unaware of its dangers and impacts. A common misconception about binge drinking is the
amount of drinking required for the occasion to be considered a “binge”. Binge drinking is
generally defined as five or more drinks for men on one occasion (about two hours) and about
four drinks in the same time span for women (“Binge Drinking - Know the Dangers and Risks
Involved”). The other major misconception is that the majority of binge drinkers participate in
this action during their younger years. The fact is that 70 percent of binge drinking episodes
occur in individuals ages 26 and older, although there is an increased danger for those who binge
drink at a younger age(1). Binge drinking today is an overlooked problem that affects many
people who are not aware of its presence, which is its most dangerous trait.
History
Alcohol has been around since long before the coming of Christ. Around six thousand
BCE, fermentation was experimented with for a version of the alcoholic beverage commonly
known as wine (“History of Alcohol Use”). Gradually, alcoholic beverages were refined and
became a common trade good across Asia and Europe (1). In these early days, trade was
prevalent in two main forms, by boat across the Mediterranean Sea, and by cart across the Silk
Road. While alcohol existed, it had a far different reputation than it does today. Alcohol use was
often seen as a medical treatment, or used in religious ceremony across numerous religions.
While warnings against excessive alcohol use are seen in ancient Greek literature, serious
alcohol abuse was first noticed in England, around 1550 AD (Alcohol: A Short History)
( “History of Alcohol Use”). Consequently, around 1550 AD in England, drunkenness was first
referred to as a crime (“History of Alcohol Use”). In those days, heavy drinkers were seen as
hopeless and looked down upon. This can be related to two main factors, the prevalence of strict
religion and the lack of knowledge on the effects of alcohol. When faced with a substance that
seems to alter the way people act and think, many people would feel a negative connotation
toward the idea of freely using alcohol. Also, the general population did not understand that
alcoholics were medically addicted, and could not help themselves.
Since alcoholism was chastised, there were not many medical advances and studies until
more recently (“History of Alcoholism”). Around 1750, “sobriety circles” were created by
Native American groups that recognized how drinkers needed help, and provided camaraderie
and a team for people who needed assistance (1). More advanced rehab facilities came in the
year 1879, when Dr. Leslie Keeley announced that he believed alcoholism was a medical
disease, and that it took special treatment to cure (1). In 1920, the United States government
took action on the problem, with a practically cold turkey quit for everyone. The 18th
amendment, commonly called prohibition, made it illegal to buy or sell alcoholic beverages.
While a small amount of alcohol was allowed to be produced at home, there were restrictions
that people found very hard to abide by. Due to dependency and the general love for alcohol,
“speakeasies” and hidden distilleries created a huge black market sale of alcohol. Soon, the
American government had so many problems that they were practically forced to repeal
prohibition with the 21st amendment in 1933. The government not only hoped to stop the heavy
increase of black market crimes, but to also provide jobs and tax money to the desperate U.S.
economy. Since then, the government has supported the behavior of responsible thinking by
showing various presidents holding drinks and making toasts with alcoholic beverages
(O’Brien). Today, many different views of alcohol consumption can be seen throughout the
media and internet, and a plethora of information is available to everyone.
There are many stories of binge drinking that are available to us, including testimonies
that are far from what one might expect. One example of this is the testimony by a mother of her
tragic loss of her daughter, Ali (Quartaro). Her story is greatly disheartening, explaining how Ali
was a freshmen honors student in college on a business scholarship, and then suddenly was
struck down by alcohol poisoning (1). Stories like this can be found with relative ease, but the
difference was the reaction that her mother had to the event. Instead of condemning all alcohol
use and developing a hatred for college parties, she held the position for moving the minimum
drinking age down to 18 years old (1). Her position is surprising and unique, considering her
circumstances. The general reasoning behind lowering the drinking age is to encourage
responsibility with alcohol, and to make it less of a taboo idea to young adults.
