Binge Drinking

Definitions

Historically, "binge drinking" signified the consumption of large amounts of alcohol over extended periods (i.e., several days). The definition of binge drinking currently describes a shorter drinking episode (i.e., several hours) that raises a person's blood alcohol concentration high enough to result in intoxication (0.08). While this definition, proposed by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), indicates both time course and blood alcohol concentration, most research on binge drinking has not included either specifier. To approximate the amount of alcohol necessary to reach this level of intoxication, the NIAAA has defined a binge drinking episode as five drinks per drinking occasion for men and, to account for differences in body size and metabolism, four drinks for women. Similarly, adolescent research has encouraged decreasing the quantity to three drinks for adolescent girls. In the United Kingdom, binge drinking has been defined as eight or more units of alcohol per drinking episode for men and six or more for women.

Chronology

During adolescence and young adulthood, the majority (90%) of alcohol consumption is in the form of binge drinking. Recently, 11% of 8th graders, 30% of 12th graders, and 40% of college students reported binge drinking within the past 2 weeks to 1 month. These rates have been consistent for the past few decades. However, historically prevalent gender differences are no longer evident across adolescents and young adults. In terms of culture, Native Americans have the highest rates of binge drinking, followed by Caucasian, Hispanic/Latino, biracial/multiracial, Asian American, and African American students.

Around age 22, rates of binge drinking decline. Binge drinking has a low prevalence across adult samples (15%), with the lowest rates found among those age 55 years and above. Nevertheless, of the alcohol consumed by adults, in the United States approximately 75% is in the form of binge drinking. Almost half of all binge drinking episodes occur among adults with alcohol dependence. Of the non-heavy drinkers who engage in binge drinking, most do not have repeated episodes during their adult years.

Clinical Course

The majority of adolescents and young adults who engage in binge drinking do not face alcohol dependence during adulthood. In addition, most people who engage in binge drinking naturally reduce this behavior without formal intervention. However, adolescents and young adults who continue binge drinking into adulthood face a greater likelihood of developing alcohol dependence. Brief interventions, including motivational interviewing and harm reduction approaches, have been found to effectively catalyze reductions in binge drinking and related consequences across people of all age groups. Moreover, reductions in binge drinking achieved during adolescence and young adulthood have been found to have preventive effects during adulthood.

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