Defining Binge Drinking

Well, that is an interesting question. Could I offer you a drink before we get started though? No. Well, according to the OED, binge is probably derived from the East Anglian dialect of: to soak. Though this meaning has changed somewhat to mean generally . . . are you sure I can't get you anything? Would you mind if I . . . no, well, good. [Pours himself a two fingers of a fine Highland single malt.]

Anyway, where were we, oh yes, binge drinking. As I was saying, the meaning has changed somewhat from its roots in the fens and marshes of East Anglia to mean: excessive eating, drinking, sex, peyote button use, whatever. Are you sure I can't get you . . . yes, of course you're not interested.

Ah, now that is a thornier issue, but one that I could speak to, as I am after all, a doctor. I would direct you to the excellent article below, but before you read it, I have several things to say on the issue. But firsht, if you'll excuse me, I'll just pour myself another short one. [Another, stiffer scotch is poured, then consumed. Dr. Tundra proceeds to pour a third.]

Don't mind if I do. [Pours himself another four fingers of "The Balvenie".] I for one, feel that [hic] it's a grosh mishrepresn-mishrepresn . . . exxgageration to say that 21 drinks is a bringe. I mean bringe. I'd say that bringe -- that over-consumption of alcohol, or anything elszhe for thats mattser, is every . . . excuse me.

[He rushes out of room. And returns several minutes later. Pours a fifth drink, this time ignoring the scotch tumbler, and instead, using a large water glass.]

Of course not -- this is a hobby. A shivilized tasting of a very fine . . . uh, whishkey. A pre-dinner aperitif, consisting of . . .

I'd gauge at least 18 ounces of a very fine scotch in the space of less than 10 minutes. If that does not constitute binge drinking, then I don't know what would. Not to mention that a bottle like that should be savored over a period of years, not chugged like the way a bum downs cheap ripple.

From: The Virginian-Pilot

Uncertainty and disagreement over what constitutes "binge" drinking are complicating institutional efforts to address the problem by making it impossible to distinguish students who drink most dangerously, reports The Virginian-Pilot. A 1993 study by the Harvard School of Public Health defined binge drinking among college students as consuming five or more drinks in a row for men, or four or more drinks in a row for women. But definitions of binge drinking vary considerably among students.

Students at Northern Illinois University defined it as consuming 21 drinks in a row. A student at Old Dominion University said consuming eight beers constitutes a binge. Some students at other institutions gave other answers, and some said they did not know the definition. The term "binge" takes on a variety of definitions in various cultures around the world, the Pilot reports.

As a result of the ambiguity over definitions, the "Journal of Studies on Alcohol" has all but banned the term "binge drinking." So has the American Council on Alcoholism. College health officials also have begun to scale down their references to binge drinking for fear that misconceptions about the term could cause students to drink more heavily.

Source: The Virginian-Pilot, 6/4/99 (http://www.pilotonline.com).

--"Scholarship" by the Squire