The Risks of Being a Binge Drinker & How to Avoid Them
Binge drinking is strongly associated with college life. It’s common for students to drink a large amount in a single night without thinking much about it. However, if you’re consuming four to five drinks in a two-hour period, you could be at risk for various long-term health problems and could suffer other consequences.
Immediate Dangers
Drinking so much that you become cognitively impaired can put your safety at risk. For instance, you could have an accident due to a lack of balance. You may also suffer from sickness that lasts into the next day, impacting your capability to study, attend classes, or engage in other activities.Long-Term Health Risks
Regular binge drinking can put you at risk for several serious health conditions in the future. These include cancer, stroke, a suppressed immune system, liver disease, and malnutrition. You may also find that any health conditions you currently have become worse, particularly acid reflux and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In time, you could also suffer from serious digestive disorders.It’s not just your physical health that’s at risk when you binge drink, however. Although drinking can help you cope in the moment with mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, it ultimately makes these problems worse.
Other Consequences
Poor decision making can lead to various long-term consequences. If you or someone you’re with decides to drive, you could suffer a serious accident, hurting yourselves and perhaps also an innocent bystander. Alternatively, you may engage in other behaviors you’d never normally try, such as using other drugs or risky sexual activities. Impaired judgment makes these more likely than you may think.How to Avoid Binge Drinking
If you’re questioning whether you may be drinking too much, you likely should cut down. This is particularly true if alcohol is already affecting other aspects of your life. You may even be struggling to stop drinking on your own. In this case, the best thing to do is reach out to support services on campus or in your community. Working with a professional can help you develop a strategy to avoid binge drinking — or drinking entirely, if that’s what you need.You may also need to rethink some of your friendships. True friends will never pressure you to binge drink, especially if they know that drinking has become a problem for you. It’s important to find supportive people in your life, which may mean hanging out in different circles. Another option is to find activities that don’t involve any drinking as an alternative to parties — to separate yourself from all temptation.
Where you live can make a big difference to your lifestyle in college. Being around others who often binge drink may encourage you to do the same. One solution is to move into student rentals — Kingston, Ontario, students have Foundry Mack. You’ll be living in a community of students, but you’ll have your own private space. Choose between a room in a shared suite or your own apartment. Join our waitlist to reserve the floor plan you want.
