Binge drinking, defined as drinking more than the daily recommended units of alcohol in one session, is common among university students in the UK. It can negatively impact physical health through accidents and injuries, and mental health through increased risks of aggression, violence, and memory loss. While binge drinking is tempting for socializing and lowering inhibitions, it carries serious health and safety risks for students. Managing finances, prioritizing safety, and drinking responsibly can help students avoid the harms of binge drinking during their university experience.

1. Binge Drinking

2. What is binge drinking?
• The NHS definition of binge drinking is drinking heavily in a
short space of time to get drunk or feel the effects of
alcohol.
• The amount of alcohol someone needs to drink in a session
for it to be classed as ‘bingeing’ is less clearly defined but
the marker used by the NHS and National Office of
Statistics is drinking more than double the daily
recommended units of alcohol in one session
• The government advises that people should not regularly
drink more than the daily unit guidelines of 3-4 units of
alcohol for men (equivalent to a pint and a half of 4% beer)
and 2-3 units of alcohol for women (equivalent to a 175 ml
glass of wine)

3. What are some of the effects of binge
drinking?
Getting very drunk can affect your physical and mental health:
• Accidents and falls are common because being drunk affects your
balance and co-ordination. You’re also more likely to suffer head,
hand and facial injuries. Binge drinking has also been linked to self-
harm .
• In extreme cases, you could die. Overdosing on alcohol can stop you
breathing or stop your heart, or you could choke on your vomit.
These deaths are more common among 16–34-year-olds.
• Binge drinking can affect your mood and your memory and in the
longer term can lead to serious mental health problems.
• More commonly, binge drinking can lead to anti-social, aggressive
and violent behavior.

4. Alcohol is a factor in:
• One in three (30%) sexual offences
• One in three (33%) burglaries
• One in two (50%) street crimes.

5. • Binge drinking is most common among 16–24-
year-olds , and is more common among men than
women. The General Lifestyle Survey 2008
showed that 21% of men and 14% of women
drank more than double the daily unit guidelines
on at least one day in the previous week.
• Binge drinking when you’re young can become a
habit. Studies have shown that those who drink a
lot in their teens and early 20s are up to twice as
likely as light drinkers to be binge drinking 25
years later.

6. How can you tell if you’re a binge
drinker?
Even if you don't drink alcohol every day, you could
be a binge drinker if you regularly drink:
• to get drunk
• more than the daily unit guidelines in a single
session
• quickly.
If you find it hard to stop drinking once you have
started, you could also have a problem with binge
drinking and possibly alcohol dependence.

7. Dealing with a hangover
• A hangover can range in strength and intensity
and vary from person to person, but it usually
involves a banging headache, sickness,
dizziness, dehydration, mild diarrhea,
tiredness and weakness.
• A hangover can also leave you struggling to
concentrate, irritable and sensitive to light for
a prolonged period after your last drink

8. What causes a hangover?
• The principal cause is ethanol – the alcohol in your
drinks. It is a toxic chemical that works in the body as a
diuretic (which means it makes you pee more, and a
result become dehydrated). This is one of the main
causes of the headache, dry mouth, dizziness and
constant nausea. Your hangover eases as the body
turns the ethanol into a less toxic chemical.
• The other factor that affects a hangover is the type of
drink you have been downing. Dark drinks
contain substances (congeners) that tend to make
hangovers worse. So does mixing drinks.

9. What precautions can you take to
prevent a hangover?
• keep in mind the government's advice that
people should not regularly drink more than the
daily unit guidelines of 3-4 units of alcohol for
men and 2-3 units of alcohol for women
• if you are drinking at home it’s even harder to
keep track of what you are drinking. Home
measures are frequently generous
• Avoiding wine glasses the size of gold fish bowls
in favour of smaller glasses is an easy way to
make sure you are not pouring half a bottle with
each drink.

10. • Try not to drink on an empty stomach; eat
something – preferably carbohydrates - before
you start drinking. The food will help slow the
body’s absorption of the alcohol.
• Avoid getting into rounds because it makes it
harder to control how much you drink.
• Stick to clear drinks (that don’t contain congeners
that can worsen the hangover).
• Drink plenty of water or soft drinks in between
alcoholic drinks.
• Your body takes about one hour to process each
unit of alcohol. Consider stopping drinking well
before the end of the evening, so the process can
begin.

