Binge Drinking
Binge drinking
If you find it hard to stop drinking once you have started, you could have a problem with binge drinking and possibly alcohol dependence.
What is binge drinking?
Binge drinking can be defined as “drinking lots of alcohol in a short space of time or drinking to get drunk”. The definition used by the Office of National Statistics for binge drinking is having over:
- 8 units in a single session for men. 8 units is the equivalent of 3 and a half pints of 4% beer.
- 6 units in a single session for women. 6 units is the equivalent of 2 large glasses of 13% wine.
What are the risks of binge drinking?
When you binge drink you are more likely to misjudge risky situations, lose self-control and make generally poor decisions which can result in:
- Having an accident resulting in injury.
- Anti-social, aggressive and violent behaviour.
- Having unsafe sex. This can lead to unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
- Losing personal possessions such as your wallet or mobile phone.
- Having unplanned time off work or uni which could put your job or education at risk.
- In extreme cases, you could die. Overdosing on alcohol can stop you breathing or stop your heart, or you could choke on your vomit.
Get help with binge drinking
A good first step is to take our Alcohol Test, it is quick and completely confidential. It will give you an idea of how risky your drinking is.
If you’re worried about any aspect of your drinking habits, you should contact your GP who will be able to give you advice and details of specialist local services that can help you make positive changes to your drinking.
Want to know how risky your drinking is?
Alcohol can have a big impact on your health - take the test to see how your drinking measures up.
The service is free and open to all Brent residents aged 18 or over, as well as their families and carers.
