit; you can approach your parents, or talk to the doctor or a counsellor. There are so many centres that are working towards this purpose. Employing various therapies like hypnotherapy, they drag the drinker out of this pitiful situation. Hence, when the drinking exceeds a certain limit, it is called binge drinking, and it has many bad effects on life.
You can get rid of drug additions and alcohol detox by taking a professional’s help and get complete checkup.