Binge Drinking Dangers

“I occasionally drink too much, but it’s not a problem for me.” How many people have said that? They may be fooling themselves if they think that going overboard, or “binge drinking” of alcohol doesn’t affect their overall health.

Just four glasses of wine for women or five glasses for men in 2 hours can do more harm to a person's health than previously thought, according to new research from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester.

It found even a single alcohol binge drinking episode increases toxins in the blood due to bacteria leaking from the gut. This can trigger immune cells and cause fever, inflammation and tissue destruction.

Binge drinking is defined by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism as a pattern of alcohol consumption that raises blood alcohol concentration to 0.08g/dL or more. A “drink” is defined as 5 ounces (142 ml) of wine, 12 ounces (341 ml) of beer, or 1.5 ounces (43 ml) of spirits.

There is also evidence that binge drinking causes long-term damage to the liver and other organs. In this study, participants' blood samples were analyzed and the researchers found signs of rapid increases in endotoxins and evidence of bacterial DNA, indicating the bacteria had moved from the gut to the bloodstream. Endotoxins are toxins that escape from the cell walls of certain bacteria when they die.

Other studies have also linked higher levels of endotoxins in the blood to many of the health problems associated with chronic drinking, such as alcoholic liver disease. There is a reason your body struggles with the next day “hangover.” It’s trying to tell you that what you did the night before is damaging your health.