Binge Drinking can be seen in many different ways. Some people define it as consuming alcohol with the direct intent of becoming drunk in a short amount of time. The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA) defines binge drinking as a pattern of consuming alcohol that brings an individual’s blood alcohol concentration to a level of 0.08 or above.

Normally, this would mean that a man would have to consume about 5 or more drinks, while a woman would need to have 4 or more drinks within a 2-hour time frame. Studies show that most people who binge drink are not alcohol dependent.

There are several side effects associated with binge drinking including:

• Alcohol poisoning (which can lead to death)
• STDs (sexually transmitted diseases)
• Neurological damage
• Newborns with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)
• Liver Disease
• Stroke
• High blood pressure
• Cardiovascular disease

National surveys report that over 90% of adults in the United States who drink excessively have reported binge drinking within the past 30 days. Nearly 75% of the alcohol consumed by adults in the U.S. is in the form of binge drinking. Currently, binge drinking in the United States is most prominent in the 18- to 20-year-old group.

In the past, binge drinking was usually defined as spending several consecutive days drinking.

Increasing the cost of alcohol and taxes on alcohol is just one of the several potential solutions for binge drinking within the United States.  There are also a number of individual counseling approaches, such as motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral approaches, that have been shown to reduce drinking among college students who drink heavily.