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 irishshane |
Binge Drinking |
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MVP (Most Valuable Poster)+
Posts: 935 (06/28/08 17:20:18) |
Binge drinking seems to be very much in the news. More affluent societies have meant young people have more money and at weekends many of these "go on the
tear". They may not drink at all for the rest of the week but dog it at the weekends.
In your opinion (or maybe you can produce documented proof) are these people alcoholics? "When did I realize I was God? Well, I was praying and I suddenly realized I was talking to myself."
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Leotheturtle |
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MVP (Most Valuable Poster)+
Posts: 1011 (06/28/08 17:41:36) |
I would say they have a high probability of becoming one, although I think it depends on the person. Some may have their fun and move on, while others may find
themselves addicted. Self destructive behavior often stems from somewhere, (something inside makes them want to binge) and could result in becoming a habit
forming problem (binges last longer, more frequent, gradually progress into something bigger). I dont believe this is true of all but this could be the first
stage for some alcoholics.
I also wanted to add that just because someone is a binge drinker as opposed to an everyday drinker doesn't rule them out as being an alcoholic. Binge drinking in and of itself does not make you an alcoholic. Its the self destructive, uncontrollable manner in which they drink and what may or my not result from it, that would be the real determining factor. "F--- it, we'll do it live!"
Last Edited By: Leotheturtle
06/28/08 18:20:28.
Edited 4 times.
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AndriaSyxx |
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Posts: 689 (06/28/08 17:54:46) Forum Moderator |
Binge drinking is one of our Government's phrases of fear at the moment. The Aussie Government is now planning to have a series of TV and other media
adverts ... claiming that we are fast becoming a nation of 'binge drinkers' and this encompasses anyone who drinks more than three or four drinks in
any one sitting!
Ludicrous? Perhaps. Scaremongering? Yep! Will the campaign work? Nope! Total waste of money if you ask me! I don't believe that all people regardless of age who undertake binge drinking regularly ... should be classed as alcoholics. From my understanding ... the definition of the term 'alcoholic' has been amended over the years. Regular health studies have been undertaken and documented evidence produced for the downside of drinking in excess be it via binge drinking or just consuming alcohol regularly. It was once considered the norm and highly acceptable in society that we have a few drinks after work or we drink alcohol with our meals. There was a time when it was quite common to have alcohol with the midday meal ... pre-dinner alcoholic drinks, alcoholic drinks with dinner and then port, sherry, brandy or whatever AFTER dinner. It was part of every day life to have more than one alcoholic drink a day. Younger family members were introduced slowly to alcohol via watered down wine or whatever. It was part of everyday social life. Later when alcohol with every meal was considered excessive ... drinking alcohol was a way for people to relax and unwind after a hard day's work and was still used as a social 'lubricant' if you will. Drinking alcohol has long been accepted by most of society as being normal. A few decades down the track and the same people having a few drinks after work to relax and unwind ... is not as acceptable as it once was with people being considered alcoholics because he/she can't go without their daily fix. These days a lot of teens end up binge drinking for whatever reason and although most could not be considered alcoholics ... some could have that pre-disposition to end up in serious trouble if they allowed the binge drinking to continue. It's almost a weekend culture for some groups of people to get together and drink heavily ... yet they remain alcohol free for the rest of the week. |
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paleamethyst |
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Posts: 4132 (06/30/08 00:50:21) Forum Moderator |
I think the younger people today are under a lot of peer pressure to drink.
I have never brought mine up to drink, but I see the pressure they are under from their friends at the ages of only 14 and 16. It's like they have to apologise for NOT drinking. Quite scary really. 
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birdwoman2 |
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Indispensible Poster
Posts: 2643 (06/30/08 08:20:10) |
Shane, I am not sure whether the label 'alcoholic' is exactly the right one to use for binge drinkers (or any drinker for that matter).
In a lot of cases, binge drinking is alcoholic behaviour. It doesn't matter if a person sobers up in between binges, sometimes the defining point between non-alcoholic behaviour and alcoholic behaviour can be looked at this way: If a person can have a drink - or two - and stop and not get drunk....and always know when and how much they are going to drink, it wouldn't be alcoholic behaviour. However, if someone finds that when they start drinking, they can't predict whether they are going to get drunk or not, they are well on their way to alcoholism - or, rather, I prefer to say long term alcohol abuse. * Geez....I hate 'isms'.* Why not make it simple and define binge drinking as alcohol abuse? Which it definitely is. In fact, binge drinkers are usually more dangerous and are a higher risk of injuring themselves or others than the plain old wino sitting on the corner sipping his/her eternal rotgut. Binge drinking fosters risk, violence and disasterous consequences. Quickly and dramatically lives are changed and lost as the result of weekend binging. Are people who 'binge drink' alcohol abusers ? Yes. Dianne "Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand." ~ Albert Einstein |
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tetsuojackson |
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MVP (Most Valuable Poster)
Posts: 473 (06/30/08 08:52:02) |
SO ahrd to qualify this
And even if Jehovah witness, bet he'll never testify, D'Evils...
- Jay-Z |
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Ronnie45 |
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Posts: 11497 (06/30/08 09:12:18) Administrator |
In your opinion (or maybe you can produce documented proof) are these people alcoholics?I know some college students do this while in school on weekends but then are able to stop/leave or not do it either (a) at will or (b) after they graduate and leave college. Alcoholics wouldn't be like that. The people who are alcoholic don't have any 'off switch' as far as liquor. While drinking, binge drinkers don't have an off switch either (or most likely don't choose to use it), but alcoholics also keep being obsessed to pick up a bottle again for many different reasons (escaping reality, the effect, the compulsion, etc...) They just can't leave it alone for very long. Tough to know for sure without looking at each individual situation. The best way to tell imo is to see how unmanageable their lives are combined with if they can choose to take it or leave the stuff at will. PS---Alcohol abuse is also a good term. For those that do binge drinking they are really harming themselves a lot and exposing their self to a lot of risky behavior. They could overdose and die for starters. Or, they could have an accident while intoxicated and end up in the hospital. Or, they could be victims of crime. Not to mention it harms the body.
Last Edited By: Ronnie45
06/30/08 09:14:59.
Edited 1 times.
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