Binge drinking - have you ever done it?

[Starglider]

A few times in my late teens. On almost all those occassions we were camping in the middle of nowhere (as much as you can in the UK), and there wasn't really much scope for damaging anything. I personally drank to the point of having trouble staying upright on slippery grass and having a hell of a hangover the next day (about ten pints in a night as I recall), but not to throwing up or passing out. Some of the other teenagers in our group (I organised all these trips) did throw up a lot, one hurt his foot when he tried to jump over the camp fire.

I don't regret it. It isn't something you'd want to make a habit of into adulthood, but as a fun thing to do a few times a year as teenagers or students it was fine. We weren't in any real danger, no more than any other moderately risky passtime like skiing or rock climbing. Of course we were relatively sensible (as teenagers go) and not drinking medically dangerous amounts of alcohol (we did try all kinds of spirits, but in the 'sharing a few bottles over the course of six hours' sense, not the 'slam back a pint of shots' sense).

[Spin Echo]

I also don't get the idea of "one sitting." I read the wiki article, too, and it mentioned the 4 drinks for women thing that our university use to spout. My mind immediately jumps to Christmas Eve; our tradition is to visit our relatives in Buffalo- we go to 4 houses and end up back at my grandmother's. I usually, if not in condition where unable such as pregnancy, have a drink at every house. That ends up being 4-5 drinks in an 8 hour period. Is that binge drinking?

The "one sitting" thing always confuses me as well. There needs to be some better time quanitification than that. When I'll have a ritzy dinner, we'll often have a glass of champagne with the starter, a white with the entree, a red with the main, and then something like a dram of port or cognac with the petite four. This is all spread out over several hours and while I might have a mild buzz toward the end of the evening, I wouldn't say I was intoxicated. That strikes me as a very different style of drinking than the kids that go out to a club and slam back two long island ice teas in an hour.

There have been one or two times where I miscalculated when I was younger and had a bit more than I intended (In particular when I first came to Europe and didn't realise they did things in percent and not proof), but it's not a state I'd actively try to seek. Even when I had drunk more than I had anticipated, I was still mentally with it even though I wasn't feeling particularly well. The idea of drinking until you're completely out of it strikes me as rather scary, particularly for a woman.

[CaptJodan]

I almost never partake in more than 1 drink in a 24 hour period, and although that one drink may be a strong one, I never get one that will cause me to be hungover. I do, however, have friends who defend it as being a social activity. I wrote off ever being so drunk as to be out of a certain level of control in any social situation long ago. Given what I've seen (this is mostly in college mind you) people do to those who end up passing out, I made sure that wouldn't be me.

[Aaron]

I'm an alcoholic and haven't had a drink in almost three years now. Like Hipper my past behaviour makes binge drinking look good and respectable. I make no excuses for that. All one can do is improve ones self and abstain so as not to do it again. I also encourage those that read this not to repeat my mistakes.

Also like Hipper I've been witness to some things done under the influence of alcohol that no one should do.

[CmdrWilkens]

Have I been binge drinking? Certainly, its almost an impossibility around Marines (I say almost because I can think of at least two guys in my unit that were completely sober all the time though their percentage over the 7 years I was actively drilling was pretty small). Anyway I don't think I can defend it nor would I really try to. Explain it perhaps yes but it comes down to making the knowing choice of getting myself in a state where I am now longer responding in a deliberate fashion, acting freely on impulse.

Why would I ever do that? Some of it is peer pressure and some of it is situational. For myself I tend to fight against getting myself into heavy drinking situations because I often feel myself social underwhelming and will use alcohol as a maens of loosening my natural inclination to be a wall fly. I know my weakness and rather indefensibly I have surrendered to that weakness and gotten drunk just so I could pretend to be open and free for a night. The more often occurence has been with the Marines and the vast majority of those fall into four distinct time periods before and after each of my deployments. It was literally escapism of the highest degree. We had, especially after the fact, been in country and lost members of our company so we wanted to drink until we didn't have to think. All of us were borderling and quite possibly over the borderline alcoholics. Putting away 20-30 drinks in a day and only feeling the effects after the 12th or 13th is probably the second most self destructive behavior I've ever participated in but myself, and most everyone else, just wanted to drink and forget for a few hours.

Rather fortunately I've reigned myself in and make a concerted effort to drink occasionally and within reason. Two drinks is now an oddity and while I enjoy a beer when I'm out and about or a glass of wine with dinner or a nice martini if its something high-brow I set myself a limit and do not exceed it. So anyway that is me and drinking.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

I stick to a "two glass" beer limit and stick that to strictly. Might got to a third, but no more. Might be more willing to drink in like a 4-5 glasses of wine and champaign (jolly well better be good stuff) but otherwise, I don't drink a lot.

