# Binge drinking **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 21, 2014, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binge-drinking/686618 "2014-04-21T16:28:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Cerealbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Cerealbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerealbox)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binge-drinking/686618/41 "2014-04-21T22:17:42Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Binge drinking is defined as a pattern of consuming five or more drinks (four for women) in a single occasion. pfft. that’s not even enough to blow over the legal driving limit if you have food in you. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binge-drinking/686618/42 "2014-04-21T23:01:21Z")
> [@Cerealbox](#): > > pfft. that’s not even enough to blow over the legal driving limit if you have food in you. Seriously. If that’s the definition, half the people I know binge drink practically every night. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binge-drinking/686618/43 "2014-04-21T23:12:42Z")
> [@Trom](#): > > Going out and having drinks every few weeks? I’m 30 and hang out with 25-35 year old young professionals. If that is alcohol dependency, apparently everyone I know is dependent on alcohol. Do you regret it later (assuming you can remember what you did in the first place) and is it causing problems in other areas of your life? If the answer is no, then you are probably not an alcoholic. The others? Depends. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binge-drinking/686618/44 "2014-04-21T23:35:23Z")
> [@Trom](#): > > Going out and having drinks every few weeks? I’m 30 and hang out with 25-35 year old young professionals. If that is alcohol dependency, apparently everyone I know is dependent on alcohol. That is my impression. I have no idea when something is a problem, but the OP didn’t sound that bad. Smoking and drinking once every few weeks isn’t that bad. The fact that the OP regrets it is again, a complex thing. Some people regret masturbation, that doesn’t make it unhealthy. The shame and neuroticism is more unhealthy. But again, I don’t know where the line is. I guess for me the line is when you drink so much you do things you regret, or are forced to drink even when you don’t want to due to physical addiction. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binge-drinking/686618/45 "2014-04-21T23:51:59Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > IMNSHO, it’s always a problem. And I will give the most unpopular and yet most effective answer possible: stop drinking, period. Don’t put yourself in the situation where it can happen again, and the easiest way is simply to not drink. Lame.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binge-drinking/686618/46 "2014-04-22T00:38:52Z")
Try this… Next month when you go out with friends have a beer (or whatever you drink) then switch to Coke or water or whatever. See how easy that is. If its hard - or you can’t do it - you need help. (And if your friends give you crap about it, you need new friends). If it isn’t hard, you probably drink too much at a sitting because feeling like crap and regretting it aren’t fun, but you just need to stop before “woo-hoo, this is fun! - where are my pants?” overrides your better judgement - and that might be one drink when with these friends. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binge-drinking/686618/47 "2014-04-22T01:07:41Z")
I have at least one night a week in which I get total shitfaced. Been doing that for the past 20 years at least.\* I look forward to that night of the week. As of today, I’ve been at my job for over 20 years. I’m in no danger of getting fired or laid off. My reviews at work have all been above average. I also make it a point of being a responsible drunk. Usually my drinking night is done at home with a “friend” or friends. And if I do venture out, it’s taxis all the way. \*My 20’s were a little more crazy than one night a week. I was very irresponsible back then. That all changed after my son was born. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binge-drinking/686618/48 "2014-04-22T01:08:47Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > That’s nice that you have your own personal definition of “binge drinking” but I believe the term has a fairly specific meaning; a certain number of drinks in a night (one for males and a different number for females). I thought the same thing right after I posted this, I know so many hard core drunks I think I have gotten a bit immune to your average drunk. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binge-drinking/686618/49 "2014-04-22T01:11:40Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Usually my drinking night is done at home with a “friend” or friends. By with a “friend” do you mean “alone”? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binge-drinking/686618/50 "2014-04-22T01:30:58Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > By with a “friend” do you mean “alone”? While I’m no stranger to drinking alone, I meant “Friend with benefits”. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binge-drinking/686618/51 "2014-04-22T01:31:08Z")
Some people grow out of their college drinking phase, others get worse. I was in your shoes in college, and came out of it fine. You’re probably ok. But at the same time, if you have to ask if you have a problem, or if you think you might have a problem, maybe you actually do. Do you feel like you have to drink to have fun? If yes, that’s problematic. ---
