• Image: Kevin Irby

  • Binge drinking

    Binge drinking refers to the heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time (ie., within a session of drinking such as visit to pub)- just as binge eating means a specific period of uncontrolled over-eating. Many young people start to drink from peer pressure.

    Other reasons for drinking include:

    • Curiosity - they want to know what it is like to drink alcohol.
    • To feel good - they believe that it will make them feel good, not realising it could just as easily make them sick and hung-over.
    • To reduce stress – they may look at alcohol as a way to reduce stress, even though it can end up creating more stress.
    • To feel more mature.
    • To socialise better.


    Effects of binge-drinking Excessive drinking can lead to difficulty concentrating, memory lapses, mood changes, and other problems that affect your day-to-day life. Binge drinking carries more serious and more long-lasting effects such as:

    Alcohol Poisoning: Alcohol poisoning is the most life-threatening consequence of binge drinking. When someone drinks too much and gets alcohol poisoning, it affects the body's involuntary reflexes — including breathing and the gag reflex. If the gag reflex is not working properly, a person can choke to death on his vomit.

    Other signs of alcohol poisoning include:

    • extreme confusion
    • inability to be awakened
    • vomiting
    • seizures
    • slow or irregular breathing
    • low body temperature
    • bluish or pale skin

    Impaired Judgment: Binge drinking impairs judgment, so drinkers are more likely to take risks they might not take when they are sober. And if they are driving, they may cause accidents injuring themselves and other road users. Or, they have unprotected sex, putting them at risk of sexually transmitted diseases or unplanned pregnancy.

    Physical Health : Studies show that people who binge-drink during their adolescence are more likely to be overweight and have high blood pressure by the time they are 24. Just one can beer contains about 150 calories, which adds up if he drinks four or five cans of beer a night.

    Mental Health: Binge drinkers have a harder time in school and they are more likely to drop out. Drinking affects their sleep, which can make it harder to stay awake and concentrate during the day resulting in poor academic performance.

    Those who binge-drink may find their friends drifting away because alcohol affects their personality, often making them behave obnoxiously.