Binge Drinking
Historically, binge drinking has been referred to as a prolonged period of intoxication or excessive
heavy drinking that can last for days or weeks (Jellinek 1952).
Henry Wechsler has defined binge drinking as the consumption of a
sufficiently large amount of alcohol to place the drinker at increased risk of experiencing alcohol-related problems and to place the drinker at increased risk of experiencing secondhand effects. Binge
drinking is measured as the consumption of five or more drinks in a row at least once in the
past 2 weeks for men, and four or more drinks in a row for women. Many alcohol-related deaths
have been attributed to the practice of binge drinking, and binge drinking has
received increased attention in the media, as well as from prevention
practitioners and members of the general public.
The following binge-drinking related resources have been gathered to
provide a simple way for interested persons to learn more about this topic.
The resources come from the MPRC's own Web site, as well as from the Web sites
of other organizations. Related print materials are also available from the
MPRC clearinghouse. To request an MPRC catalog, or to place an order, call
us at 763-427-5310, 800-782-1878, or send an email to
mprc-order@miph.org.
Alcohol Awareness Month Focused on Binge Drinking
Each April the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence,
Inc. (NCADD) sponsors Alcohol Awareness Month. The 2002 awareness campaign focused on binge
drinking, with the slogan, "Drinking Too Much Too Fast Can Kill You." Although
the date for the campaign has passed, information about the campaign and
some sample materials are still available on NCADD's Web site.
Online Resources from our Web Site:
Alcohol Resources
"Binge Drinking--Past, Present, Future" in the May 2002 issue of Prevention with Impact addresses binge drinking and other significant concerns.
Online Resources from Other Web Sites:
Alcohol
Alert Series
From the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Binge
Drinking
From the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information
Binge Drinking Articles and Publications
From the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study
Binge Drinking, Underage Drinking and Alcohol Abuse Among College Students
From the Director, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Blood
Alcohol Concentration
From the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information
College Binge Drinking Prevention
From the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Factline on Alcohol Doses, Measurements, and Blood Alcohol Levels
From the Indiana Prevention Resource Center
Links About Binge Drinking
From the Indiana Prevention Resource Center
On-Line Blood Alcohol
Calculator (The Drink Wheel)
From Intoximeters, Inc.
Penn State Alcohol and
Other Drug Overdose Fact Sheet
From Penn State University Health Services
References
Jellinek, E.M. (1952). Phases of alcohol addiction. Quarterly Journal of
Studies on Alcohol, 13, 673-684.
Wechsler, Henry and Toben F. Nelson. Binge Drinking and the American College Student:
What's Five Drinks? Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 15, 287-291.
Wechsler, Henry and S. Bryn Austin. Binge
Drinking: The Five/Four Measure.The Journal of Studies on Alcohol, Correspondence, Volume 59, Number 1, January 1998.
Accessed on the Web November 10,1999.
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