Alarm Raised About Binge Drinking

The second Barrington teenager rushed to the hospital in about three weeks is a strong signal that more information is needed about the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption. 

Barrington Police Chief John LaCross delivered that message when reporting the binge-drinking emergency. He said that some parents and teens still don’t seem to take the warning seriously enough.

Kristen Westmoreland of The BAY Team echoed the police chief’s comment. Binge drinking still occurs despite all the education spread by coalitions such as The BAY Team in Barrington. 

“At least someone called it in,” Westmoreland said of the most recent emergency at a Talcott Street home. “I have to think the call to the tip line was the result of a recent session at the high school that urged students to report these emergencies.” 

Binge drinking is defined as excessive alcohol consumption in about two hours – typically 5 or more drinks for an adult male and 4 or more drinks for an adult female. 

Binge drinking in teens is considered any type of heavy drinking done by anyone under the age of 21. And most alcohol consumed by teens comes when they binge drink.

A drink refers to a half ounce of alcohol – one 12-ounce beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, or one 1.5 ounce shot of spirits. Downing this amount of alcohol in two hours impairs judgment, impedes coordination, removed inhibitions, causes slurring of speech and much worse – it can put someone at the risk of serious health or social consequences, lasting brain damage and even death. 

Most teens do not binge drink. But an estimated 1 out of 4 or 5 high school students do binge drink. And binge drinking is considered a serious, under-recognized problem for women and girls, in particular.

What can be done by parents to limit alcohol consumption?

Lock up your booze to keep it away from teens or get it out of the house all together, said both LaCross and Westmoreland, especially when you go out of town and leave your teens at home alone.

That action may send a signal that you don’t trust your teenage children to make smart decisions. But it’s far less harmful than having a child sent to Rhode Island Hospital with possible brain damage or having your teen driving around drunk or engaging in risky sexual behavior that could cause an unwanted pregnancy.

Parents also need to have a serious talk with their children about the serious consequences of drinking heavily, said LaCross and Westmoreland.

What else can be done?

• Choose not to binge drink yourself and help others not do it.
• Drink in moderation – no more than a drink a day for a woman or two drinks for a man.
• Support effective community strategies to prevent binge drinking.
• Support the local control of the marketing and sale of alcohol.
• Support the minimum legal drinking age of 21.