Binge drinking is most common among younger adults aged 18–34 years, but more than half of the total binge drinks are consumed by those aged 35 and older. Binge drinking is twice as common among men than among women. Four in five total binge drinks are consumed by men.

Among racial and ethnic groups, White youth generally had the highest prevalence of alcohol use, followed by Hispanics. African Americans had significantly lower levels of alcohol use compared with Whites or Hispanics across all grade levels (Johnston et al. 2003a).

In 2019, 34.8 percent of males between 18 and 25 year claimed to have binged on alcohol in the past month. Alcoholism refers to problems with alcohol and often refers to alcohol addiction.

Binge drinking in college can lead to many immediate and delayed consequences, such as untended pregnancy, violence and cancer. Some of binge drinking’s undesirable effects include unintentional injuries such as car crashes, falls, or burns. They can also lead to cancer of the liver, breast, colon, and more.

The most popular alcoholic beverage among college students was not beer, but instead was hard liquor. Though the survey didn’t break out whether they preferred drinking it straight or mixed in cocktails, a whopping 61 percent of college students prefer liquor over beer, at 13 percent.

Other reasons why people drink include: They’re curious — they want to know what it’s like to drink alcohol. They believe that it will make them feel good, not realizing it could just as easily make them sick and hung-over.

Alcohol poisoning signs and symptoms include:

• Confusion.
• Vomiting.
• Seizures.
• Slow breathing (less than eight breaths a minute)
• Irregular breathing (a gap of more than 10 seconds between breaths)
• Blue-tinged skin or pale skin.
• Low body temperature (hypothermia)
• Passing out (unconsciousness) and can’t be awakened.

Regular, heavy drinking interferes with chemicals in the brain that are vital for good mental health. So while we might feel relaxed after a drink, in the long run alcohol has an impact on mental health and can contribute to feelings of depression and anxiety, and make stress harder to deal with.

A 2009 study found that daily drinking was worse for the liver than occasional binge drinking. However, that study did not consider the many other physical effects that binge drinking has on the body.

Heavy drinking – even binging one or two nights a week – is harmful for your health, according to Dr. Bulat. Consequences like liver damage, blood pressure issues along with vomiting and seizures from excessive drinking can all occur if you consume too much.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, drinking is considered to be in the moderate or low-risk range for women at no more than three drinks in any one day and no more than seven drinks per week. For men, it is no more than four drinks a day and no more than 14 drinks per week.

The U.S. Dietary Guidelines say moderate alcohol consumption is OK, which means having up to 1 drink per day for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men.

Young people are at greater risk of alcohol-related harm than adults. As the brain keeps developing into the mid-twenties, drinking alcohol as a teenager can greatly increase the risk of damage to the developing brain. It can also lead to problems with alcohol later in life.

Drinking is more harmful to teens than adults because their brains are still developing throughout adolescence and well into young adulthood. Drinking during this critical growth period can lead to lifelong damage in brain function, particularly as it relates to memory, motor skills (ability to move) and coordination.