Warm weather means more outdoor activities involving alcohol.

The dangers

How quickly can binge drinking turn problematic?

“Very easily,” says Andrew Zasada, MD, an internal medicine physician who sees patients at OSF HealthCare.

Dr. Zasada says for women, binge drinking is defined as five or more drinks on one occasion, like a night out on the town that lasts three to four hours. For men, it’s 15 drinks. That takes into account the differences in how men’s and women’s bodies metabolize alcohol.

Dr. Zasada says the internal issues linked with excessive alcohol use can be devastating.

“It can cause brain dysfunction. It can cause liver disease and stomach ulcers,” Dr. Zasada says. “It’s just not a good thing. It can cause a wide variety of problems.”

Not to mention the outward symptoms like: acne, redness on your nose and palms and dry, wrinkled skin that makes you look older. And drinking during pregnancy can lead to a host of problems for the child, like facial abnormalities and developmental deficits.

“A lifetime of misery” for the little one, as Dr. Zasada puts it.

Safety, recovery

Just like there’s no magic way to prevent or cure a hangover, there’s no magic number of drinks to have on a night out that will make you immune to alcohol problems. But for spring and summer revelers, Dr. Zasada has this advice: take it slow.

“If you’re an average size gentleman, probably a beer an hour is just about the max you can drink,” he says.

Dr. Zasada says are there many ways to help people who are drinking in excess. In the short term, such as during a party, call 911 if the person needs immediate medical attention. If they just need a break, take the person away from the clatter to rest. Take their car keys, and give them some water. A painkiller like Tylenol in appropriate doses can help with that hangover headache the next day.

Long term, a patient’s primary care provider can link them with resources to curb drinking, such as Alcoholics Anonymous or treatment centers. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism also has resources. And within OSF HealthCare’s footprint, Illinois and Michigan have phone numbers to call for behavioral health issues.

“If the person is trying to deny that they drink at all; if they are drinking alone when there is nobody else around; if they're trying to hide or cover up their drinking, those are all fairly serious warning signs that this person needs help,” Dr. Zasada says.

Dr. Zasada says it’s never too late to kick the habit of excessive drinking, but sooner is better.

“It's easier to mitigate any problems that have already occurred earlier, rather than wait for the problem to get very, very serious, very bad, and then quit,” he says. “Yeah, you'll get better. But you won't go back to what you were.”

That “getting better” looks like a lot of things.

“You might lose weight. You might lower your blood pressure. It may increase heart health,” Dr. Zasada says. “You'll think clearer. You'll sleep better.”

Interview Clips

While Dry January is coming to a close, the topic of drinking alcohol is still making headlines.

Heavy drinking habits among adults that started during the COVID-19 pandemic haven’t slowed down, according to a study.

The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that alcohol use among adults ages 18 and older increased by 4% from 2018 to 2020, with heavy alcohol use increasing by a whopping 20%. Researchers say the increase continued in 2022.

The pandemic caused plenty of stress for people – working from home, remote learning for children and just plain boredom. Experts say alcohol can start as a habit and then become an addiction. It’s also a way to cope with problems and issues that are impacting our daily lives. 

“COVID was a very stressful time for a lot of people,” says Jessy Mathew, MD, a primary care physician for OSF HealthCare. “There was a lot of social isolation, and a lot of emotional turmoil. People lost their friends; they lost family members. There were no outdoor activities, and alcohol became a relief from all these problems.”

The study defined heavy drinking as five drinks a day or 15 drinks a week for men and four drinks a day or eight drinks a week for women. The increase was seen in all age groups, genders, races and regions in the U.S. except for Asian Americans and Native Americans. Adults in their 40s had the biggest increase in consumption.

“It depends on the type of alcohol and your rate of metabolism, which might be different for each person,” says Dr. Mathew. “It also depends on how much you're drinking at the time. Are you binge drinking? Are you mixing it with other drinks? Are you mixing it with other substances or other drugs? There's a variety of reasons.”

There are many risks with heavy drinking. Among the potential health problems include heart disease and cancer, as well as anxiety, depression, the risk of accidents, and social, family, legal and behavioral issues. “Alcohol affects everything, basically, from head to toe, every single organ can be affected by alcohol,” says Dr. Mathew.

The earlier people start drinking, the greater the risk of developing health issues later in life. And women are more prone to get sicker from alcohol, according to Dr. Mathew. “There's a study that says that if you have one extra drink a day, it puts you at a risk of five to nine times more likely of getting breast cancer,” she says. “It also increases your risk of infertility, menstrual problems, osteoporosis or weakening of your bones, which leads to fractures.” 

Dr. Mathew offers several ways to reduce alcohol consumption, including:

·         Avoiding triggers such as people, places or activities that lead to heavy drinking

·         Create ways to deal with stress such as exercise, walking and reading

·         Limit the amount of alcohol you have in your home

·         Find hobbies that don’t involve alcohol

·         Seek support from friends and family or co-workers

Dr. Mathew adds that if you start feeling guilty about drinking, find yourself becoming easily agitated, or drinking at odd times of the day, it might be time to seek professional help. For more information on behavioral health services, visit the OSF HealthCare website. 

 

Interview Clips