America's Binge-Drinking Problem Is Even Worse Than We Thought

Yeah. It's tough. If you trade, you get 6 big DIPAs that you have to have as fresh and as soon as possible. And if they are mostly responsible, they will wait for the weekend to get it done. That ends up being two or three big binge worthy nights. Other times, I am seeing people buy way too much of a perishable product that I do hope and wonder that they trade it away. Consuming solo that way of a big DIPA is crazy.

I should add. It's not the total amount of beers consumed thats worrisome. Its the ABV attached to what is consumed. BA's top 100 probably has 5 beers under 5% on their top list. People inherently want to get buzzed and or wasted constantly (cheap beer drinkers, or craft connoisseurs within the same wheelhouse imho).. It's the ugly side of what we feel this craft culture provides. But we may be worse than the 30 pk of light beer drinkers.

On a abv x oz comparison, I've seen where many of these tastings and shares go, and we go way deeper than those guys... Not a proud moment imho.

It pretty much goes into the FOMO mindset. If you end up with 10 different big IPAs every other week, unless they are consumed nightly (is that any healthier than binge drinking?), when will this stuff get consumed?

With so many breweries, its only getting worse imho. Good luck out there

 

What the heck is a 'binge drink'? Is it a session when someone exceeds the threshold of binge drinking? Or is it the number of drinks after that binge threshold has been exceeded? Didn't seem clear to me in the article. Here is the definition for binge drinking from the article:

I'm not really surprised giving the popularity of IPAs/DIPAs with their typical 7-10% ABVs. And in 16oz servings in many cases, too. Then you have BA beers with 10-15% ABVs. Quite easy to exceed the 'binge drinking' definition in short order with those types of beers.

I really think this is a concerning issue imo. Of course people can choose to drink what they want but it's a cautionary warning which should be heard nonetheless.

 

NIAAA defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels to 0.08 g/dL. This typically occurs after 4 drinks for women and 5 drinks for men—in about 2 hours.

Those "drinks" are American standard drinks of 12oz @ 5%abv. So most people into craft beer are binge drinking on the regular.

 

I understand drinking 5 beers (for men) of 12 oz @5% is binge drinking but what is a 'binge drink'? Is it each of those 5 drinks i.e., 5 binge drinks? Or is it every drink after the binge drinking threshold has been reached i.e., the 6th drink is one binge drink? Because it's not binge drinking until the threshold has been met. That's what was not clear to me. But it's probably just me.

 

To make me(and maybe a lot of us) feel better, we are going to need to adjust the definition of binge the way we adjusted the definition of session.

I’ve fully adjusted to this 16oz canned DIPA life, it certainly doesn’t feel as though I’m on a binge.

 

One day my wife complained to me about drinking craft beer. It went something like you drink to much(I never have more then 2 beers a session). I said well honey I just read an article about the queen of england and she has four drinks a day and shes royalty. I am only a commoner and you would think she knows better then me about healthily habits? She didn't know how to reply to me LOL.

http://www.businessinsider.com/queen-of-england-cocktails-2017-8

 

i think 5 percent is the golden number for my tastes.

 

I don't think definitions are necessary because we all know our limits. If over drinking interferes with our family, job or health (in that order) it's time to cut back and reassess what we're doing..

 

Currently I read that as number consumed during binge sessions. Exceed 5 for men all count as binge drinks.

 

Without definition, quantification becomes difficult if not impossible.

We all know our limits? Then why do so many drink enough to interfere with family, job, health or all 3? Or damage those things of others around them?

 

It's denial, the illusion that they're in control. They can stop whenever they want, but they just don't want to because there is no problem. Many, even when they get violent, or get a DUI, or get fired, will blame anything or anyone else but them and their drinking problem.

Does binge drinking mean you're an alcoholic? If you can and do quit, then maybe not. Either way - it's a huge problem because a significant number of binge drinkers are drinking at bars and need to get home. Hey it's only a few miles, and they're in control, right?

 

Any time you're thinking about your own drinking habits and the best you can do is "well, I'm not technically an alcoholic", it's probably time to cut back. Same with binge drinking, really.

Someone once told me that if you had a giant razor blade spinning in a circle at 1000 rpm, and there was no fence or railing or other sort of guard around it, everyone would stay far far away from it. But if you did have a fence, everyone would be leaning on it, climbing it, trying to get a better view of the spinning death machine. I feel like classifications like "alcoholism" and "binge drinking" can work the same way, they can essentially give permission to people to push things right to the limit. You can have four drinks a night, six nights a week, and you're not binging or an alcoholic. Well, yes, but you're still not doing yourself any favors...

 

Knowing is one thing, ignoring is another.

 

Yes, there can be a difference, but you also assume that people do know their own limits. That's not a safe assumption.

https://www.livescience.com/14664-sobering-study-drinking.html

Also, as some have pointed out, many folks don't do well at keeping track of how much they consume and may need someone else to point it out to them.

http://www.flask.com/how-do-i-know-my-limits-for-alcohol-consumption/#.Wq0qI2ZgH2R

https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/472219-judging-levels-of-drunkenness

 

As a man who has been married for 35 of the last 36 years, I just want to say if you think you “won” that exchange, you know more about beer than you do about women (insert smiley face)

 

Binge drinking has been around as long as alcohol but I swear it seems that the extreme of it is more than ever before. Not to be the old guy on the porch but so many things in this current social media generation seem that way.

As a father of kids in high school/getting ready for college--what was experimentation in the past has progressed to full out "all or nothing." People start out not with a couple of beers but often just go straight to outright blackouts. My kids are terrified. Their classmates brag about it on instagram/snapchat.

The hypocrisy of colleges that are "surprised" and "shocked" when someone's kid dies of alcohol poisoning at a fraternity party is what is really angers me. Sure folks have drank too much in college for decades. But go to many colleges on a football weekend and a lot of frat houses are full of folks serving hard liquor to lots of young kids and just about everyone around knows it. Someone gets hurt and the institutions remark in the paper that the "rules were being broken" or the national chapter says "not in accordance with our guidelines." Shame on them.

Binge drinking/overdrinking is a major health and societal problem. Awareness/defining it are important.

 

The queen may have small drinks. The butler may even blend in some NA.

 

The abuse of alcohol can be devastating. I am baffled by those who refer to the consumption of alcoholic beverages as "my hobby". It should not be a pastime. A small part of one, perhaps, but not the main attraction. But, I have enough challenges running my own life. To each, etc.

 

I am very great-full for this thread.

I use to have a "drinking code" but have abandoned that for a long time and most certainly have been drinking way more then I should.

My "drinking code" was simple, no beer pass 10, no more then two beers in a night and at least 2 days of the week of no beer at all.

No beer pass 10 was so that my sleep was not effected. Since alcohol stops the body from reaching the Rem state of sleep.

No more then two beers in a night was to set a limit, I usually did one normal strength beer like a Pale, and one heavy one like a DIPA.

And 2 consecutive days of the week without any beer was simply to give my body a break and allow it to recover and get rid of the alcohol in my system. A reset button if you will.

But I have been thinking and Im turning that code back on, if for no other reason then just to be healthier.