Binge drinking is very popular with young adults when they go to college or move out on their own. Many people don’t realize that there are huge consequences that can come with binge drinking. The following guide walks you through the things you need to consider before you start binge drinking with your friends this weekend.

Binge Drinking Can Cause Weight Gain

People may be surprised by how many calories are found in the drinks they binge on. While the alcohol itself has very few calories, the mixers that are added to them to make them taste great often have a lot of sugar and calories. When you drink a lot, it often lowers your inhibitions also, which can cause you to eat things that you normally wouldn’t eat.

Binge Drinking Can Cause Scarring Situations to Occur

When someone binge drinks, they often lose their memory and aren’t in control of their mind, body or actions. This can lead to you making horrible decisions that you may regret for the rest of your life. You could put yourself in situations that lead to you being assaulted because you could pass out or simply not be able to defend yourself.

Binge Drinking Can Cause You to Lose Your License

Many people assume that when they go to sleep, the alcohol that is in their system will be absorbed by their body and be completely out of their system before morning. This isn’t the case; many times, people drink a lot at night and then get up to drive to work but are still over the legal limit. If you get pulled over and an officer suspects that you’re intoxicated, he or she could ask you to submit to a breathalyzer test; if you fail, you could end up losing your license.

Binge Drinking Can Cause You to Lose Friends

When you drink in excess, you won’t act like you normally do. Drinking lowers inhibitions and causes you to behave very poorly. This could serve as an embarrassment to your friends or cause them to be offended by the things that you say or do, which could ruin the relationship. If your friends have tried to talk to you about your binge drinking, you may have an issue that you need to address.

Binge Drinking Can Lead to Alcoholism

Many people assume that the only way you can be an alcoholic is if you drink every day. They think that binge drinking on the weekends isn’t a form of alcoholism, but it is. If you feel compelled to drink, you may be an alcoholic. Try to go without drinking for an extended period of time and see if you feel an urge to drink or feel like you’re missing out. If you do, you need to consider getting help for your alcoholism.

Binge Drinking Can Lead to Alcohol Poisoning

When you drink a lot of alcohol in a very short period of time, your body isn’t able to absorb it all. It’s important to take the time to learn more – alcohol poisoning signs are a good place to start before drinking. Many people make the mistake of thinking that they cannot die from alcohol poisoning, but you can. If you start feeling lightheaded or dizzy, are vomiting and cannot maintain your balance, there’s a good chance that you may be suffering from alcohol poisoning and need to go to the hospital right away.

At the hospital, tell the nurses what the situation is. You may be able to have your stomach pumped to remove some of the alcohol. The nurses and doctors will also be able to give you the necessary fluids to help balance out your electrolytes.

Binge Drinking Can Lead to a Bad Hangover

When you drink a lot of alcohol, it dehydrates you. This can lead to you feeling hungover the next day. A hangover involves a bad headache, feeling nauseous and even dizziness. If you wake up with a hangover, you need to drink something with electrolytes in it to hydrate your body. Drinking just water alone doesn’t provide your body with the vitamins and minerals needed to make you feel better quickly. Electrolyte-filled drinks are available at most grocery and drug stores that can be great for a hangover. Look in the baby section and look for beverages that are marketed for kids who’ve suffered from diarrhea or vomiting. These drinks are filled with the nutrients needed to help you feel better in less time.

Binge Drinking Can Cost You a Lot of Money

Drinking can be very expensive. There are many times when people go out to drink during happy hour when the drinks are very inexpensively priced. When happy hour ends, the drinks can increase in price dramatically and cause you to pay much more for them than you did earlier in the evening. You also become less inhibited with the way you spend your money. You could waste your money on items that you don’t need or really even want.

There are better ways to connect with people than through binge drinking. You need to consider if all of your social gatherings have to involve alcohol in order for you and your friends to have fun together. There are many people who find out that they don’t have much in common with the people they hang out with often, until they stop drinking. Be sure to only surround yourself with people who are inspiring, supportive and help you to live your best life, rather than living in a haze.

If you know that you’re going to drink, take the time to drink in a safe way. Hire someone to drive you around, eat before you start drinking and drink a glass of water between each beer, drink or shot. This will better your chances of staying hydrated and avoiding alcohol poisoning.