A recent analysis article published in the New York Times and authored by Christina Caron examined the phenomenon of high-intensity drinking and its harmful effects. This term refers to heavy levels of binge drinking and was developed by health experts from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) in recent years. Specifically, it defines high-intensity drinking as alcohol intake at levels twice or more the threshold for binge drinking.

The prevalence of binge drinking has increased by over 25% among adults ages 50-64 and nearly 40% among adults over the age of 65. Similarly, although rates of binge drinking have remained stable among men, a 14% increase was observed in women. Collectively, these data indicate that population-wide alcohol use statistics are not capturing the shifting patterns of deleterious alcohol consumption occurring among subgroups,” states the press release from the NIAAA High Intensity Drinking Working Group Meeting.

Moreover, the U.S. National Alcohol Survey series defines high-intensity drinking “as the consumption of at least 8 drinks in a row by anyone, male or female, over the previous 12 months.”

In her interview with the New York Times, Camillia Lui, a scientist at the Alcohol Research Group, noted the data showed a decline in high-intensity drinking among young adults overall. However, its frequency among men aged 30 years and older and women ages 18 to 64 has increased.

According to Keith Humphreys, an addiction expert and psychologist at Stanford University, high-intensity drinkers are also more likely to have a “full blackout,” with no memory of what transpired, or to need to go to the emergency room.

The analysis also discussed the significant harmful effects of high-intensity drinking. In fact, consuming 8-10 drinks in a short period of time can produce a blood alcohol concentration, or B.A.C., of over 0.2%, which can significantly increase the risk of injuries, overdose and deaths. In contrast, a “regular” binge drinking episode (consuming four or five drinks) typically results in a B.A.C. of around 0.08%. Finally, consuming a higher number of drinks per occasion is associated with a greater likelihood of developing alcohol use disorder, according to George F. Koob, the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

While there may be many reasons why people engage in high-intensity drinking, research studies have found that young people were largely motivated by the expectation that it would make them “more social” and “help them have fun with friends,” which outweighed any potential negative consequences for them. The results of the National Alcohol Survey showed that middle-aged and older adults consume alcohol during social events, but they reported using drinking as a way to cope with stress.