Bonus Worksheet 6: Student Activity

The Realities of Binge Drinking

Binge Drinking: No Laughing Matter

In the movies, people who are drinking are often shown throwing up or passing out, usually for humorous effect. These symptoms often occur when someone drinks a lot of alcohol at one time, or engages in binge drinking. The realities of binge drinking are, however, no laughing matter.

Binge drinking is defined as “a pattern of drinking alcohol that brings blood alcohol concentration to 0.08 gram percent or above. For the typical adult, this pattern corresponds to consuming 5 or more drinks (male) or 4 or more drinks (female) in about 2 hours.” ¹

Binge drinking creates extreme risks. The effects of alcohol on the brain may cause a binge drinker to have trouble making decisions, and they may engage in risky behavior. People who binge drink may experience blackouts where they can’t remember what happened over a period of time. Having too many drinks at one time can also cause alcohol poisoning, potentially resulting in a coma or even death.

Since young people weigh less than most adults, it takes less alcohol for them to experience alcohol poisoning. There also are differences between men and women. When a woman drinks, the alcohol in her bloodstream typically reaches a higher level than a man’s, even if both are drinking the same amount.²

Binge drinking at any age is dangerous. Research has shown that although teenagers don’t drink as often as adults, they tend to take part in binge drinking more often than adults.³

^1. NIAAA, Alcohol Alert, no. 73, October 2007. http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA73/AA73.htm.
^2. NIAAA, Alcohol Alert, no. 62, July 2004. http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA62/AA62.htm.
^3. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, The Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General, 2007. http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/underagedrinking/calltoaction.pdf.

Name: __________________________________

1. Why do you think teenagers may binge drink more often than adults? ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

2. Why might having several drinks on one occasion affect a teenager differently than it does an adult? ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

3. What are some of the dangers of binge drinking? ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

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