When it comes to alcohol, do you know your limits?
If your glass of wine at dinner regularly turns into two or three, you may want to ease up. More than 38 million U.S. adults binge drink — defined as five or more drinks for men and four-plus drinks for women within a two-hour period — about four times per month. “Binge drinking is a key public health problem when it comes to excessive alcohol abuse,” says Dr. Bob Brewer, epidemiologist and lead of the alcohol program in the division of adult and community health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Consider these immediate and long-term health risks:
Heart disease
Maybe it isn’t on your radar now, but heart disease is one health risk of binge drinking. Brewer says there’s a clear relationship between the amount of alcohol you consume and your blood pressure. Alcoholic cardiomyopathy — or the weakening of the heart muscles, which can lead to congestive heart failure — can even develop in 20- and 30-somethings as a result of binge drinking, according to Dr. Geoffrey Kane, chair of the medical scientific committee at the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.
Cancer
Long-term binge drinking may also increase your risk for developing certain cancers, such as those of the mouth, esophagus, throat, liver and breast. “Alcohol is a known carcinogen for things in the head and neck area,” says Aaron White, senior scientific adviser to the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The National Institute of Health also reports that alcohol and tobacco in concert may be responsible for 80 percent of throat and mouth cancers in men and 65 percent of throat and mouth cancers in women.
Brain damage
Alcohol is known to impair speech, slow reaction time, blur vision and even make walking difficult after a few drinks. Binge drinking, however, can also have an insidious impact on the developing brain for years to come, White explains. “Because the brain is changing, alcohol can theoretically interact with those changes. These could be effects that impact the brain function in significant ways,” he says, adding that the brain of a person in their 20s is especially vulnerable to long-term memory loss and an inability to learn new skills.
Alcohol use disorder
“Alcohol is a mood-changing substance that promotes dopamine release,” says Kane, who’s also chief of addiction services at the Brattleboro Retreat in Vermont. People with risk factors such as childhood trauma, mental illness and family violence have a greater chance of developing an alcohol use disorder — often referred to as alcoholism — or an addiction. According to the Mayo Clinic, signs of a disorder include problems controlling drinking, a fixation with alcohol, continuous use despite negative mental and physical effects and signs of withdrawal when attempting to quit. “Statistically, the earlier a person starts binge drinking, the greater the likelihood of them developing an alcohol use disorder,” White says.
Pregnancy and STDs
Binge drinking can lead to impulsive and poor decisions when it comes to intimacy, White explains: “When you’re sober, you’d say, ‘Of course I’d use protection,’ but in the moment, it’s easy to make a poor choice.” Binge drinkers are also more likely to drink while pregnant. The CDC reports that about one-third of women who drink alcohol during pregnancy binge drink, despite warnings that even small amounts of alcohol can cause fetal alcohol syndrome, leading to developmental, cognitive and behavioral problems. The syndrome can also cause children to have difficulties with coordination, controlling emotions, completing school work, socializing with peers and even holding a steady job later in life.
Alcohol poisoning
Would you recognize the symptoms of alcohol poisoning, which is caused by drinking large amounts in a short period? They include confusion, vomiting, seizures, slow or irregular breathing, a bluish or pale skin tone and unconsciousness. “This is a very preventable cause of death in binge drinking,” Brewer says, adding that alcohol poisoning was responsible for approximately 2,200 deaths each year, or six deaths per day, from 2010 to 2012. Most people who die from alcohol poisoning are white men ages 35 to 64, according to the CDC.
Injuries
Brewer says binge drinking greatly increases the risk of getting hurt or hurting others due to car crashes, drowning, violence and suicide. The CDC reports that binge drinking is responsible for 80,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. The more you drink, the greater the risk for injury or death, White says, adding that “your risk for injury is not zero with one drink. It goes up with each drink.” If you do choose to drink, do so in moderation.
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7 Health Risks of Binge Drinking You Can’t Ignore originally appeared on usnews.com
