Binge drinking remains a problem on campuses and while the immediate concern of what happens when you lose control and all its implications is important, many students are unaware of the long-term health implications.
In the era of gender equality, it is noted that the rates for women have increased but men still remain the majority of binge drinkers.
So what constitutes a binge? While there are varied definitions one includes having 5 or more drinks at a time.
The pattern is usually not to drink during the week, then drink many on the weekend.
Binge drinking is more common in college students than non-college students. The reasons are thought to be that students are mostly unmarried people without a partner to reign them in, there is no parental control and easy access as many of their peers are of legal age.
There are nearly 1,700 alcohol related deaths a year among students and binge drinking contributes to low marks, vandalism, and violence, including rape
But what about the long term consequences? Most students are unaware that binge drinking can lead to heart disease in later life. Binge drinking is also neurotoxic.
Research shows that students age 18 to 25 years old have the highest rates of binge drinking episodes, with more than half engaging in binge drinking on a regular basis. Previous research has shown binge drinking among adults age 40 to 60 years old is associated with an increase in risk for stroke, sudden cardiac death and heart attack, but the effect on younger adults has not been emphasized.
However research previously looking at those who had a history of binge drinking and those who abstained from alcohol (defined as consuming five or more standard size drinks (12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, 1.5 ounces of 80 proof spirits or 8-9 ounces of malt liquor) in a two-hour period for males and four or more standard size drinks in a two-hour period for females) showed that the bingers had vascular changes in the two main cell types (endothelium and smooth muscle) that control blood flow.
These vascular changes were equivalent to impairment found in individuals with a lifetime history of daily heavy alcohol consumption and can be a precursor for developing atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, and other cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke.
