Binge drinking
What is binge drinking? The British Medical Association describes it as:
heavy drinking over an evening or similar time span – sometimes also referred to as heavy episodic drinking. Binge drinking is often associated with drinking with the intention of becoming intoxicated and, sometimes, with drinking in large groups.
The effects of binge drinking can be as follows:
Binge drinking and severe intoxication can cause muscular incoordination, blurred vision, stupor, hypothermia, convulsions, depressed reflexes, respiratory depression, hypotension and coma. Death can occur from respiratory or circulatory failure or if binge drinkers inhale their own vomit.
It seems that having one binge drinking session in your life can do more harm than regular binge drinking sessions.
Why am I talking about this? I’m a binge drinker, and have been since my university days. However, since I started working, I don’t get the opportunity to go binge drinking as often. This means that when I do get the opportunity, the effects are greater. Take last night for example; I drank about six or seven double Barcardi and Cokes. This morning, I passed out at work for about 15 seconds. That was scary. It’s never happened before.
Note to self: do not binge drink. It’s not worth it.
I’ve decided to change my drinking habits now; I’ve learnt my lesson. I will drink in moderation from now on. It’s not really worth getting so pissed, especially as you just feel terrible the morning after.
Tags: Health
December 5th, 2006 at 5:58 pm
six or seven double Barcardi and Cokes?! Bloody hell, that is a LOT.
“Men should drink no more than 21 units of alcohol per week (and no more than four units in any one day).”
Six double Barcardi = about 12 units of alcohol
Seven double Barcardi = about 14 units of alcohol
You’re way more than 4 in a day. I’m surprised you could drink that much too…I get a bit tipsy after a single bottle of beer, mind you I hardly drink, ie a bottle of beer once a week or month, depending on if I have any around.
So I applaud you on being open about it and letting people be aware that the danger can strike anyone, including yourself.
I do wonder – BEFORE you had that 15 sec of passing out – you’ve obviously seen the adverts about danger of binge drinking etc…did you think to self that it won’t affect you, after all you are still quite young, healthy etc?
Goes to show it can happen to anyone – one shouldn’t assume because they are young and healthy and fit, it won’t affect them.
December 5th, 2006 at 9:15 pm
Thanks for your comment, Joe. I’ve been analysing myself since the incident this morning, and I think the reason I’ve continued to binge drink is because a part of me didn’t want to let go of uni days. Going out and getting pissed happened a lot more often than it does now in those days.
I’ve now accepted that I need to grow up and stop holding onto the past. I’m a happily married bloke now, soon to be a qualified solicitor and will be moving away from the Big Smoke. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, so why do I need to binge drink?
December 6th, 2006 at 3:22 pm
I think its just a British culture,
they don’t know how to have a good time without a drink
December 11th, 2006 at 9:06 pm
Food for thoughts Rob,
imagine you had that 15 seconds of passing out not in the office, but perhaps while you are driving at 70mph on a busy M4 going home to Wales from London…
(I’m assuming that you’re driving here even though you take the train)
I thought of that because of what my wife went though. She was driving on the M1 in NI, overtook a car that was starting to increasingly weave around on the road so thought she’ll be safer in front rather than behind it. She took a quick peek and it turns out that the bloke in the car that’s weaving had fallen asleep suddenly or something.
So she stayed in front, and beeped the horn for quite a while and luckily it woke the bloke up. Although it felt like ages for my wife really it all lasted less than 10 seconds.
The road wasn’t very busy at that time. Now imagine it happening to you, obviously for that 15 seconds, that’s a long way to be not in control of a fast car.
I only say that to encourage your path to good health
December 16th, 2006 at 11:56 pm
Gulp
January 1st, 2007 at 9:06 am
[...] 3) Cut down on binge drinking (see my earlier post); and [...]