Photo credits (middle): Nightwatching

Binge drinking is the practice of consuming large quantities of alcohol in a single session, usually defined as five or more drinks at one time for a man, or four or more drinks at one time for a woman.

About 90% of the alcohol consumed by youth under the age of 21 in the United States is in the form of binge drinks.

“I binge drink every chance I get and to be honest I am disgusted with myself, but I cannot control my desire to do it.... If I drink too much or drink certain drinks, I get breathless and go blotchy all over my body, but I continue to drink until I am so exhausted I fall asleep.... I am not sure that I am strong enough to quit my stupidity.” —Allen

“By the time I was in my mid-20s I was locked in to drinking.”

“A lot of my first concerns were about drinking, and everything else came second.

“I started to realize that when I didn’t have a drink I had a sense of panic and I would start shaking.

“If I had to go without a drink, I would go through shakes and sweats. I couldn’t go for more than a few hours without a drink.” —Paul

“This past year I have gone to work drunk, blacked out in clubs and bars and can’t remember getting home. Ashamedly I slept with someone and couldn’t even remember the person coming home with me until we bumped into each other the next day.”

“I’ve destroyed two relationships because I hurt them so much through my drinking, but I put drinking first.

“My family are so hurt that their daughter is killing herself for apparently no reason.”
—Jamie