**Author:** ![Cerealbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Cerealbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerealbox)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binge-drinking/686618/52 "2014-04-22T01:34:02Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > I have at least one night a week in which I get total shitfaced. Been doing that for the past 20 years at least.\* I look forward to that night of the week. > > As of today, I’ve been at my job for over 20 years. I’m in no danger of getting fired or laid off. My reviews at work have all been above average. > > I also make it a point of being a responsible drunk. Usually my drinking night is done at home with a “friend” or friends. And if I do venture out, it’s taxis all the way. > \*My 20’s were a little more crazy than one night a week. I was very irresponsible back then. That all changed after my son was born. I dont know how much i trust someone named “shakes” about alcohol abuse. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binge-drinking/686618/53 "2014-04-22T01:45:22Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > While I’m no stranger to drinking alone, I meant “Friend with benefits”. Ahh, makes more sense. ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binge-drinking/686618/54 "2014-04-22T02:10:46Z")
A true alcoholic is not measured by the number of Sundays he wakes up drowning in a bottomless pit of self-loathing, but by the number of _Wednesdays_ he wakes up drowning on a bottomless pit of self-loathing. Being hungover on Easter is practically a Catholic tradition. I bet Jesus felt like shit on Sunday, too. ---
**Author:** ![wheresmymind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@wheresmymind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheresmymind)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binge-drinking/686618/55 "2014-04-22T02:32:37Z")
Getting drunk and coming home at 4:30 AM isn’t fundamentally any worse than getting drunk and coming home at 2:00 AM, or 10:00 PM for that matter, as long as it doesn’t affect your work. As an adult you don’t have a bed time, 4:30 in the morning only seems like an unreasonable time to end your night because of more or less arbitrary social conventions. Plenty of people stay up till 4 AM stone sober every night and still lead productive lives. So the issue is whether going out and getting pretty hammered with your friends once a month is a bad thing. It doesn’t sound excessive to me, and again plenty of people (myself included) do that more frequently without it interfering with their lives. Unfortunately, I suppose that sort of behavior is fine until it’s not fine. The two red flags I saw were that it resulted in you missing out on family time with your sister, and the simple fact that you seem to be worried about it. There’s really nothing to lose by giving it up for a while. I suggest a simple experiment: next time you’re in that situation, give yourself a drink and time limit ahead of time. Feel free to cut loose and have fun, but say you’re going to stop drinking after 6 drinks and head home at 1:00, no matter what your friends are doing. If you can do that, then keep doing it! If not, try to avoid that behavior altogether. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binge-drinking/686618/56 "2014-04-22T02:44:38Z")
> [@wheresmymind](#): > > I suggest a simple experiment: next time you’re in that situation, give yourself a drink and time limit ahead of time. Feel free to cut loose and have fun, but say you’re going to \*\*stop drinking after 6 drinks \*\*and head home at 1:00. If you can do that, then keep doing it! I don’t know man, that’s asking a lot of the guy. Setting the bar pretty high there. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binge-drinking/686618/57 "2014-04-22T05:09:35Z")
> [@black\_rabbit](#): > > Being hungover on Easter is practically a Catholic tradition. I bet Jesus felt like shit on Sunday, too. You’re confusing Catholic with Irish 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binge-drinking/686618/58 "2014-04-22T05:20:25Z")
> [@black\_rabbit](#): > > Being hungover on Easter is practically a Catholic tradition. I bet Jesus felt like shit on Sunday, too. I recall a cartoon - I think it was in the _National Lampoon_ - of Jesus groggily making a cup of coffee and thinking “Damn! I feel like I’ve been dead for three days!” ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binge-drinking/686618/59 "2014-04-22T11:22:06Z")
And Jesus could make his own wine. Lucky guy. **Living Well** , your binging probably isn’t a problem if you don’t do it alone and you don’t do it to numb the pain of your problems. Those were two of my biggest concerns back when I used to drink. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binge-drinking/686618/60 "2014-04-22T13:41:58Z")
Thanks everyone for the feedback. Two comments stuck out. Rachellogram asked if I needed to drink to have fun. That’s a tough question. In many ways the answer is no. Much of my hobbies and free time do not involve drinking at all. However, going out on a weekend night almost always involves drinking. Drinking is such a foundation for my group of my friends, that if someone wasn’t going to drink they probably would just stay home. Emily’s comment above about drinking to numb the pain of problems also resonated. I think I definitely have used drinking as a short “vacation” from life’s stresses. And just to clear up the idea that I am a young 20 something grad student drinking with other kids, well I am late 30s and unmarried. That might change some opinions. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binge-drinking/686618.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binge-drinking/686618.md?page=4)