Approximately 90 percent of the alcohol consumed by youth younger than age 21 in the U.S. is in the form of binge drinking, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although many teenagers indulge in binge drinking to have fun, they may not understand that it can turn dangerous quickly. Injuries, accidents, violence, alcohol poisoning and even death are just a few things that may result from binge drinking. Although teenagers often feel invincible and don't believe these things would happen to them, proper education about binge drinking may help them see that there could be serious consequences for their actions.
Definition
Men who drink more than five drinks consecutively and women who drink more than four drinks consecutively at least once during a two-week period, are guilty of binge drinking, according to KidsHealth.org. Doing this three or more times in two weeks is considered heavy binge drinking.
Causes
Teenagers may decide to binge drink for many reasons. Some may feel pressured by their friends to drink, or binge drink to fit in with their peers. Others may simply be curious about what it feels like, or think drinking would be fun or make them feel older.
Risk Factors
Although there is no way to predict if or when a teenager will indulge in binge drinking, there are a number of factors that may put a teenager at risk. Certain types of personalities and behaviors may predict teenage binge drinking, including antisocial behavior, poor self-regulation skills, a tendency towards anxiety or depression and shyness. Family dynamics also may play a role into a child's risk for underage binge drinking. Teenagers that have parents who have not always responded well to the teenager's emotional and physical needs may be at a greater risk than other teenagers.
Adolescent Developmental Factors
Although there are risks associated with binge drinking despite a person's age, adolescents have specific developmental factors that may put them particularly at risk. The brain of a teenager is not the same as that of an adult. The portion of the brain that rules emotions matures early in adolescence, but the portion responsible for self-regulation and decision-making develops much more gradually. This discrepancy may contribute to the risk-taking behavior that is common during the teenage years. In addition, the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) indicates that adolescents may be less sensitive to the negative effects of alcohol, such as hangovers, physical impairment and sleepiness, but are more sensitive to the way drinking can ease social situations. If teenagers feel less of the negative effects of alcohol but more of the positive ones, it may make them more inclined to consume more drinks per drinking occasion, explains the NIAAA.
Effects
Alcohol poisoning is one of the most serious effects of teenage binge drinking. The symptoms of alcohol poisoning may include extreme confusion, vomiting, slow or irregular bleeding, bluish or pal skin, low body temperature and coma or the inability to be awakened. Alcohol poisoning may also cause death.
Cognitive deficits and alterations in brain activity and structure has also been linked to binge drinking in adolescence, explains the NIAAA. While it's not clear if the binge drinking caused these alterations or if the alterations contributed to the teenagers' tendency to drink, it has been shown that adolescents are more vulnerable than adults to alcohol-related effects on memory and that they may be more vulnerable than adults to brain damage from binge drinking.
Teenagers who binge drink in their late adolescence are also more likely to be diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder (AUD) later in life than those that do not, the NIAAA states. Drug dependence, antisocial behavior and depression in later life may also be associated with teenage binge drinking, although this link have not yet been proven conclusively yet.
Other effects of teenage binge drinking may include an increased risk of injuries and accidents, sexual behavior, violence and legal problems.
