Alcohol misuse
In the long term, high-intensity drinking can lead to chronic health issues such as liver disease, cardiovascular problems and neurological damage. “This study looked at average consumption, but we’re curious whether drinking one beer a day is better than drinking none during the week and then seven on the weekend,” Nave said. “There’s some evidence that binge drinking is worse for the brain, but we haven’t looked closely at that yet.” But most of these studies, according to the UPenn team, had been small, some were contradictory, and others poorly controlled. A 2022 study of more than 36,000 high-quality MRI brain scans found alcoholism treatment drinking four units of alcohol a day – two beers, or two glasses of wine – can cause structural damage and brain volume loss equivalent to 10 years of aging. The findings proved to be the tip of the iceberg for researchers looking at how alcohol affects our brain.
Short term
- After a single night of binge drinking, some of the short-term effects will go away.
- Heavy, long-term alcohol use can lead to alcoholic liver disease, which includes inflammation of the liver and cirrhosis.
- Binge drinking isn’t necessarily an indicator that you or a loved one has alcohol use disorder (also known as alcoholism), which is a dependency on alcohol consumption.
- This type of drinking behavior is prevalent among college students.
- In total, more than 85,000 deaths a year in the United States are directly attributed to alcohol use.
If you or a loved one is struggling with binge drinking or think you might be at risk for an alcohol use disorder, help is available today. Reach out 24/7 to American Addiction Centers at for a free, private consultation. AAC can answer your questions about everything from treatment types to insurance verification and can help you take your first steps toward recovery today. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly one in three Americans is an excessive drinker, and one in six binge drinks about four times a month.
- I was surprised to learn that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration defines low-risk drinking in females as imbibing no more than seven drinks over the course of a week but no more than four drinks in a sitting.
- For more information on how to address these issues, consider exploring links like how to stop binge drinking or the connection between alcohol and mental health, such as is there a connection between alcohol and depression?.
- Therefore, dissecting how pattern of drinking and type of alcoholic beverage contribute to overall outcomes is challenging.
- “Binge drinking places individuals at an increased risk for accidents, traumas, injuries, and social or legal issues,” says Jaffa.
- These changes could produce chronic and sustained activation of immune responses that, in turn, could lead to immune exhaustion and dysfunction.
- Researchers have found an association between a polyphenol in red wine called resveratrol and a reduced risk of heart disease, primarily due to its anti-inflammatory effects.
How to avoid the risks of binge drinking
High-intensity drinking is a growing concern due to its harmful effects on both physical and mental health. She founded Tribe Sober which enables people to change their relationship with alcohol. Tribe Sober is an international community which offers a membership program.
Alcohol Use in the United States: Age Groups and Demographic Characteristics
Binge drinking results in an elevated blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Even among the positive studies, potential health benefits are often quite small. In addition, alcohol may reduce the risk of binge drinking effects one condition (such as cardiovascular disease) while increasing the risk of another (such as cancer). So it’s hard to predict who might actually benefit and who may be harmed more than helped by alcohol consumption. And the balance of risk and benefit likely varies from person to person, based on individual factors such as genetics and lifestyle factors.
Women typically reach this level after about four drinks, and men after about five drinks in two hours. These effects can also impact the safety and well-being of people around you. Knowing what counts as one standard drink can help you figure out how much alcohol you drink and whether it would be considered excessive.