Center for Addiction Medicine

10/18/2010

Binge Drinking

While most people associate binge drinking with the adolescent and young adult population, a recent study by Blazer in the Clinics of Geriatric Medicine identifies a binge-drinking pattern in adults aged 50 to 64 years. Binge drinking is generally defined as 5 or more drinks within a two-hour period for men, and four or more drinks for women.

In the geriatric population, binge drinking has been identified as increased risk for dementia, particularly after loss of consciousness. There is no current evidence to indicate that light to moderate drinking is harmful to cognition, however multiple studies show significant changes in function, shrinking of brain volume, and decreased activation of amygdala and hippocampus regions associated with emotions and memory.

According to the article, “heavy drinkers should cut back or quit, light to moderate drinkers need not change their drinking habits, and abstainers should not necessarily be encouraged to begin drinking”.

Studies support that the earlier the age of beginning use of alcohol and other drugs, the risk for development of addiction significantly increases. Emotional maturity is also delayed. Unrecognized and untreated psychiatric disorders during this developmental stage can increase the risk for substance use disorders. For example, ADHD with conduct disorder has a much greater risk for developing substance abuse than ADHD alone. Males with the highest incidence for alcohol use disorders occurred in the 10-19 age group. Women tend to develop drinking problems later in life.

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