Psychiatry. Binge drinking, or heavy episodic drinking, is a modern epithet for drinking alcoholic beverages with an intention of becoming intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time, but definitions (see below) vary considerably.

What is the definition of a binge drinker?

1,2,3. Binge drinking is defined as a pattern of drinking that brings a persons blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 g/dl or above. This typically happens when men consume 5 or more drinks or women consume 4 or more drinks in about 2 hours.

Is a binge drinker considered an alcoholic?

Is Binge Drinking Considered Alcoholism? Binge drinking does not necessarily mean that a person is an alcoholic or suffers from severe AUD. However, binge drinking may increase the risk of a person developing AUD sometime in their life.

What is the difference between a binge and chronic drinker?

There is no specific definition of chronic binge drinking, but it essentially means doing so for persistent or long time. Its not hard to tell the difference between someone who binge drinks a couple times a year and someone who does so regularly.

Is binge drinking once a week bad?

Heavy drinking – even binging one or two nights a week – is harmful for your health, according to Dr. Bulat. Consequences like liver damage, blood pressure issues along with vomiting and seizures from excessive drinking can all occur if you consume too much.