Binge Drinking- A Serious Warning Comes Attached

Remember the last time you were at a party with your friends/office colleagues, and you had one tequila shot with everyone? And the additional 2 glasses of whiskey because others insisted after you had already downed three of them? What they just managed to get you to do, and what you ended up doing, is what is called binge drinking. According to the criteria laid down by the Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a person is supposed to have a habit of binge drinking if:

• You are a male, and you consume five or more alcoholic drinks on the same occasion at least once a month

OR

• You are a female, and you consume four or more alcoholic drinks on the same occasion at least once a month

Essentially, if you consume such amounts of alcohol in a single occasion that your blood alcohol concentration rises to 0.08 at least one day in a month (the above criteria in terms of a number of drinks make most females and males to attain that level of blood alcohol concentration), you are said to be indulging in binge drinking. Now why is binge drinking a problem and how to address it? Read on:

Problems associated with binge drinking

Short-term problems

Short-term problems are those which can manifest immediately in the aftermath of a single session of heavy drinking. You need not be a regular drinker to face these problems; one single session where you overdose on alcohol could put you at the risk of the following issues:

1. Increased blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, and even sudden death resulting from heart failure
2. Since alcohol is a diuretic, your kidneys would produce more urine. Also, if you consume too much alcohol, you may end up vomiting multiple times. Together, this could lead to dehydration and even dangerously low levels of potassium, sodium, and other salts and minerals.

• Excessive alcohol causes gag reflex inhibition. As a result, your saliva, vomit, or other substances may end up entering your lungs causing lung inflammation or infection.

1. Heavy alcohol consumption at a time could cause hypoglycemia (i.e. dangerously low blood sugar levels)
2. Alcohol lowers sexual inhibitions, and you may end up having unsafe sex with strangers. This may result in you contracting sexually transmitted infections (STI), HIV, or if you are a woman, you might end up having an unplanned pregnancy.
3. Because your sense of judgment is temporarily compromised, you may end up doing illegal or criminal acts and may have to incur penalties.

Long-term problems

The following are problems that you would end up facing due to sustained indulgence in binge drinking:

1. You would become prone to developing alcohol addiction, which would complicate problems for you in term of health and personal finances
2. There would be a heightened risk of anemia, low platelets count, weakened immunity, stroke, dementia, osteoporosis (due to interference with calcium absorption), malnutrition, menstrual issues (for women), and impotency (for men).

• Your mental health could be affected too. You would be at a higher risk of having anxiety, psychosis, depression, and also developing cognitive issues such as loss of memory strength, ability to be attentive, and problem-solving ability.

1. There is a heightened chance of you indulging in domestic violence, thus damaging relationships and incurring the wrath of the law.

In case you do have a binge drinking problem, it is important that you enroll immediately with a rehab center to prevent yourself from facing any of the aforementioned problems. Alpha Healing Center is one of the best alcohol de-addiction centers in India, and should you feel the need to visit us, we would be more than happy to help you get back to a healthier lifestyle. 

We offer a range of holistic treatments at the center, including alcohol detox to help you overcome alcohol dependency, and then several treatments and therapies to help you completely eliminate your desire to binge drink.