Drug & Alcohol Treatment & Support

Learn More About Addiction

Are You Binge Drinking?

You are binge drinking if you are having four or more drinks in a row one or more times in a two week period. It may seem like you are just having fun but you are seriously harming yourself now and in the future.

Binge drinking increases the risk of:

How to reduce binge drinking

Binge drinking affects academic success

  • Cortical thickness, or outer brain volume, is significantly reduced.
  • Impaired control, self-perception, and self-care; greater risk-taking; and worse academic or occupational consequences compared to light drinkers.
  • Lower levels of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), the most important inhibitory (calming) neurotransmitter, in the frontal lobe. Deficiencies in GABA are associated with a range of psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety, and insomnia.
  • Lower levels of the metabolite NAA (N-acetylaspartate). Deficiencies in NAA are associated with impaired neuronal health (brain cell integrity).