Adolescent Binge Drinking

Abstract

Binge drinking, commonly defined as consuming five or more standard drinks per occasion for men and four or more drinks for women, typically begins in adolescence. Adolescents, although they may drink less often, tend to consume higher quantities of alcohol per occasion compared with adults. This developmental difference in pattern of alcohol consumption may result, in part, from maturational changes that involve an adolescent-specific sensitivity to certain alcohol effects and greater propensity for risk-taking behaviors, such as binge drinking. Adolescent binge drinking is associated with a range of acute alcohol-related harms, some of which may persist into adulthood. The prevalence of binge drinking, including high-intensity drinking (i.e., 10 or more and 15 or more drinks per occasion), has declined among adolescents in recent years. Overall, however, the proportion of youth who engage in binge drinking remains high. This article reviews the definition and prevalence of binge drinking in adolescence, trajectories of binge drinking and their correlates, and implications for prevention.

Figure 1

Prevalence of binge drinking in the past 30 days among 12- to 20-year-olds, by age, sex, and race/Hispanic origin, as reported in the 2013 NSDUH.

Figure 2

Binge alcohol use in the past month among individuals ages 12 to 20, by substate region in the United States. Note: For substate region definitions, see the 2012–2014 NSDUH, substate region definitions at www.samhsa.gov/data. Source: SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, 2012, 2013, and 2014 NSDUH.

Figure 3

Trajectories of binge drinking from adolescence through emerging adulthood. Estimated growth trajectories for the three groups are indicated by solid lines. Dashed black lines represent observed means of binge drinking at each age for each group. Observed frequencies of binge drinking (past year) ranged from 0 (none) to 5 (one to two times a week). Note: Early-heavy group, n = 99, 20.9% of the sample. Late-moderate group, n = 134, 30.0% of the sample. Infrequent group, n = 43, 9.6% of the sample. Nonbinger group, n = 176, 39.5% of the sample. Source: Chassin L, Pitts SC, Prost J. Binge drinking trajectories from adolescence to emerging adulthood in a high-risk sample: Predictors and substance abuse outcomes. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2002;70(1):67–78. Copyright © 2002 by the American Psychological Association. Reprinted with permission.