BINGE DRINKING

By Janet Walsh, LCSW

April is the time of the year when teenagers look forward to their proms, and when seniors prepare for graduation.  For many, the parties following these events are the highlight of the evening. Teens and parents should recognize that the young people put themselves at serious risk by binging on alcohol without having a true understanding of the dangers that may occur, particularly during these two special occasions.

Teenagers are inherently risk-takers. New research  indicates that the frontal lobe of the brain is not fully developed until the age of 22. Among other key functions, the purpose of the frontal lobe is to assist with reason and decision-making abilities. Introducing alcohol into a brain that is not fully developed increases the likelihood that the young person could make very poor choices and more readily conform to negative peer pressure. This dangerous situation becomes even more deadly when coupled with the possibility that a teenager—not an experienced driver—may attempt to drive while under the influence of alcohol.

According to MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), alcohol is a factor in nearly one-third of all fatal crashes involving drivers between the ages of 15 and 20. Unfortunately, that number is holding steady.

Drunk driving is not the only danger. Teens seem to equate having a good time with urging their friends to drink, then laughing about their outlandish behaviors. Many believe the myth that alcohol is a stimulant and a quick way of getting high, but in fact it is a depressant. Their binge drinking, often an integral part of high school parties, often results in alcohol poisoning.

Alcohol acts as a poison to the respiratory system. It represses normal lung and respiratory functions including the gag reflex. If a person has “passed out” from over-consumption of alcohol and starts vomiting, that repressed gag reflex allows the vomit to enter the lungs, dramatically increasing the risk of choking to death.

It is important to know the critical signs of alcohol poisoning:

• mental confusion;
• stupor—the person cannot be roused and does not wake up even when vomiting;
• seizures;
• slow or irregular breathing—less than 8 breaths per minute, or 10 seconds or more between breaths;
• lowered body temperature.

You can’t “sober up” a drunk, despite myths about having the person drink black coffee, take a cold shower, sleep it off or walk it off. These methods do not get the alcohol out of the bloodstream. A person’s blood alcohol level (BAL) can continue to rise even after he or she has passed out, because alcohol in the stomach and intestine continues to be absorbed into the bloodstream and circulated throughout the body.

Know the warning symptoms of alcohol poisoning and take action. Do not wait for all the symptoms to appear; you could be too late. If you suspect alcohol poisoning, call 911 at  once. You will improve the likelihood of preventing irreversible brain damage, and you may save a life.