While not everyone drinks alcohol, significant numbers of people do so in amounts that can be considered binge drinking, which, for men, is consuming five or more standard drinks within two hours. For women, it is four or more drinks. This level of consumption can result in serious health and behavioural problems, accidents and worse.
Statistically, binge drinking is more common among young adults aged 18 to 34 years, but older drinkers aged 65 or over reportedly binge more often, an average of five or six times per month.
Data from the 2015 chief public health officer’s report tells us about the costs of alcohol consumption in Canada. For example, in 2002 there were 4,258 deaths related to alcohol abuse. Among psychoactive drugs, alcohol-related disorders were the top cause of hospitalizations in the country in 2011.
Another exceptional source of information is the McCreary Centre’s adolescent health survey. The 2013 report identified that 45 per cent of youth aged 12 to 19 had tried alcohol. Of the survey participants, more than six of 10 who had tried alcohol in the past had consumed it in the previous month.
The report also identified important factors surrounding alcohol consumption. For example, youth who reported never drinking alcohol said there was a lot of peer pressure to do so and it was considered abnormal among their peers to go to a party and not drink.
Questioned about what could be done about the issue, youth across several focus groups explained that while knowledge and awareness of alcohol consumption was growing, promoting abstinence was not an effective way to approach the issue.
When asked why some youth might binge drink, participants in the McCreary survey gave reasons similar to why they drank at all: peer pressure; to help cope with stress and adverse life circumstances; and not knowing their limits yet.
Binge drinking contributes to problems beyond a bad hangover. Getting drunk affects reflexes, judgement and behaviour and can lead to unintended consequences such as getting into a fight or having unwanted or unprotected sex, or forcing it on someone else.
Poor judgement can mean damaging social relationships, experiencing violence or behaving criminally.
Drinking too much too quickly can affect breathing, heart rate, body temperature and gag reflex and can potentially lead to a coma and death.
Long-term effects of repeated binge drinking include alcohol addiction, damaging the stomach, liver or brain and developing or worsening mental health problems such as depression; you can also add memory loss and blackouts to the list, and cancer. After smoking, drinking alcohol is the second biggest risk factor for cancers of the mouth and throat.
Managing alcohol consumption means choosing when to drink and how much. By knowing your limits and sticking to them, you won’t be pressured into consuming more than you want to.
Binge drinking is not new. When thinking back to your youth, you might be tempted to recall that it was all fine in your day. It probably wasn’t, but perhaps you blacked out and don’t remember?
Paul Martiquet is the medical health officer for the Sunshine Coast and Powell River.
