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What Do Parents Need To Know About Teenage Binge Drinking?
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Published: January 25, 2008
Your teenager is on her way out the door for a Saturday evening with friends. Would it surprise you to know that alcohol may be part of her plans?
Alcohol use in teens and even preteens is on the rise. In many cases, the drinking may be dangerously excessive. Binge drinking used to mean drinking heavily over a period of several days. Today, the definition is the consumption of five or more drinks in a row by men, or four or more consecutive drinks by women, at least once in the previous two weeks. Heavy binge drinking includes three or more such episodes in two weeks.
College students seem to be the most susceptible to binge drinking. Those teens are out of the house, living on their own for the first time and going to parties where alcohol is easily accessible. A 1997 Harvard study showed that two-fifths of college students were binge drinkers, and nearly 20 percent were frequent binge drinkers. Even more alarming is the number of binge drinkers among younger teens. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that almost half of junior high and high school students drink alcohol monthly, and of those who drink, 64 percent reported binge drinking.
The most common reason teens give for drinking is peer pressure. They want to be accepted and popular, and drinking is one way students can get caught up in the social scene. Other reasons include curiosity, wanting to feel good or to reduce stress.
Binge drinking can have life-threatening consequences. When someone drinks too much at one time, he or she can get alcohol poisoning. This can affect the body's involuntary reflexes, such as breathing and the gag reflex. A person can choke to death on his or her vomit. Other symptoms include confusion, vomiting, seizures and irregular breathing.
Binge drinking also can impair judgment. Your teen may drink and drive, or be more likely to take risks such as unprotected sex. While intoxicated he or she may become a more susceptible target for assault, rape or other crimes.
There are long-term health effects as well. Studies show that people who binge drink in high school are more likely to be overweight and have high blood pressure when they reach their 20s. They are also more likely to develop alcoholism. Studies show excessive alcohol use causes brain shrinkage, and alcoholism is the second leading cause of dementia.
What can you do to stop or prevent this from happening with your teen? Watch for signs that your teen may be drinking, including frequent waking at night, hanging around new friends, or a recent change in attitude or grades. Communication is key. Parents can help influence their kids' beliefs about the positive or negative effects of drinking. So, talk to your teen about the risks of alcohol use, particularly the consequences of binge drinking. In fact, talk to your younger kids as well. If they know about shrinking brains when they are 9 or 10, there's hope they will carry that knowledge with them when they are teenagers.
Dr. Weathers is an associate professor of General Pediatrics at USF Health.
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