THE allure of festive drinks and social gatherings can lead to more frequent and heavier drinking.
A recent survey by Drinkaware found over half of adults (57 per cent) will binge drink on Christmas Day – with men drinking the equivalent of four medium glasses of wine and women, three medium glasses.
But if you find yourself drinking more than this at a festive gathering, it’s no longer classed as binge drinking.
Instead, experts are calling it ‘high-intensity drinking’, and there are far more serious and immediate complications attached.
Dr Richard Piper, CEO at Alcohol Change UK, explains: “A high-intensity drinker is someone who consumes a significant amount of alcohol in a short period of time.
“In drinks/numbers, this looks like around 10 alcoholic drinks for men and eight alcoholic drinks for women on a single occasion.
“It very likely means you’ll be exceeding the Chief Medical Officer’s low-risk guidelines of 14 units per week, but in one fell swoop.”
According to Dr John Abraham, a Priory consultant psychiatrist who supports alcohol addiction patients at Priory Hospital Hayes Grove, high-intensity drinking can be considered as a more extreme form of binge drinking.
The risks associated with this level of drinking behaviour are substantially more than regular binge drinking.
He says: “It can result in the person concerned putting their reputation, career, family life, friendships, marriage and, in the worse-case scenario, life at risk.
“They often lose control of their bodily functions, behaviours and responses to situations.
“While binge drinkers are commonly more likely to have grown accustomed to their levels of drinking, which leaves them more susceptible to long-term complications and problems, high-intensity drinkers are associated with far more serious and immediate complications.”
Alcohol creates harm across all levels of consumption, but its more immediate dangers are intensified during a period of high-intensity drinking.
Dr Piper says: “To put this into perspective, these immediate problems and risks may include drink driving, forgetting what’s happening, spending more money than we’d like, having accidents, trips and falls, making poor decisions, saying/doing something we later regret, not getting home safely, or upsetting friends, family or colleagues.
“We’re also more likely to experience a more intense physical and emotional (anxiety, regret) hangover the next day, losing precious time and not being fully present for our loved ones or being less productive at work.
“Beyond the immediate dangers, drinking at these levels, which is not uncommon during the festive season, can mean significantly increasing our heart rate, blood pressure and damage to the cells throughout our body, adds Dr Piper, as well as the chances of developing long-term health conditions like strokes, heart disease, cancer, anxiety or depression.”
Losing track of the amount you drink is one of the key signs of a high-intensity drinker.
Dr Abraham adds: “It’s rare for a high-intensity drinker to recall how much alcohol they consumed.
“In addition, blackouts, injuries, unusual behaviour, and behaviour that leads to regret are all common signs.”
To understand if you qualify as a binge drinker or high intensity drinker, Dr Piper says it’s important to get to grips with units and start tracking how much alcohol you are drinking in a typical sitting.
He explains: “Knowledge is power, and most people are unaware of the number of units they consume, what this looks like in terms of drinks or how long alcohol remains in the body.
“Try a unit calculator and start tracking your consumption via drink diaries or tools such as Alcohol Change UK’s free Try Dry app.”
The short answer is yes – and it can even become an annual ritual.
Dr Abraham says: “It’s crucial to remember that just because nothing terrible happened last year doesn’t guarantee the same outcome this year.
“The festive nature of Christmas doesn’t excuse risky behaviour. Furthermore, friends and colleagues may not always be in a position to help or protect you.
“After Christmas parties, hypothermia and death are serious risks. Walking out without suitable clothing for the weather, not being able to reach a safe place, or collapsing on the street at night are all health risks as alcohol causes blood vessels to dilate, leading to quicker heat loss.
“The wider implications of this behaviour include an increased risk of sexual assault. Alcohol-involved incidents often leave victims feeling ashamed and blaming themselves, which can prevent them from seeking help or reporting the incident to the police, leading to severe psychological consequences.
“Ultimately, those who engage in high-intensity drinking make themselves far more vulnerable, especially when emergency services are already stretched. Complications associated with Christmas parties, like higher risks of hypothermia, unsteadiness, confusion, and being alone, further exacerbate the dangers.”
Christmas is a time where drinking seems to surround us, making it harder to cut down or not drink, even if we want to.
“But the truth is,” says Dr Pipe, “Alcohol is entirely optional at every event and on every occasion, and we should never feel we ‘have’ to consume it.”
To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level:
14 units is equivalent to six pints of average-strength beer or 10 small glasses of lower-strength wine.
Units of alcohol in drinks
The NHS offers a guide for how many units are in your favourite drinks.
Single small shot of spirits (25ml, ABV 40 per cent) – 1 unit
Alcopop (275ml, ABV 4.6 per cent) – 1.3 units
Small glass of red/white/rosé wine (125ml, ABV 12 per cent) – 1.5 units
Bottle of lager/beer/cider (330ml, ABV 5 per cent) – 1.7 units
Can of lager/beer/cider (440ml, ABV 5.5 per cent) – 2.4 units
Pint of lower-strength lager/beer/cider (ABV 3.6 per cent) – 2 units
Standard glass of red/white/rosé wine (175ml, ABV 12 per cent) – 2.1 units
Pint of higher-strength lager/beer/cider (ABV 5.2 per cent) – 3 units
Large glass of red/white/rosé wine (250ml, ABV 12 per cent) – 3 units