On the other hand, some stories are told by the binge drinking victim themself. For
example, Hanna Lottritz tells her story of a binge drinking experience at a concert, which
resulted in an air lift to the nearest hospital (Tempesta). She explains how her friends saved her
life by finding her help, and became more aware of the true dangers of binge drinking (1). She
claims that after the fact, she does not wish for people to shun all alcohol use, but rather just
refrain from binge drinking (1).
Sixteen year old Scott Roberts was not so lucky, with a blood-alcohol content of about
0.1 percent less than Hanna, which is about 75% of Hanna’s level (Larsen). The main
difference? His friends failed to find help soon enough. Since they were so much younger than
the legal drinking age, they were afraid to get in trouble with their parents and the law. If they
had called for help right away, their friend might have survived. Studies show that nausea may
appear in a BAC as low as .16% and unconsciousness may appear around .3% (“Effects at
Specific BAC”). While comas do not tend to set in until around .3% to .4%, the danger comes
much sooner (1). The main danger binge drinkers have is attempting to let others “sleep it off”.
When severely impaired by alcohol, drinkers seem to feel tired and in a daze, and often want to
go to sleep while intoxicated. While the person is sleeping, their BAC can continue to rise,
depending on the length of time since their last drink, and the potency of the beverage. While
the person is asleep, they still run the risk of vomiting, which is the secret killer of many binge
drinking episodes. If the person is lying on their back when they vomit, the vomit may sit in
their mouth, and they may unconsciously choke on it and die. This was the Scott Roberts’ killer,
due to his friends’ failure to find help and lack of education on the risks of binge drinking.
Additionally, many other hidden dangers are incorporated in serious binge drinking, including
motor vehicle deaths. In total, about 1800 college students die from various causes every year
(“College Drinking”). Most alcohol related deaths consist of vehicle deaths, alcohol poisoning,
and liver failure. College is a very dangerous place for alcohol use, because it is often seen as a
competition, and students fail to see the differences in alcohol tolerances. Factors that affect
alcohol tolerance include gender, body size, type and amount of food recently eaten, amount of
water consumed, sun exposure, time in which drinks are consumed, and the amount of drinks
that the individual has previously consumed. When students compete in binge drinking, they fail
to see that it is natural for people to have different tolerance levels, and that it is not a test of
toughness. In the United States, about 88,000 people die a year from alcohol-related deaths
(“Alcohol Facts and Statistics”). Granted, this number does not necessarily show the effect of
binge drinking, and the realm of “alcohol-related deaths” could be quite wide. Nevertheless, it
showcases the true consequences of consuming alcohol in any fashion.
Solutions
Although binge drinking is a prevalent problem today, it has decreased significantly over
the past couple decades (“How to Stop Binge Drinking”). Many Solutions exist, some more
effective than others. One solution aimed at young people is a text- based reminder system (1).
The binge drinkers were sent a text every Thursday night inquiring about the person’s drinking
plans for the weekend, then every Sunday as a follow up for what actually happened (1). After
six months, the testers experienced on average 12% less drinking episodes, and 1 less binge
drinking day per month (1). It would be interesting to see how the trend would continue if the
texts had not stopped. Would they drink even less? Become immune to the texts and go back to
their habits? We do not know, but the interesting characteristic of this solution is that it can be
done by friends and family members. Often times, someone who needs an intervention does not
live with or near their loved ones, so it can be hard for them to remember why they need to stop.
With this system, they can be constantly reminded that someone cares about their health and is
there to help them.
Another prevention tactic is geared toward underage binge drinking on college campuses.
At Frostburg State University in Maryland, campus officials have done a number of things to
make it harder for underage students to get alcohol (Ludden). Of these strategies included
allowing campus police to patrol off campus, training bar tenders to spot fake ID’s, and
reminding students about local laws on underage drinking and open containers (1). These
precautions are not aimed at arresting underage drinkers, but more geared toward preventing
drinking to the extent that the students prevent other crimes, or hurt themselves or others (1).
According to FSU, the percentage of students who binge drink once every two weeks has fallen
from 57% to 41%, proving the success of the new strategies (1). One of the major benefits of
this prevention technique is that it does not lead to an increase of arrests, just an increase of
safety. Since college students are not getting punished any more than they were before, they tend
to cooperate more with the new measures.
