Each year, millions of Americans' health and well-being are impacted by binge drinking alcohol.
According to the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted by the Drug Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 19.3 million individuals in the US battled with a substance use disorder in the previous 12 months.
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The usage of drugs is at an all-time high. Alcohol-related fatalities increased by 26% in 2020, killing around 150,000 people in the United States - or about 400 people daily. This is the highest rate seen in at least 40 years. According to the CDC, drug overdose fatalities in the US surpassed 100,000 for the first time ever in 2020, and they rose by an additional 15% in 2021.
Anyone can become addicted, and there is no one specific cause of addiction. Others may use psychoactive substances to treat a mental health issue. Still, other individuals use alcohol and other drugs to help them deal with boredom or stress. After abusing prescription opioids, some people may even develop an opioid use disorder.
Binge Drinking Explained
Binge drinking is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as consuming four or more alcoholic beverages for women and five or more for males in a single sitting. One in six Americans confess to engaging in this pattern of excessive alcohol use, making it the most prevalent in the country.
Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol at once can be risky and is linked to alcohol poisoning and unintended injury. Due to the way alcohol affects our body and brain, it may potentially have long-term repercussions.
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What Happens When a Person Binge Drinks
When we consume alcohol, our brain's communication channels are disrupted, which affects our balance, memory, speech, and judgment. Greg Sutherland, a neuropathologist at the University of Sydney in Australia, told Newsweek that alcohol's acute effects are complicated since it affects many different neurotransmitters.
Sutherland claimed that alcohol's primary effects were sedatives due to how its molecules interact with the neural circuits in our brains.
This is because alcohol's ethanol slows down brain activity by blocking receptors in the brain that stimulate your neurons. Alcohol also slows down the brain even further by activating the receptors responsible for making us feel relaxed and tired.
Alcohol can be referred to as a depressant that lessens brain activity-because of this brain slowing down. The cerebellum, a region of the brain responsible for coordination and movement, is one region of the brain that is particularly susceptible to these effects. We essentially get drunk, losing our sense of balance and coordination.
How To Support Sober Loved Ones
According to experts, there are strategies to support family members who don't drink, such as providing non-alcoholic beverage alternatives.
Thomas Britton, CEO of American Addiction Centers, said the ordinary individual doesn't have an alcohol use disorder and won't truly regret drinking.
Britton advised asking family members how to help folks with drinking problems, saying that it never hurts.
"As a culture, we're often less comfortable asking difficult questions," he told Chicago Sun-Times. "If you love somebody, you share your concern for them."
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