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Binge Drinking BY THE CHILDREN’S COALITION FOR NORTHEAST LOUISIANA
inge Drinking is defined as 4-5 drinks in a row in a 2-3 hour period. Binge drinking is the most common, costly and deadly pattern of drinking in the United States. It is most common in younger adults and youth. Although youth drink less often than adults do, when they do drink, they drink more. That is because young people consume more than 90 percent of their alcohol by binge drinking. Drinking alcohol and binge drinking become more prevalent as young people get older. Prevalence of drinking by boys and girls is similar, although among older adolescents, boys binge more than girls. There are many risks associated with underage drinking—and binge drinking in particular. Underage youth who drink are more likely to carry out or be the victim of a physical or sexual assault after drinking than others their age who do not drink. Drinking may cause youth to have trouble in school or with the law. Research shows that people who start drinking before the age of 15 are 4 times more likely to meet the criteria for alcohol dependence at some point in their lives. Emily Thibodeaux is the Counselor/ Coordinator of Alcohol and Other Drug Education at Louisiana Tech University. Originally from Bossier City, she is a provisional licensed professional counselor (LPC). She joined Louisiana Tech after working at a drug rehabilitation facility in Bossier City. After graduating with her bachelor’s degree from
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Louisiana Tech, she earned her master’s degree at Nicholls State University. Her passion for adolescents and young adults, as well as those struggling with substance abuse issues, shows itself in her work at Louisiana Emily Thibodeaux Tech Counseling Center. She believes everyone deserves to find themselves and be heard. Q: What is the most important thing for teens and their parents to know about binge drinking? A: Binge drinking has major consequences that teens may not realize. I believe that teens think that binge drinking is just a one-time thing. In reality, this behavior can lead them down a path of multiple bad choices. When you decide to binge drink and maybe even get “black out drunk,” so many other awful things can happen to you. For example, you could ingest other harmful drugs that you would not normally take when sober. Q: What are some of the most common misconceptions about binge drinking?
A: The major misconception is that it’s the “cool” thing to do. Let’s be real, you might think you have more friends because you decide to drink and get drunk, but he reality is those friends are most likely not “true” friends that you will want to surround yourself with when sober. Another misconception is that, “it doesn’t harm anything” or “it can’t kill me, because I am not an alcoholic.” Binge drinking can lead to alcoholism and potentially abusing other drugs. Q: Why is it important to talk to my child about underage drinking and binge drinking? A: It is important for parents to have a discussion with your children about binge drinking, because the images youth see in media make it appear to be more common than it really is. Make sure that your child knows the consequences are not just from you, but society and their health when they decide to drink alcohol. I have heard kids say, “It won’t happen to me.” Talking about the problem and possible consequences of negative behavior is one of the ways we can help our children avoid the challenges that can result from poor choices in regard to alcohol consumption.
Over 90% of underage drinking is binge drinking Q: What are the signs that someone has a problem with binge drinking? A: Binge Drinking is defined as five or more drinks for a man and four or more drinks