Underage Drinking

          Underage drinking is commonly viewed as binge drinking. Binge drinking is defined at five standard drinks in a row for men and four for women.

The legal system assesses an individual’s drunkenness by measuring their BAC also known as their blood alcohol concentration. In most states a BAC of .10% is legally drunk, in other states a BAC of .08% is considered legally drunk. A BAC level of .40% or higher can cause death.

        Binge drinking can lead to extreme intoxication. Some simple signs of intoxication include slurred speech , weakened balance, loose  muscle tone, staggering walk, glossy appearance to eyes ,cool skin ,and most departmental a loss of consciousness.

        Binge drinking can have many consequences. Binge drinking can cause headaches, thirst, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and noise, blurry vision, shakiness, and exhaustion. If binge drinking gets to the point of an individual having alcohol poisoning it can cause that individual to go into respiratory arrest, a coma, or even death.

        Binge drinking can lead to long-term health consequences such as liver disease, heart disease and stroke, brain cell death, cancer of the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, breast, pancreas, liver, colon and rectum. Along with damage to eyes and skin, malnutrition and gastric illness, and sexual problems in men and women.

        There are also legal consequences to binge drinking, especially if you are underage. Some of these consequences include being held in a juvenile detention center and being put on probation. Underage drinkers can also lose their drivers license.

Binge drinking: Drowning in alcohol. Iowa Substance Abuse Information Center, DOI: www.intheknowzone.com/alcohol/disease/