We strive to create content that is clear, concise, and easy to understand. Contributors to this article for the NIAAA Core Resource on Alcohol include the writers for the full article, content contributors to subsections, reviewers, and editorial staff. These contributors included both experts external to NIAAA as well as NIAAA staff.
Short Takes with NIAAA: What is Binge Drinking?
- Experts define levels of alcohol use by the number of drinks a person consumes per day and week.
- To determine their safe level of drinking, people must consider the biological, environmental, and psychological factors that could affect their safety while drinking, while also abiding by the recommendations set forth in the U.S.
- “It’s occurring in patients over 65 at an astronomical rate, with one in six reporting binge drinking,” says Brett A. Sealove, M.D., chief of Cardiology, Jersey Shore University Medical Center.
A person’s BAC is the percentage of alcohol in their blood, and in the United States, a BAC of 0.08% means the person is binge drinking legally intoxicated. Not everyone who excessively consumes alcohol has alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, heavy and binge drinking can increase a person’s risk of developing this condition.
How Much Alcohol Is Safe to Drink Daily?
AUD is characterized by alcohol consumption that causes distress and harm in a person’s life. In the United States, organizations consider a “standard drink” to be about 0.6 fluid ounces (oz), or 14 grams, of pure ethanol or alcohol. The following table shows how this equates to some common types of drinks. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend that if people consume alcohol, they do so in moderation.
Biological and Genetic Factors
But more than that and you might start to notice problems, both physical — because the liver can only repair itself so much — and social. Lauren Smith has worked as a journalist and copywriter for the last decade, covering a range of topics including health, energy, and technology in the US and UK. Federal and state health agencies also offer resources and can refer you to someone who can help.
Instead, the CDC defines it as a chronic condition, which means it’s a type of illness that’s persisting over a long period of time. So, although there are similarities, alcohol use disorder should be approached with a specific treatment plan that includes rehabilitation, care from addiction specialists and self-help programs like Alcoholics Anonymous. Experts define levels of alcohol use by the number of drinks a person consumes per day and week. These levels include moderate drinking, binge drinking, and heavy drinking. How quickly a person’s body absorbs alcohol may depend on their sex, age, and body size.
What Are the Consequences and Health Effects of Binge Drinking?
But you don’t need to be an alcoholic to experience negative consequences and health impacts from your drinking, as discussed above. Others may already be alcohol dependent, with symptoms including strong urges to drink, difficulty reining in their drinking despite adverse consequences, and withdrawals when they reduce or stop drinking. Beer is usually around 5% alcohol, so 12 ounces of beer is a standard drink. Heavy drinking is believed to cost the U.S. economy more than $200 billion a year in lost productivity, health costs, and property damage. In order to know how much alcohol you’re consuming, it’s good to understand how much goes into a drink you’re pouring for yourself. As there are many different kinds of malts, liquors and wines, it’s important to pay attention to the labels and serving sizes.
General Health
This critical developmental stage is where lifelong adult traits e.g., talents, reasoning and complex skills mature; however alcohol and in particular binge drinking may disrupt and interfere with this developmental process. Binge drinking—consuming excessive amounts of alcohol in short periods of time—is normalized in many social environments, especially among college students and adolescents. But binge drinking poses serious health risks, from alcohol poisoning to car accidents, and can often be a gateway to or a sign of alcohol addiction.
How can heavy drinking affect your health?
- Naltrexone is typically prescribed after detox has taken place to avoid unpleasant side effects such as nausea and vomiting.20 Keep in mind, however, that naltrexone is only one part of a comprehensive treatment plan for alcohol use disorder.
- Even if you’re just drinking some wine at home, your version of a pour may be more (or less) than the standard amount.
- Binge drinking makes it difficult to keep track of how inebriated you’re becoming until it’s too late.
- The answer depends on your sex, age, body mass, metabolism, the type of alcohol, and more.
- ” In short, the answer from current research is, the less alcohol, the better.
While there is no guaranteed safe amount of alcohol for anyone, general guidelines can help clinicians advise their patients and minimize the risks. Here, we will provide basic information about drink sizes, drinking patterns, and alcohol metabolism to help answer the question “how much is too much? ” In short, the answer from current research is, the less alcohol, the better. If you find it hard to stop drinking once you have started, you could also have a problem with binge drinking and possibly alcohol dependence.
