Dangers of high-intensity alcohol consumption compared to binge drinking explained

The dangers associated with excessive alcohol consumption are well known, but until recently most attention has focused on the consequences of binge drinking, in which a person consumes four or more drinks at once.

But lately, heavy drinking has come into the spotlight: a label for drinking behavior that’s even riskier and often associated with special occasions like holidays.

How is high-intensity drinking different from binge drinking?

Heavy drinking is a form of binge drinking. Binge drinking is defined as drinking to the point of intoxication, particularly four or more drinks for women and at least five drinks for men.

Heavy drinkers consume at least twice the binge drinking threshold on a single occasion: So a woman would have to consume eight alcoholic drinks and a man would have to drink ten alcoholic drinks to qualify.

“Whether you call it high-intensity drinking or binge drinking, consuming large amounts of alcohol in a short period of time is extremely dangerous,” said Karen Tyrell, CEO of the charity Drinkaware Newsweek.

A 2018 review of heavy drinking found that the practice is most common among young people – particularly students – and typically peaks in their early 20s.

Why is excessive drinking dangerous?

“Our bodies can only process about one unit of alcohol per hour – even less for some people,” Tyrell said. “If you drink a lot quickly, the amount of alcohol in your bloodstream can cause your body to not function properly.

“This puts you at serious risk of accidents, alcohol poisoning and other short- and long-term health problems. Don’t do it.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 178,000 people die each year in the United States from excessive alcohol consumption.

Studies have shown that people who drink heavily are more likely to drive drunk, injure themselves while drunk, get into physical altercations, get arrested, end up in the emergency room, engage in risky sexual behavior, vomit and pass out, pass out, and die suffering from alcohol poisoning.

In alcohol poisoning, the level of alcohol in the blood causes damage to internal organs and can affect breathing and heart rate.

A 2017 study estimated that someone who drank three times the binge drinking threshold (12 to 15 drinks or more) would reach blood alcohol concentrations greater than 0.3 percent.

In a report of nearly 700 people who died from alcohol poisoning, the average blood alcohol concentration was 0.36 percent.

Why are we talking about high-intensity drinking now?

Studies have shown that heavy drinking is more common during special occasions and holidays, especially those celebrated with friends, such as New Year’s Eve.

Research from the University of Southern California published in November found that levels of heavy drinking increased significantly during the pandemic – by 20 percent from 2018 to 2020 – and remained elevated in the years following the pandemic.

While men and young people are consistently associated with heavy drinking, this new study suggests a sharp increase in heavy drinking among adults in their 40s.

Another November study, this time from Florida Atlantic University, found that alcohol-related death rates more than doubled between 1999 and 2000, with the biggest increase among 25- to 34-year-olds.

Men remained the most likely to die from alcohol-related causes, but women were 2.5 times more likely to die, and the Midwest saw the largest regional increase.

Is there a health problem that concerns you? Do you have a question about alcohol? Let us know at [email protected]. We can ask experts for advice and your story could be featured in Newsweek.

References

Hingson, RW, Zha, W, White, AM (2017). Alcohol Use Beyond Binge Drinking: Predictors, Consequences, and Changes in the United States, Am J Previous Med. 52(6):717-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2017.02.014

Matarazzo, A., Hennekens, CH, Dunn, J., Benson, K., Willett, Y., Levine, RS, Mejia, MC, Kitsantas, P. (2024). Emerging clinical and public health challenges: Increasing trends in alcohol-related mortality in the United States, The American Journal of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2024.10.024

Ayyala-Somayajula D, Dodge JL, Leventhal AM, Terrault NA, Lee BP (2024). Alcohol Consumption Trends Following the COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Cross-Sectional Study, Annals of Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.7326/ANNALS-24-02157

Hingson, RW, Zha, W, White, AM (2017). Drinking Beyond Binge Drinking: Predictors, Consequences, and Changes in the United States, American Journal of Preventive Medicine 52(6). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2017.02.014

Patrick, M.E., Azar, B. (2018). high-intensity drinking, Current reviews of alcohol research, 39(1).