[Galvatron]

Have you ever gone binge drinking? If so, did you do it just once, or have you done it many times? If the latter, how would you respond to the charge that you're a fucking idiot?

Yes, many times. And I long ago accepted that I'm a fucking idiot, so I plead guilty to the charge.

[Masami von Weizegger]

I'm naturally a slow drinker, so I couldn't even if I tried. I nurse a bottle for around an hour at a time. I've taken several shots of whiskey in quick succession in the States, to reaffirm my Oirish stereotype-ness, but that's about it. That hit me a little (drinking lightweight), but I'm a big guy so I shook it off after 20 minutes or so.

That and most alcohol beverages either taste like shit or are too expensive so I'll stick with cider, which usually has the alcoholic content of my knuckle hair.

[Vympel]

What is binge drinking, exactly? I get drunk on average once a year, if that - this year it was my brother's wedding at the end of last month, but I only had four bourbons + coke in the space of say ... 1.5 hours. Enough to get me tipsy and happy, but I wasn't blind smashed or anything.

[Masami von Weizegger]

The dictionary describes it as "the consumption of dangerously large quantities of alcoholic beverages in one session". Which I would describe as dangerously bloody vague.

Other people like to consider it as 50%, or more, of your recommended maximum weekly number of units of alcohol in one session/night/preferred time unit.

It's not something that really has a strict definition. At least, not here.

[Stark]

I was under the impression 'binge drinking' was kinda the opposite of alcholism: instead of drinking at a certain rate all the time due to chemical dependency, it's when you drink large amounts infrequently. Like those tards who go out every friday night and get so wasted they pickle their brain but don't drink much otherwise. The whole 'drinking just to get hopelessly blasted' thing.

I guess this definition exists simply to put 'binging' outside 'social drinking', where one might drink a similar amount of alchohol per week, but only a few at a time instead of in one great 'binge' that fucks you right up.

[Ariphaos]

I did it once a few years ago, to see what it would be like to be drunk. I stopped just before it would make me throw up, though.

[Drowsong]

A friend of mine and I like to get together and get drunk whilst playing video games. (Things like Mario Party 5 and Goldeneye.) I've never done it to the point of a hangover (unless you consider a very mild one in the middle of the night when I go the the bathroom, that doesn't even keep me awake). I'm always fine by morning.

This friend, if it gets to the point where he can't drive, simply spends the night.

It's actually a lot of fun. The most my stomach hurts is from the laughter.

I recognize that it's not very healthy, but its also pretty rare. I know how to keep myself in pretty good shape.

[RazorOutlaw]

Binge drinking, from what I can remember, was a phrase always used in the context of drinking a lot in a short period of time. Whether that be three beers in under an hour, or 45 minutes, or whatever stupid drinking game was played in order to get drunk that was binge drinking. And if it wasn't a few cans in a short period of time, then it was many cans over four hours. I don't mean to change the definition of the phrase to make myself seem better, I'm certain that most of what I did last school year counted as binge drinking. Every single fucking time.

I've done those drinking games before. In some crowds, I'm an ok guy while drunk, other times I let loose. I can't tell if the context before hand mattered much, although experienced drinkers have said that it does (whether you're with friends, looking for girls, etc.) but there have been occasions where the next day I've really looked back on how I acted with regret. So I am currently being very choosey when and where I drink, not to mention how much.

[Braedley]

Have I ever! For me, it's usually less than once a month, and never more than twice a month. There are other times that I'll have a couple beer, but it's hardly binging. I suspect that once I graduate, the occurrence of my binges will be restricted to vacations. There are a number of reasons for why I do it. I am a Maritimer, with Cape Bretoner parents, and I am an engineering student. I also rarely get hungover after a binge (don't ask me). There's also the fact that I have only been truly sick due to alcohol once (I think it was 5 weekends ago), although there have been other times that I've vomited due to bottom of the barrel beer and hard alcohol that my stomach didn't like. The aforementioned night was also the first time that significant chunks of my memory are missing.

[Count Dooku]

The only time I've ever binged on alcohol was when I was 16, with a bunch of friends. I'm 21 now, and in my entire life I've had an alcoholic drink on less than six occasions. Since I turned 21 in August, I really haven't made the move from diet pepsi to alcohol, and don't think I ever will. Honestly, I'm just not really a big fan of alcohol...

