According to a report by the Central Statistics Office last year, Irish people aged 18 to 24 had the highest rates of binge drinking in the European Union. Binge drinking is defined as six or more standard drinks in one session, equivalent to three pints of beer or six pub measures of spirits. The CSO data showed more than a quarter of men and more than 15pc of women aged 18 to 24 in Ireland engaged in binge drinking at least once a week in 2014.
"There are certain sudden conditions you can experience if you drink heavily for a few days in a row," says Dr Bobby Smyth, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, HSE. "For example, acute pancreatitis, where the pancreas becomes inflamed over a short period of time and ceases to work properly. This can cause a huge amount of discomfort."
Then, there are the longer-term effects of alcohol consumption - the ones after the hangover.
"Drinking above the recommended low-risk guidelines can lead to unhealthy weight gain, poor memory, heart problems and other diseases."
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However, Dr Smyth says it is not so much the cumulative damage of drinking over the years that is the most worrying, "the main issue or risk for college students is the intoxication-based events, what happens when you are very drunk. For example, having an accident that could be hugely life altering or, even life-ending.
"Plus, you can be much more vulnerable to assault, such as sexual assault or 'one-punch attacks'. This is where a random person will hit someone on the head and it is not the impact of the punch that could potentially kill them, but if they fall and hit their head off the ground.
Source: Independent.ie, 22/08/18
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