We all know or at least have some idea about what alcohol abuse is, but when it comes to alcoholism binge drinking, the line often gets blurred, and not many are able to differentiate between the two.
If you are one of those people, then this page has been written to help you discover the difference between the two, and give you pointers to more information on binge drinking and alcoholism.
The term alcohol abuse refers to the harmful or excessive use of alcohol.
Alcohol abuse can be used to refer to both cases of alcoholism and binge drinking. When you abuse alcohol, you use it in such a way that is harmful to you.
Binge drinking mostly points to the abuse of alcohol in a social or celebratory setting, while alcoholism is linked with a day-to-day dependency on alcohol. It indicates a far deeper, longstanding addiction to alcohol to the point where an alcoholic may require an intervention, detoxification, treatment, therapy/ rehab, and outside support.
For more on the treatment of alcoholism, read Alcohol Addiction Recovery.
To put it simply, the alcoholism vs. binge drinking differentiation can be made by saying that the former is a prolonged state, while binge drinking is more of a short-term (generally speaking) event.
Binge drinking is often a custom adopted by ‘weekend warriors’ or people who love to get high on nights out, during parties, and get-togethers where drinks are flowing and hangovers are aplenty- which is pretty much the norm on some weekends.
Binge drinker or alcoholic? Find out by taking an alcoholism test now.
Outside the social setting, however, the majority of binge drinkers don’t abuse alcohol. Although alcoholics, indulge in binge drinking, they more often than not drink much more frequently. An alcoholic is addicted to alcohol and cannot function without it, so will always try to have alcohol in their bloodstream.
In short, not everyone who binge drinks has an AUD or alcohol use disorder, even though most alcoholics can be binge drinkers.
Binge drinking may seem pretty harmless and fun at face value, but if not controlled, it can lead to alcoholism and long-term abuse.
Binge drinking is referred to as a pattern of alcohol consumption that brings an individual’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 g/dl or more. For most binge drinkers, alcohol is something to be enjoyed by the barrel rather than a necessity, but what most people don’t get is that drinking excessively within a short time frame can damage the body.
There are several medical risks associated with binge drinking, not to mention a serious risk to one’s life and that of others when a binge drinker chooses to drive in an inebriated state.
Some of the conditions associated with binge drinking are:
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Lead Writer/Reviewer : Kayla Loibl
Licensed Medical Health Professional
Hello!
I am a Mental Health Counselor who is licensed in both New York (LMHC) and North Carolina (LCMHC). I have been working in the Mental Health field since 2015. I have worked in a residential setting, an outpatient program and an inpatient addictions program. I began working in Long Island, NY and then in Guelph, Ontario after moving to Canada. Read More
Sources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Binge Drinking. December 30, 2019. https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/binge-drinking.htm
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Drinking Levels Defined. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/moderate-binge-drinking
Maryville University. How Healthcare Administrators Are Tackling the Binge Drinking Epidemic. https://online.maryville.edu/blog/how-healthcare-administrators-are-tackling-the-binge-drinking-epidemic/
Medline Plus. Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). https://medlineplus.gov/alcoholusedisorderaud.html
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