USI » Counseling Center » Binge Drinking

Binge Drinking

What is binge drinking?
A person is "binge drinking" any time she/he consumes five or more drinks in a row. A drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer (five percent alcohol), five ounces of wine (12 percent alcohol), nine ounces of wine cooler (4 percent alcohol), or 1-1/2 ounces of 80 proof liquor (40 percent alcohol). Binge drinking is drinking to get drunk. It's drinking as much as possible, as fast as possible. People who drink to get drunk may have a serious alcohol problem.

Protect yourself from binge drinking!
Binge drinking can be deadly and is especially dangerous for young people who may ignore or be unaware of the dangers. Binge drinking can lead to alcohol poisoning, car accidents, unprotected sex, violence, serious injury, and death. Alcohol enters the bloodstream quickly and reaches the brain in minutes; it is slowly broken down by the liver. Drinking faster than your body can process the alcohol causes alcohol poisoning which leads to unconsciousness, may stop respiration and can kill you!

The Four Stages of Intoxication
1. emotional changes-erratic behavior, loss of control.
2. confusion-disorientation, double vision, staggering, exaggerated fear, anger, etc.
3. in a stupor-unable to walk or stand, near paralysis, vomiting, incontinence, passing out.
4. in a coma-completely unconscious, at risk of death from respiratory paralysis.

e-CHUG
e-CHUG (electronic Check-Up to Go) is a brief assessment and personalized feedback tool that allows you to enter information about your drinking behavior and receive feedback about your use of alcohol. This self-guided assessment takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. After completion of the assessment, you will receive information and an explanation of your results. If you are concerned about or interested in receiving feedback about your drinking, you can access the online assessment by following the link below:

e-CHUG

Remember: Drinking Games Can Kill!
Drinking a large amount of alcoholic beverages in a short amount of time puts you in immediate danger. You can move through the four stages of intoxication very quickly. Playing drinking games is a risk to your life. Any use of alcohol is dangerous, but binge drinking is much more likely to put you at risk for permanent brain damage and death. There's never a good reason for binge drinking. In fact, there are many good reasons not to drink at all. Not drinking is the only sure way to prevent binge drinking and other alcohol related problems.

8600 University Boulevard - Evansville, IN 47712-3596 - 812/464-8600