Alcohol is one of the most abused substances as it is readily available and widely advertised. People drink alcohol for various reasons, including to socialize with others, for enjoyment, or even to escape problems. However, many people indulge in alcohol excessively, which is also known as binge drinking. There are many dangers of binge drinking as the habit causes harmful effects to your health and can even threaten your life.
Indulgence in one-time excessive alcohol consumption is also binging. In men, binge drinking is when one takes five or more drinks within two hours. However, for women, binge drinking is having four drinks within the same duration. You do not need to be an alcoholic to binge drink, and most who do it are not people with alcohol abuse disorders.
The Right Step Hill Country is an alcohol addiction treatment center that is committed to helping people struggling with alcohol. If you or a loved one struggles with binge drinking, it may be time to get help. Our compassionate team of medical professionals and recovery specialists can help support recovery and a happier, healthier future. With detox, residential, and intensive outpatient programs, finding help to quit drinking is at your fingertips. Call 1.844.675.1628 to get started today.
What You Need to Know About Binge Drinkers
Statistics reveal that one in six adults binge drinks approximately four times each month. They consume up to seven drinks per binge. The statistics show that up to 17 billion bottles are binged yearly. In other words, each binge drinker takes nearly 500 glasses annually.
These numbers are worrying, especially because the most common binge drinkers are young adults aged 18 to 34 years. Most drinkers under 21 binge drink; on average, they take more than five drinks in two hours. However, more than 8.5 million adults aged 35 years and above are binge drinkers. Furthermore, four out of five binge drinkers are male.
In the U.S., binge drinking is more common among individuals with a household income of $75,000 and higher, especially among those with higher educational levels. As the statistics show, binge drinking is a severe problem that should be addressed quickly to save the young generation from the dangerous effects that binge drinking can cause. Leaving the problem unattended can lead to a massive pandemic in the form of alcoholism.
Why Is Binge Drinking so Popular?
Binge drinking is so common among young people because alcohol is legal, and it’s widely available. The media also promote binge drinking through the music and film industries. For example, most movies feature scenes of actors excessively taking alcohol without showing the harmful effects that alcohol can cause.
Media campaigns that target college students also tend to encourage excessive alcohol consumption. Most of these campaigns feature students taking copious amounts of alcohol and having a good time. The media does not show the harmful effects that come with excessive alcohol intake, such as losing control, vomiting, or passing out.
The Effects of Binge Drinking
Alcohol addiction is a severe mental illness that causes numerous adverse emotional and physical effects, not only on the user but on society at large. There are many effects associated with the dangers of binge drinking that you should be aware of, including:
- Fetal alcohol syndrome
- Heart disease
- Epilepsy
- Mouth cancer
- Diabetes
- Prostate cancer
- Breast cancer
Anyone, despite age, race, social status, or sex, can develop the habit of binge drinking. As stated earlier, binge drinking is not alcoholism, and anyone indulging in binge drinking is not considered an alcoholic. However, if you regularly indulge in binging, you fall between alcoholics and non-alcoholics.
A person who indulges in this behavior might soon feel the effects of consuming too much alcohol. Therefore, the situation might lead them to consume more and more alcohol, causing them to become addicted.
Manage the Dangers of Binge Drinking at Rehab
Binge drinking is a slippery slope into the dangers of alcoholism, but rehab can help you manage the condition before it spirals out of control. At Right Step Hill Country, we provide a variety of programs that will help you or a loved one stay off alcohol. We also help people with alcoholism and other co-occurring or underlying mental health conditions.
For desired results, therapists often combine a variety of programs, including:
- Alcohol addiction treatment
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Sober living program
- Aftercare therapy programs
- Intensive outpatient program (IOP)
Are you facing the dangers of binge drinking alone? You can count on us to rebuild your life again. Treatment at our rehab facility will help you to adopt lifelong sobriety. Contact us today at 1.844.675.1628 for more information or to schedule an appointment.