Binge drinking can lead to alcohol poisoning.
Binge drinking occurs when an individual consumes large amounts of alcohol over a short period of time. When a male drinks five or more drinks in succession or a female drinks four or more in a row at least once during the previous 14 days, this is considered binge drinking, according to the Kids' Health website. A person --- no matter what the age --- can be considered a binge drinker if she's had three or more such events in a period of two weeks. Binge drinking is also described as deliberately setting out to get drunk.
Curiosity and Peer Pressure
Teenagers drink for a lot of reasons, notes Kids' Health. They're curious or they want to feel older and act cool. Kids think alcohol will make them feel good, although they are not factoring in how awful they are going to feel the next day. Alcohol gives them false confidence and bravado. They may feel peer pressure to drink. Teenagers are influenced by their peers when it comes to drinking and drug use, notes the Drinking Problem website. Drinking is a way to reduce stress, although it ends up creating more stress for the teenager when he gets caught, in a car wreck, arrested or is horribly hung over.
Copying
Research indicates that binge drinking may be the outcome of "copying" behavior or "imitation" behavior among teenagers. This type of behavior seems to be spreading, notes Paul Ormerod of Durham University's Institute of Advanced Study and Volterra Consulting UK. Girls seem to be engaging in this practice as much as boys.
Perceptions
Teenagers may have skewed perceptions about what others drink. A teen may think that his friends drink more than he does, which is his way of justifying the amount he is drinking, but that's not necessarily true. He may be drinking far more than his peers. This is a misconception that prevents the teen from acknowledging that he is drinking in excess.
Consequences
According to the Learn About Alcoholism website, more than 5,000 teenagers are killed each year in alcohol-related incidents. The maturing brains of teenagers can be damaged when drinking massive quantities of alcohol. Teenage binge drinkers are 60 percent more likely to become dependent on alcohol and 70 percent more likely to drink heavily later in life than those who did not binge drink at the age of 16, according to the Science Daily website. They are also 40 percent more likely to have mental health problems and 40 percent more likely to use illegal drugs. Additionally, they were 60 percent more likely to be homeless and had nearly double the risk of criminal convictions of those who were not binge drinkers.
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