Type of drinking more dangerous than binge drinking identified by health experts

Researchers have identified a form of drinking that is even worse for our health than bingeing alcohol.

It’s no secret that alcohol isn’t great for our health, but plenty of people enjoy a tipple or two to relax and unwind.

Binge drinking – when people consume a large amount of alcohol over a short space of time – is particularly bad, but experts think there’s an even worse type of drinking that’s particularly prevalent around celebrations like Christmas and birthdays.

According to a report, published in the National Library of Medicine, high-intensity drinking is “common among certain types of binge drinkers and is often associated with special occasions, including holidays, sporting events, and, notably, 21st birthdays”.

The report’s authors say that high-intensity drinking is “at least twice the typical binge drinking threshold”. They say, by gender, for women that would mean consuming over eight drinks, while for men it would be over 10.

And experts say it is harmful to our health.

Drinking that intensely over a short period of time can raise the blood alcohol concentration to more than 0.2 per cent. According to George Koob, the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, that “significantly increases the risk of injuries, overdose and deaths”.

High-intensity drinking doesn’t only have an impact on the drinker, as it can affect romantic relationships, friendships and even cause life-changing events like physical assaults or accidents.

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