Binge drinking and the younger generation

What Is Binge Drinking

Binge drinking standsfor a procedure which involves getting drunk as fast as possible bydrinking as much alcoholic beverages as possible, usually until youblackout. This “ritual” became very popular with the youngergenerations of adults, who practice this too often for their healthand well being to be preserved. Binge drinking usually takes place ingroups of friends and acquaintances and has become a culturalphenomenon, spread world-wide. At the same time, it has become aglobal health issue, since this kind of drinking can havecatastrophic consequences both in the short and in the long run.

The Main Social Group of Binge Drinkers

Among all the people who engage inbinge drinking, young adults are a predominant group. Needless tosay, this activity can last for several hours, the whole night oreven several days and nights in a row. During this time, binge drinkers canendanger themselves and other people since they are prone to causingtraffic accidents, behaving violently, engaging into unprotectedsexual intercourse or committing acts of sexual abuse. Moreover,aggressive and violent behavior which usually accompanies the act ofbinge drinking can be a cause of many life-threatening issues.

College students are the most commoncategory of binge drinkers, indulging into this activity at leastonce a month, even though this usually happens more frequently, even on weekly basis.

However, binge drinkers are notaddicted to alcohol, nor can they be considered alcoholics, sincethey usually do not drink unless they binge drink occasionally. Themost common age group among college students are those who arebetween 18 and 21 years old.

Researches have shown that students whoindulge into binge drinking are more likely to drive in this statethan non-students of the same age. However, they usually fasten theirseat belts, even though this is hardly a compensation.

Nevertheless, binge drinking can be adoor to alcoholism, since the frequency of binge drinking canincrease, creating a habit and an addiction. Moreover, drugs areusually intertwined with binge drinking, thus creating a more complexproblem altogether.

All in all, binge drinking isdangerous, regardless of its timing and frequency. It is a dangerousact for both those who indulge into it and those who may beinfluenced by careless acts of intoxicated people. Therefore,prevention and drinking in moderation needs to be emphasized andalcohol control in colleges enhanced.