Weekend Binge Drinking: What It Does To Your Body and Health

T.G.I.F. (Thank God It’s Friday) for many people is code for “I won’t be sober till Sunday”.

After a tough week at work or college, it’s natural to want to unwind and have some fun on the weekend.

But what if that fun is doing more harm than good?

One in six adult Americans participates in weekend binge drinking at least four times a month. This isn’t just an issue faced by college and university kids as the highest binge drinking rates are among adults aged 25-34.

The majority of weekend binge drinkers don’t understand the implications of their weekly alcohol intake because they still make it to work or school through the week.

Your body and health are being affected by binge drinking, even if you don’t realize it.

Keep reading to learn how weekend binge drinking affects one’s health and life and what you can do about it.

More Than a Monday Morning Hang Over

It’s not unusual to feel run down and slow on Monday morning after a weekend binge drinking. If you binge drink often enough, you may not find it even bothers you anymore, but it is affecting your body.

Binge drinking can lead to serious health complications and increase your risk of developing life-threatening medical conditions.

This Is Your Brain on Booze

Alcohol affects how your brain sends and receives messages. It can change how your brain works and even affect the look of a brain. It may cause:

Confusion and lower cognitive function
Lack of concentration
Moodiness
Irritability and Anxiety
Headaches
Blurred vision
Depression
Increased risk of Stroke

Binge drinking just once can cause brain neurons to die and can be linked to hundreds of other serious physical health issues.

Weekend Binge Drinking Affects Organ Function

Alcohol abuse can lead to problems with your internal organs and cause tissue damage. Conditions such as cirrhosis and alcoholic hepatitis can develop with your liver. Kidney damage can also occur.

Binge drinking often leads to dehydration which can cause difficulties with organ function as well as problems with muscle cramps, skin issues, breathing and heart issues, seizures, and headaches.

Increased Risk of Illness

Binge alcohol consumption can lead to increased risk of heart attack, high blood pressure, heart disease, and more.

There is an increased risk of physical injury and falls with binge drinking which can easily lead to health complications and long term effects that you never recover from.

Research shows, though it doesn’t take an expert to know, binge drinking leads to other bad decisions as well. There is an increased risk of STDs, run-ins with the law, motor vehicle accidents and being a victim of physical or sexual assault when binge drinking.

Increased Risk of Death

That’s right, weekend binge drinking raises your chances of dying an untimely death. More than 2200 people die from alcohol poisoning associated with binge drinking each year in the US.

You also have an increased risk of death related to mental and physical illness directly associated with binge drinking.

Help Is Available

Sometimes you need a little help to overcome alcohol consumption issues. Whether you drink every day or are a weekend binge drinker, there are alcohol rehab and treatment programs available to help you through.

You can gain the support of others who are making positive changes in their lives with the encouragement and direction of experts who know how to make the transition to treatment easier.