Binge drinking •

Lack of Sufficient Sleep in Teens Leads to Risky Behavior, New Study Shows

January 20, 2015 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

According to a recent scientific study, a poor sleep schedule in teenagers can lead to dangerous behaviors like unprotected sexual relations, binge drinking and illegal substance abuse.

The new study revealed that teens who reported having trouble sleeping at least once a week were found to be more likely to consume alcohol, drugs and engage in risky sexual endeavors.

The researchers found that the teenagers who did not get sufficient sleep at night had a 33% higher risk of engaging in dangerous behaviors.

Maria Wong, from the Idaho State University and the author of the scientific study, explained that the national statistics show that approximately 27% of pre-teens and 45% of teenagers do not get as much sleep as they should.
Other reports revealed that one in ten adolescents encounter difficulties in falling asleep or staying asleep almost on a daily basis.

The new study showing that lack of sufficient sleep in teens leads to risky behavior was based on data gathered from 6,504 teenagers between 1994 and 2002.

Wong gave details about the study saying that teenagers who had sleep-related problems were more prone to have interpersonal issues related to alcohol, including binge drinking, driving under alcohol influence, sexual relations after consuming too much alcohol which they later regretted and drug consumption.

Wong explained that driving after consuming alcohol, having unprotected sexual relations and binge drinking are some of the most serious side effects of lack of sleep, according to the new study.
On the other hand, the teenagers who get extra sleep are more likely to avoid dangerous behaviors like reckless drinking.

Professor Wong said that most people don’t realize how important sleep is for avoiding later problems in life, especially for young people. She explained that parents need to talk to their children not only about their grades and extracurricular activities, but also about the importance of sufficient sleep.

She advises the teenagers who have problems falling asleep or staying asleep to get professional help.

Teenagers who have troubles sleeping need to avoid spending too much time in front of electronic devices before sleeping hours, as it has been proved that this can cause sleep deprivation.
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Alcoholics Are Not the Heaviest Drinkers, New Study Reveals

November 21, 2014 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

Most people believe that alcoholics are the ones who drink the most. New study reveals that this is just a preconceived idea. The ones who are the most heavy drinkers are not the alcoholic people, but regular people. According to a recent statistics 29% of the US population are excessive of regular alcohol drinkers, but a government report says that these are not alcoholics.

The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows that 90% of the people who drink excessively or engage in binge drinking are not the people who are identified as alcoholics. The report was published on November 20 and indicated that the ones who drink the most are binge drinkers.

Binge drinking involves four or more drinks on a single occasion for women, and five or more drinks for men. Also, women who drink more than seven drinks weekly and men who drink more than 14 drinks in a week are considered to be excessive drinkers.

Although heavy drinking is very bad for the human health, scientists say that it does not involve a physical dependency, as it is with alcoholic people. Alcoholism, on the other hand is a chronic condition that may or may not involve heavy drinking. Alcoholics crave drinking despite having health problems and being aware of these problems. But alcoholics cannot control themselves from drinking. Those who drink excessively but can live without drinking for a longer period of time are not considered alcoholics.

Dr Robert Brewer, one of the authors of the study on alcoholism says:

“A lot of people mistakenly assume that people who drink too much are alcoholics.”

He added that Americans have mixed feelings about drinking. He said that many people believe that drinking means having a good time. Brewer noted that those who drink excessively, believing that this is an aspect of enjoying themselves have to

“change the environment in which people make their drinking decisions.”

The study also reveals that although the heavy drinkers are not alcoholics, excessive alcohol consumption resulted in the deaths of approximately 88,000 Americans from 2006 to 2010.

Binge drinking during pregnancy ups risk of underweight baby

September 18, 2013 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

Pregnant women who are engaged in binge-drinking during the second trimester of their pregnancy are 68 percent more likely to have an underweight baby, says a new study.

The study found a link between binge drinking and the increased risk of SGA (small for gestational age weight babies) among mothers.

The doctors carried a study on the drinking habits of 11,000 mothers in Bradford, UK, between 2007 and 2011, as part of the Born in Bradford (BiB) project. They found more than 40 percent drank alcohol while pregnant and 333 women continued to binge drink.

The scientists say binge drinking is defined as having at least five units of alcohol in a short space of time – about half a bottle of wine, or two pints of beer. Binge drinking can cause serious injuries, accidents, alcohol poisoning and drowning. It can also lead to impaired driving ability and increase the risk of liver damage and alcohol dependence. Moreover, consuming high levels of alcohol at this age can also alter brain development.

Scientists say binge drinking is not good for expecting ladies. However, low or moderate levels of drinking did not increase the risk of having a small baby.

“Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is a contentious topic but this research demonstrates a clear link between binge drinking during pregnancy and having a small baby,” said Professor John Wright, head of the BiB project.

Binge drinking getting common in high schools

September 17, 2013 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

In a whopping exposure, a new research says that binge drinking is prevalent among high school seniors with one in 10 engaged in extreme binge drinking i.e. 10 or more drinks in a row. Shockingly, the 5.6% of them have consumed 15 or more drinks.

The researchers at University of Michigan say, “Although binge drinking among young people has decreased in the last several decades, it is still fairly common among high school seniors.”

“This is the first study to document extreme binge drinking in a sample of adolescents,” says lead author Megan Patrick, a research assistant professor at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research.

The researchers carried a survey of more than 16,000 high school seniors between 2005 and 2011. During the study they found that more than 20 percent reported binge drinking (five or more drinks in a row) within the last two weeks. Additionally, 10.5 percent said they consumed 10 or more drinks and 5.6 percent reported extreme binge drinking of 15 or more drinks in a row.

The percentage of high school seniors who binge drink overall has gone down, but the percentage extreme binge drinking has stayed virtually the same in recent years, which may explain why emergency room visits for kids in this age group have not decreased, Patrick says.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says underage drinking is responsible for 5,000 deaths and more than 190,000 emergency room visits each year.

Binge drinking can cause serious injuries, accidents, alcohol poisoning and drowning. It can also lead to impaired driving ability and increase the risk of liver damage and alcohol dependence. Moreover, consuming high levels of alcohol at this age can also alter brain development.

The study was published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

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