Binge Drinking

Binge has become a common term used to denote doing anything from watching several episodes of serial television in a row to engaging in health risk behaviors (e.g., eating a large amount of food or consuming a lot of alcohol) in a concentrated amount of time. Binge is an opposite of moderation. Whereas moderation in some health behaviors, like drinking wine or eating chocolate, may result in benign or even salutary outcomes, binge consumption presents a health risk.

Binge drinking, also called heavy episodic drinking, refers to consuming several (usually five or more) alcoholic beverages in a relatively short amount of time. Drinking this much alcohol in a short amount of time is especially a concern among young ...