What is Binge Drinking? The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 grams percent or above. This translates to consuming 5 or more drinks in about 2 hours per male and 4 or more drinks in a 2 hour time period for females. This is alcohol abuse.

It is illegal for people under the age of 21 to drink alcohol in the United States.

In the February 2013 issue of Pediatrics, the researchers reported that

  • 34% of the students said that they had used alcohol in the past month
  • 23% of the students reported getting drunk
  • 26% of the students said they had binged.

 

According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention about 90% of the alcohol consumed by youth under the age of 21 in the United States is in the form of binge drinking.

The 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that among high school students, during the past 30 days:

  • 39% drank some amount of alcohol.
  • 22% binge drank.
  • 8% drove after drinking alcohol.
  • 24% rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol.

 

In 2011 the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported:

  • 25% of youth aged 12 to 20 years old drink alcohol
  • 16% of youth aged 12 to 20 years old reported binge drinking

Although some of the survey results vary, on average about 21% of teenagers binge drink on a regular basis. Typically, those that binge drink are usually not alcohol dependent (alcohol addiction).

Is your teen’s drinking out of control?

Contact Triumph Youth Services. They have years of experience working with troubled teens with a variety of issues.

Reference
http://www.nih.gov/researchmatters/february2013/02112013alcohol.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/binge-drinking.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/underage-drinking.htm
Eaton DK, Kann L, Kinchen SA, et al. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—United States, 2011
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.  Results from the 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings
http://www.dontserveteens.gov/dangers.html