[Dark Hellion]

I have an inherently high alcohol tolerance, so I have to drink far more to get drunk than most people I know, including regular drinkers who have built tolerance. I enjoy drinking socially, and even occasionally enjoy drinking a drink or two alone. I have binge drank a few times. I have downed entire fifths before, including fifths of vodka, rum, soco 100 and rumplemintz. At the time it is fun, in the morning not so much. However, I am also paranoid about drinking, and would never drink like that in public or alone. I also am very careful to judge my own drunkenness, and will not drink if I cannot stand, unlike many binge drinkers I know.

Is is dumb? Yes, but so much of our lives is defined by the dumb things we do and survive. If we didn't take stupid risks for relationships, we wouldn't find the partners we love, if we don't take stupid risks in life, we never discover things about ourselves that are vitally important to our self image. That is not to say that you should simply do dumb things in a dumb manner, but our lives are more than simply playing it safe and doing everything right. You only live once, so you simply do not get a second chance to experience things like being totally shitfaced, tripping, or even just experiencing the love of a woman who you know you won't end up. I feel like people who haven't done such things have missed out on pieces of life.

[SirNitram]

What is binge drinking, exactly? I get drunk on average once a year, if that - this year it was my brother's wedding at the end of last month, but I only had four bourbons + coke in the space of say ... 1.5 hours. Enough to get me tipsy and happy, but I wasn't blind smashed or anything.

The CDC defines it as '5 or more drinks on one occasion', or four, if you're a lady. They don't really clarify 'occasion'.

[Illuminatus Primus]

Have you ever gone binge drinking? If so, did you do it just once, or have you done it many times? If the latter, how would you respond to the charge that you're a fucking idiot?

I'm just curious; the subject of alcoholism always comes up and everyone always takes pains to say that they're defending "responsible drinking" but not "binge drinking". Leaving aside my reservations with those arguments, I am curious how many people have gone binge drinking, and whether there are any arguments they can come up with in defense of this behaviour.

Alcoholism isn't the same as alcohol abuse. One can abuse cocaine (pretty much any recreational use) and not become addicted to it. Likewise, binge drinking is a form of alcohol abuse (I believe where you imbibe more than 4-5 drinks in the span a few hours), but you don't have to be addicted to alcohol (alcoholism) to binge drink or vice versa.

Anyway, its not a good idea. People only do it - I include my past bad habits here - for social acceptance. Its a culturally ingrained and socially accepted form of drug abuse, encouraged by materialism, "glamorous lifestyles" on TV, and advertising at large. Combined with a dysfunctional synergy with modern sexual courtship, and you have why people drive out night after night, to ritually get sloshed.

[Illuminatus Primus]

Because of the reasons I gave, I never binge drink anymore, and only drink sparingly with dinner (wine) or a special occasion such as a friend's birthday etc.

[Ariphaos]

The CDC defines it as '5 or more drinks on one occasion', or four, if you're a lady. They don't really clarify 'occasion'.

Huh, I suppose I've done it several times then, by that definition.

[His Divine Shadow]

If it's more than 5 drinks in a night then yeah I've done alot of it when I was younger(16-17) up until I was 24-23. I used to party alot with my friends on weekends. We'd go to pubs and night clubs, we'd have fun and drink and yeah get drunk. Then we usually went out and had pizza or burgers at like 4AM in the morning and then taking a taxi back home, or maybe get lucky and get to stay over at some pretty girls place.... I kinda stopped when I started with a serious relationship, it just happened. Got better things to spend my money on anyway.

I can't defend it but I don't see a reason to either. My choice and I had fun doing it and didn't hurt anyone but my wallet and I could care less what anyone thinks about it.

[Lagmonster]

Can't say I have. I've never actually been drunk, and consume no more than the odd glass of wine on average. But then, I've never felt the need to lower my inhibitions artificially or run with the groove, so social drinking is out, and I don't much like the taste of alcohol, so there goes the culinary reasons for drinking.

It boils down to upbringing, I'd imagine.

[Perseid]

In my late teens to very early twenties I did binge drink numerous times, mostly due to peer pressure. Yes it was stupid and using peer pressure as an excuse isn't really much of an excuse. I stopped drinking like this when I hit 23

Now though I only drink the occasional bottle of beer at home, and probably drink close to 16 units if I go out. However I've found I have to watch what I drink more and more due to medical reasons (I have gout).

[His Divine Shadow]

Nowadays I drink beer more often than I used to. but less totally I would say. I mean before I only ever drank when going out to the pub or night clubs.

Now that I've stopped with that I sometimes drink a bottle of beer instead at home, just because it tastes good. I've stopped buying normal beer however, now buy the weakest sort of beer. Lapin Kultas Class I with only 2.7% (ABV), it's the really old fashioned stuff people used to drink the early 20th century before stronger beers became mainstream. I really like this old "gubb-pilsner" or "old mans pilsner", far less alcohol and it tastes better.