What to do when your child thinks binge drinking is normal
Dr. Andrew Rochford
‘Binge drinking’ has become a huge part of Australia’s drinking culture. This is also known as ‘drinking to get drunk’. Sometimes people try to define binge drinking by saying that it means someone drinking a particular number of drinks, usually more than recommended in the healthy drinking guidelines. However, binge drinking isn’t about a number of drinks, it’s about an intent, i.e. specifically going out drinking to get wasted.
We are now hearing about young people ‘pre-’ or ‘front-loading’. This is where large amounts of alcohol are consumed at home, quickly, before heading out for the evening. They do this to save money and are already pretty intoxicated even before they walk out the front door. The problem is it’s exceptionally risky. They also don’t end up saving any money because when they get to where they are going their judgment is clouded by alcohol and they usually drink even more than they intended to.
Binge drinking means you are more likely to reach dangerous levels of intoxication, be less capable of looking after yourself and are more likely to take dangerous risks.
Anyone who thinks binge drinking is normal has issues, let alone a child.
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