Binge Drinking And Its Effects On Your Health
Any emergency room nurse in the United States can tell you that their shift is more chaotic and busy as the weekend rolls around. The same can be said for any major sporting event, New Year’s Eve, St. Patrick’s Day and the night before Thanksgiving. What do all of these seemingly different occasions have in common? Alcohol or, more specifically, binge drinking. But, what is it and why should you care? Forty-two percent of people ages 18-25 engaged in binge drinking in 2007 and its effects on your health prove substantial.
As defined on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, binge drinking is a pattern of alcohol use that raises a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to .08% or higher in one outing. While this may seem like something in which only “heavy drinkers” would engage, a BAC of .08% is reached after only 5 drinks for men and 4 drinks for women. You are considered a binge drinker if you consume this amount in one evening at least once a month. For most 18-29 year-old people in the US today, this is a typical Friday or Saturday night, a mild one at that.
The term binge drinking, in reality, refers to the social setting that most young adults find themselves not only participating in, but celebrating. Adolescents start their drinking career by finding compliant older siblings or even strangers and convincing them to buy a case of beer, bottle of vodka or, when they’re particularly lucky, an entire keg. Some studies show that it is easier for underage kids to obtain alcohol than it is cigarettes. Alarmingly, for many this illegal practice of obtaining and drinking alcohol becomes a top priority.
The first few years after an adolescent finds alcohol can prove to be a dangerous period of time. Because they have to work to find alcohol at this age, they’re never sure the next time they’ll have it in the possession. As a result, they tend to go above and beyond a BAC of .08% and memory loss can occur. Black-outs, the term typically assigned to the bouts of memory loss that binge drinkers experience, are more ominous than the name suggests and many things can go awry. One of the more serious consequences is that of sexual assault or rape of a blacked-out girl.
Most parents of teenage boys and girls start to worry about alcohol poisoning. Essentially an overdose of alcohol, alcohol poisoning is especially worrisome since its symptoms coincide with most people’s idea of what happens after “one too many.” Ask any 17-20 year old and they’ll tell you that they’ve been to many a house party where one, if not several, of their friends passed out or vomited. Unfortunately, these are also the beginning stages of someone stricken with alcohol poisoning. The result of a medically compromising blood alcohol level, alcohol poisoning that can prove fatal.
Parents, schools and even the media have taken notice of the alarming statistics regarding binge-drinking and its effects on those not old enough to engage in the behavior. Campaigns, programming and professional interventions have gained increasing presence in the lives of these adolescents and are sure to grow in years to come. While it may seem discouraging, excessive drinking and its effects can be decreased and even prevented.
Brent McNutt enjoys talking about urbane scrubs on sale and landau tops and networking with healthcare professionals online.Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/binge-drinking-and-its-effects-on-your-health-1140661.html
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