Another more personalized option is the use of traditional screening and brief
interventions (SBI) or electronic screening and brief interventions (e-SBI) tactics (“Alcohol –
Excessive Consumption: Electronic Screening and Brief Interventions (e-SBI)”). Both of these
processes involve the problem drinker giving information about their recent drinking to a
consultant, who then processes the information and gives a personalized response with that
specific person’s dangers and risks (1). In traditional screening, the client talks to a consultant
face-to-face, while in electronic screening, the drinker communicates through online connections
(1). The results for this e-SBI show that the median frequency of binge drinking episodes in
excessive drinkers dropped by 16.5%, and a decrease of peak alcohol consumption of 23.9% (1).
The beauty of this tactic is that it provides personal suggestions and feedback. Sometimes with
general facts and observations, drinkers may believe that their habits are not as severe as they
truly are. With personalized feedback, the drinker is confronted up front, and there is no dispute
about whether or not the information applies to him. The other advantageous factor of this tactic
is the fact that the intervention is brief. The client does not have to go through a program or
counseling that would leave him feeling like he has something wrong with his psyche. With the
brief interventions, the client can feel more like he is helping himself with the brief suggestions,
and not like a hopeless soul who needs serious outside intervention. Because e-SBI is so userfriendly,
it can also be used by those that are simply curious about their health and alcohol habits.
They can simply send in their information, and receive a personal response that may influence
them even if they do not have a serious problem.
Occasionally, heavy binge drinkers become physically dependent on alcohol, forming
into alcoholics. These people cannot simply quit “cold turkey,” because doing so would lead to
potentially harmful withdrawal symptoms. In our world today, many people tend to not see
alcohol as a dangerous substance, when it is in fact a poison and can form addictions much like
tobacco or drugs. When people see that it can have similar affects to these other substances with
more negative connotations, they understand the reason for more serious, organized
interventions. The solution for these people is often a detox program (Guarnotta). Detox
programs provide emotional support for the individual, while also providing medical monitoring
and potentially medications to fight withdrawal symptoms (1). The individual either decides for
himself or has a loved one’s intervention make him realize that he is in need of professional help.
Once enrolled in the program, he has new goals and has other individuals keeping him
disciplined. For addicted binge drinkers, an organized detox program is the most reliable way to
stop.
Camus’ Beliefs
Albert Camus was a man who did a great amount of thinking. Through his life, he tended
to come to “realization” of things that were negative, for example the inevitability of death and
the lack of a legitimate religion. Since many people turn to drinking to escape negativity, Camus
would have been a good candidate for a binge drinker. Often seen with a cigarette in his mouth,
he seemed not to be worried about his long term health. Of course, in his time tobacco was not
known to be as dangerous as we know it to be today, however alcohol also had this trend.
Additionally, because of his disbelief in God, he would not have had the negative connotation
that many religions portray about drinking. Since binge drinking has an ongoing, relatively low
death toll, he would hesitate to compare it to an epidemic such as the plague. In his novel, the
characters went through panic and the results of the epidemic were immediately noticed. When
compared to a long term killer like binge drinking, he would struggle to name it an epidemic.
Even though binge drinking can cause quick death by alcohol poisoning, Camus would blame
the death on the choices of the individual, not the alcohol. Due to the fact that binge drinkers get
themselves into a downward spiral of heavy alcohol use, Camus would have commented on the
absurdity and irony of the situation. However, the true irony would be in the fact that many of
his condemning thoughts and beliefs on binge drinking would be applicable to his very own
tobacco use.
Conclusion
Overall, Binge drinking is a serious problem that ranges from those unaware of its affects
to those medically addicted. It can affect those under the drinking age, in college, and in their
later years. There is plenty of information available about the dangerous effects of binge
drinking, but often times it is not taken seriously enough. If educated on binge drinking, one
may realize that he binge drinks more often than expected. The single fact that people are
unaware of their binge drinking is what makes it most dangerous, because without awareness of
one’s problem, there is no reason for one to find a solution.
Works Cited
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