Binge Drinking in Young People Studied

Extreme Alchohol Consumption Encourages Drunkeness

Dec 28, 2008

Binge drinking, or extreme drinking, is glamorized and seen as normal behavior by young people who drink vast amounts of alcohol with the goal of getting drunk.

Alcohol consumption by young people has been the subject of scientific studies, as researchers study the changing attitudes towards alcohol consumption and the possible effects. There has been a trend toward binge drinking, also called extreme drinking or pre-drinking. Binge drinking is the consumption of vast amounts of alcohol with the goal of getting drunk.

Binge Drinking Seen as Normal by Many Young People

Professor Christine Griffin, University of Bath, has issued a press release about the issues surrounding the culture of binge drinking in ‘young people and alcohol’. A team led by Professor Griffin has research, funded by the Economical and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Binge drinking has started to be seen as socially acceptable, large due to media representations of drinking as ‘cool’ and the preponderance of celebrities showed on drunken binges. Contributing to the social acceptance of extreme drinking is the use of internet based social networking sites used to share images of drunken nights out.

Researchers focused upon the role that marketing practices play in shaping young people’s attitudes to alcohol consumption. The research included analysis of 216 alcohol advertisements, both print and broadcast. Extreme drinking and drunkenness may be perceived as normal among young people but there was some positive news from the research. There was some evidence the alcohol consumption by young people is leveling off.

Professor Isabelle Szmigin commented "Although many young people recognize the damage that 'drinking too much' can do to their health, and the associated risks of physical and sexual assault, few view these as more than short term problems."

Extreme Drinking and Pre-Drinking

A new report in the January issue of Addiction, published online, has reported the phenomenon of young people drinking at home before going out to a bar. Pre-drinkers drink before going out to the bar to save money on expensive bar drinks.

Authors of the study say pre-drinking as a symptom of a ‘new culture of intoxication’ where people drink large quantities of alcohol with the goal of getting drunk; which increases risk of blackouts, hangovers and alcohol poisoning.

Lead author Dr. Samantha Wells, a researcher at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Canada, says, "Many young bar-goers have found a way to avoid paying high alcohol prices in bars: they pre-drink. And we have begun to see that this intense and ritualized activity among young adults may result in harmful consequences. ."

Social and Media Influences on Binge Drinking

Both of these studies have researched the effect that social and media influences have upon the attitudes of young drinkers. Media portrayals of drunkenness as glamorous and fun seem to have influenced young people into imitating the behavior, which can have disastrous consequences.

The copyright of the article Binge Drinking in Young People Studied in Alcohol Abuse is owned by Christine Nyholm. Permission to republish Binge Drinking in Young People Studied in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.