FETAL ALCOHOL, Jodee Kulp, TRAUMA, WELLBRIETY

Binge Drinking – Most Harm to Unborn Babies – Skol

Posted on by Jodee Kulp
18
Jan

Binge drinking numbers are higher than most people think. ‘Skol’

Binge drinking creates more inhibition with unplanned sexual encounters. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that drinking too much at one time has become a bigger problem than previously thought and binge drinking causes 80,000 deaths in the US each year. According to the CDC, more than 38 million U.S. adults binge drink around 4 times per month and more than 90% of the alcohol youth drink is while binge drinking. Let’s unmask the alcohol statistics hidden by the power of the alcohol industry and it’s marketing.

Dopamine, our feel-good chemical in our brain is released with the consumption of alcohol and this chemical is to want to do things that are healthy for our body. Some of the healthy things include:  eating, exercising and doing nice things for others.

Binge drinking (heavy use of alcohol) will release so much dopamine that your brain can’t tell the difference between a good decision and a bad decision.

One or two drinks may help someone relax and become a bit more outgoing at a social gathering or at a party. Add a few more drinks and a person binge drinking may start behaving in ways that are out of character including:

  • Risky sexual behavior leading to STDs and unplanned pregnancies
  • Senseless crimes
  • Fights or  violent behavior
  • Absurd comments
  • Trying drugs and substances
  • Driving under the influence

 

Binge Drink? How many people? How often? How much?

US Birth Rates for Teens 15-19 Years by Race/Ethnicity, 1991 and 2009

SOURCE: 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Combined Landline
and Cell Phone Developmental Dataset, adults aged 18 and older, US

Binge Drinking is not just a college party problem.

So what is one drink?

The largest number of drinks per time is [on average] 8, but the question is how big was the bottle, how many shots in the cocktail, how full was the glass of wine. The average US wine pour is 12 oz not 5 oz. which means 1 glass of wine is equal to 2.4 servings. And a 20 oz beer for $9.00 at the game is equal to 1.66666 drinks. YIKES! The drinks below are each examples of one standard drink:

The same amount of alcohol is contained in 12 fluid ounces of regular beer, 8 to 9 fluid ounces of malt liquor, 5 fluid ounces of table wine, or a 1.5 fluid ounce shot of 80-proof spirits (“hard liquor” such as whiskey, gin, etc.) The percent of ‘pure’ alcohol varies by beverage.

Each beverage portrayed above represents one standard drink of “pure” alcohol, defined in the United States as 0.6 fl oz or 14 grams. The percent of pure alcohol, expressed here as alcohol by volume (alc/vol), varies within and across beverage types. Although the standard drink amounts are helpful for following health guidelines, they may not reflect customary serving sizes.

For more information, visit Rethinking Drinking.

Binge drinking occurs in more than half of the alcohol adults drink.

This means that men drink 5 or more alcoholic beverages within a short period of time and women drink 4 or more beverages within a short period of time.

Alcohol can disrupt fetal development at any stage during a pregnancy – including at the earliest stages and before a woman knows she is pregnant.  Research shows that binge drinking, which means consuming four or more drinks per occasion, and regular heavy drinking put a fetus at the greatest risk for severe problems.

What can you do?

  • RealMindz offers some Quick Tips to Stay Sober While Going Out
  • Choose not to binge drink and help others not to do it.
  • The US Dietary Guidelines on alcohol consumption recommend no more than 1 drink per day for women and no more than 2 drinks per day for men.
  • Pregnant women and underage youth should not drink alcohol.
  • If you are sexually active, prone to binge drinking please use contraception.
  • Support effective community strategies to prevent binge drinking. Download Community Guide recommendations http://www.thecommunityguide.org/alcohol.
  • Support local control of the marketing and sale of alcohol.
  • Support the minimum legal drinking age of 21.

Tips to stay sober – celebrate and still have loads of FUN!

BINGE DRINKING HELP CONNECTIONS