Say No to Binge Drinking

Are you one of those who binge on alcohol occasionally? For whom any celebration is an excuse to drink? After all, what is wrong in enjoying once a while? Well, there is nothing wrong in enjoying, but the very mode of enjoyment is definitely not right.

People have a perception that binge drinking is a leisure activity but are ignorant of its ill effects. This feature talks about harmful impacts of binge drinking. It mentions the short and long-term effects of the binge drinking and also suggests some tips to refrain from the same.

Many men see alcohol drinking as a symbol of manhood. Experimentation with alcohol begins at an adolescent age, especially by boys. Many, soon land up drinking heavily to exhibit their invincibility. Binge drinking on weekends is principally alarming, because of its connection with road mishaps.

Themedguru talks about how alcohol can affect our health, while highlighting the perils of disproportionate intake.

What is Binge drinking?
Earlier, binge drinking referred to drinking heavily over several days. However, in recent times the term refers to heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time. Putting simply, it means consumption of five or more drinks in a row, at least once in a couple of weeks. Heavy binge drinking would mean three or more such episodes in two weeks.

Drinking seems attractive and fun to the youngsters today, thanks to the liquor companies, bars and celebrities too. Peer pressure, curiousness, and delusion that drinking will make them look more manly and cool, are some of the key things that result in binge drinking.

Immediate Consequences
People, especially those who have just got into drinking, are carried away by fun of being intoxicated, but do not give much thought on its aftermath that range from physical and emotional ill health to the worst of being thrown out from the civilized society. Alcohol drinkers should know that excessive drinking could lead to difficulty in concentrating, memory lapses, mood changes and other problems that affect your day-to-day life.

Binge drinking carries more serious and longer-lasting risks. It can result in acute intoxication. Hangovers, headaches, nausea, shakiness, vomiting are some of the immediate effects. Young people often are not aware of the dangers associated with acute intoxication, and are more likely to indulge in risky activities while being intoxicated, such as rash driving, unsafe or unwanted sex, verbal or physical abuse and so on.

What follows?:
Binge drinking can lead to alcohol poisoning, which affects the body's involuntary reflexes including breathing and the gag reflex. If the gag reflex stops working properly, it may choke you to death when you vomit. Extreme confusion, inability to wake up, seizures, slow or irregular breathing and bluish or pale skin, are some symptoms of alcohol poisoning. The person showing any such sign might need immediate hospitalization.

Studies show that people who binge-drink throughout high school are more likely to be overweight and have high blood pressure by the time they are 24. Just one regular beer contains about 150 calories, which adds up to a lot of calories, if someone intakes four or five beers a night.

Dr P Cullen from the University of Rochester Medical Center concluded a research in October 2008, saying that binge drinking might contribute to atherosclerosis. “There is proof that binge drinking is harmful for your cardiovascular health. It was not easy to get the message across until proof was there”, he says.

There are also the risks of developing emotional problems, such as depressiondefine, and problems at school, work and with relationships, unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease can also be resulted because of the habit.

Help:
How alcohol affects you as an individual varies. You should know your limits. Drink with plan; set a limit. Include a non-drinker to drive and to take care for those who will be drinking. Start with a non-alcoholic drink and do not rush to a hard drink. Take sips and drink slowly. Eat with your drinks but avoid salty snacks (these make you thirstier).

Moderate drinking is the key. One to two ounces of alcohol daily are in fact lifesaver from a wide variety of causes like heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetesdefine and cancerdefine.

Binge drinking is not fun. It is risky and can cause drinkers to stray away from society and friends. Remember party hard but drink very less or not at all. So all the men out there, say no the binge drinking!