Keeping Young Women Healthy and Safe by Avoiding Binge Drinking

Tags:
2011-05-07

From Spring Break trips to graduation parties to proms, Spring is full of meaningful events for high school seniors and college-aged students. At the same time, these events are notorious for dangerous drinking behaviors, particularly binge drinking, defined as 4 or more drinks for a woman and 5 or more drinks for a man per occasion. The time is ripe, therefore, to remind your readers of the health and social problems resulting from binge drinking.

2011_05_bingedrinking.jpg

Binge drinking usually leads to impairment and is associated with risky behaviors, including car crashes and violence. Binge drinking is a risk factor for sexual assault, especially among young women in college settings. There is an increase in the risk of rape or sexual assault when both the attacker and victim have used alcohol prior to the attack. Binge drinking affects decision-making around sexual activity, and women who binge drink increase their likelihood of experiencing unintended pregnancy or acquiring HIV or other sexually-transmitted infections (STIs).

Young women, in particular, are at high risk of binge drinking and experiencing related harms due to their body composition and chemistry. Women often experience the immediate effects of alcohol impairment more quickly and for a longer period of time than their male counterparts. Even when men and women drink the same amount of alcohol, women tend to have higher levels of alcohol in their blood.

Remembering these risks can help women make better choices to avoid binge drinking and stay healthy and safe during this Spring and year round.

Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention