Partying and Binge Drinking

Binge drinking is typically defined as consuming a large amount of alcohol in a short period of time - five or more standard drinks for men or four or more standard drinks for women. ¹

This pattern of drinking leads to a rapid rise in blood alcohol concentration and is a known risk factor for:

• unintentional injuries
• alcohol poisoning
• violence
• heart disease and high blood pressure
• inflammation of the gastrointestinal system
• developing an alcohol use disorder (i.e., alcohol dependence) ¹

Many of the complications arising from binge drinking and the resulting impairment involve second-hand effects. These are harms that affect those around the drinker (e.g., violence, road crashes, child abuse, and neglect).

What is Alcohol Poisoning?

Alcohol poisoning happens when a person drinks too much alcohol for their body to process (often with binge drinking) and can harm normal body functioning. Alcohol poisoning is extremely dangerous and a medical emergency. ² Signs of alcohol poisoning include:

• Semi-conscious or not being able to be woken up
• Cold, clammy, pale, or bluish skin
• Vomiting while sleeping
• Slow or irregular breathing (or stopped breathing)
• Seizures
• Incontinent of urine ²

What to do if someone has Alcohol Poisoning:

• Call for help (911)
• Put person into the recovery position by turning them onto their side, tilting their head back, tucking upper hand under chin to keep airway clean and bending their leg for support
• Stay with the person until help arrives

Alcohol and Energy Drinks

Drinking alcohol and energy drinks together can put you at greater risk of harm than drinking alcohol alone. Youth and young adults are especially vulnerable to this risk since they are the biggest consumers of alcohol energy drinks. ³

The Risks

When combining alcohol and energy drinks, the caffeine in the energy drink can make you feel less drunk but the alcohol affects you the same. The caffeine can also keep you awake and drinking alcohol for a longer period of time. Both of these factors can increase your risks of:

• Being injured
• Requiring medical treatment
• Driving drunk
• Riding in a vehicle with a driver who is drunk
• Having alcohol poisoning
• Being a victim or perpetrator of aggressive physical or sexual behaviour ³

Planning a Party

Are you planning a party? As the host, you want to maximize the fun for your guests and minimize the risks. Follow these tips to plan ahead, prevent problems, and ensure everyone has a great time.

10 Tips to Reduce Alcohol-Related Risk ⁴

1. Don’t plan physical activities, like swimming, skiing, snowmobiling, boating, or skating when you serve alcohol.
   Alcohol causes people to have impaired judgement, lack of coordination, and reduced inhibitions. All of these factors increase a guest’s risk of injuring themselves or others while drinking alcohol.
2. Have low-alcohol and alcohol-free cocktails and drinks available.
   Provide a variety of options so guests can choose drinks with lower or no alcohol in them throughout the event. Makes sure there is lots of water too!
3. Serve food.
   It is better to eat while drinking than to drink on an empty stomach. Try lighter foods like veggies, dip, and cheese as opposed to salty, sweet, or greasy food that will generally make your guests thirsty.
4. Be prepared for overnight guests.
   Get those blankets and sleeping bags ready in the even that someone can’t get home because of how much they have drank.
5. Serve alcohol instead of having an open bar.
   Guests usually drink more when they serve themselves.  Avoid doubles and drinking games. Do you know what a stand sized drink is?
6. Plan to deal with guests who drink too much.
   Ask someone to be prepared to help you before the party gets rolling.
7. Find out how guests will be going home from your party.
   Have a plan to get guests home if they have drank too much. Have cash, taxi company phone numbers, and/or a designated driver ready to help.
8. Stop serving alcohol a few hours before the party is over.
   Bring out more alcohol-free drinks and food.
9. Plan ahead so that it’s easier when the party starts.
   Thinking about possible situations beforehand can help make the party run smoothly.
10. Don’t drink too much yourself!
    You can stay on top of potential problems better when you can think clearly and act quickly.