What is ‘Binge drinking?’

Binge drinking is a commonly used term that has no clear meaning. It differs in its medical and social usage from drinking to drunkenness, drinking five or more drinks in quick succession, or on one drinking occasion. Size of drinks vary from country to country ,too.

In terms of alcohol misuse it may be useful to describe harmful patterns of drinking as ‘drinking to drunkenness ‘ or going out with the intention of getting drunk’ as well as tracking the number of drinks consumed, time frame and context. The World Health Organisation has defined binge drinking as drinking six or more standard drinks during one drinking occasion

Whatever the definition, drinking to drunkenness and repeatedly subjecting the brain to the effects of withdrawal from the presence of large doses of alcohol i.e. having what people would term drinking ‘binges’, could damage brain cells even more than continuous drinking^.