11. What can you do to treat the
symptoms of a hangover?
• Drink as much water as you can before going to
bed and keep more by the bed to drink if you
wake in the night. Continue drinking plenty of
water the next day.
• Have some fresh juice to give yourself a vitamin
boost.
• Take a painkiller – a soluble one is good for a
headache and gentle on the stomach.
• Take an antacid to settle your stomach.
• Try a rehydration treatment sachet – they replace
lost minerals and salt.

12. • Avoid caffeine (tea or coffee or energy drinks) these
may give you a slight temporary lift, but they may also
dehydrate you further.
• Eat something – bananas and kiwis are a good source
of potassium (something you lose with the diuretic
effect of alcohol).
• Go for a gentle stroll if you feel able and get some fresh
air and light on the face.
• Avoid hair of the dog – it only delays the problem.
Falling into the habit of attempting to drink off
hangovers can be seen as one of the first signs that you
are becoming dependent on alcohol.
• Get plenty of rest and relaxation, take a break from
alcohol

13. How alcohol affects your appearance
• Over indulging on alcohol can affect your physical
appearance the next day and in the long term.
• Alcohol is fattening. There are around 125 calories in a
medium-sized (175ml) glass of wine; 500+ in a
bottle. A vodka and coke or gin and tonic is 120
calories
• Alcohol affects your sleep and your skin.
• After a night of drinking your skin looks pale, grey and
tired. Nina Goad of the British Association of
Dermatologists explains: “Alcohol dehydrates your
body generally, including the skin, which is your body’s
largest organ. This happens every time you drink.
“Alcohol is also thought to deprive the skin of certain
vital vitamins and nutrients,”

14. • Drinking more than you should over time can
have much more permanent, detrimental effects
on your skin.
• Rosacea, a skin disorder that starts with a
tendency to blush and flush easily and can
eventually lead to facial disfigurement, is linked
to alcohol.
• Alcohol can also cause your face to look bloated
and puffy.
• The toxins in alcohol contribute to cellulite
• Hungover people don't smell too good either; the
liver metabolises most alcohol, but five to 10
percent leaves the body straight through your
breath, sweat and urine.

15. Staying safe at uni
• ‘For most students, university is the first time
they haven’t had to worry what their parents
think about their drinking. There’s a bit of
peer pressure to drink too, to fit in. That can
add up to heavy drinking, and dangerous
situations sometimes.’ Vice President of
Support and Advice at Glasgow Caledonian
University Student Union.

16. • Staying within the daily unit guidelines means
you'd be more likely to have your wits about you,
and be able to spot dangerous situations
• The more drunk you are, the more likely you are
to do something risky.
• A survey conducted by the women’s magazine,
Company showed that 29% of respondents had
lost keys, money and other valuables during a
drunken night out, while one in ten had been
escorted home by a stranger.
• Keeping track of what you’re drinking also means
you’ll know if your drink’s been spiked
• planning is another key to staying safe when out.

17. • Always know how you’re getting home, and
arrange to go with a friend. If you’re getting a
taxi, pre-book it and use a licensed cab so you
aren’t left stranded. Make sure your mobile
phone is charged and has credit, and keep the
money you need to get home separate from
the rest so you don’t accidentally spend it.
• Initiation ceremonies – where new students
are made to drink heavily to ‘initiate’ them
into a university club or society What can start
off as a bit of fun can quickly turn dangerous.

18. Key issues effecting students
• Student life is frequently portrayed in the media and
popular culture as one big party. Alcohol seems to have
become synonymous with university
• Research shows that over half (52%) of male students
and nearly half (43%) of female students drink more
than the government’s daily unit guidelines
• The National Union of Students estimates that the
average student spends £675 a year on “socialising”.
• The British Crime Survey 2008 revealed that students
have the highest risk of being a victim of violent crime
compared with other occupations.

19. Sex, Alcohol and Students
• Too much alcohol might well lower your inhibitions giving you that added
confidence boost, but it can also impair your judgment too.
• Make some plans to help you stick to your limit. Remember, if you keep to
the government's daily unit guidelines you should be able to keep your
wits about you enough to fend off that drunk, lecherous classmate.
• Drunk sex can also be rubbish sex. It’s worth bearing in mind that alcohol
makes it more difficult for men to get an erection, and can decrease the
intensity of your orgasm, if you manage to achieve one at all , for both
men and women. Stay sober and the chances are it’ll be a better
experience.
• All the temptations of student life are still there, and it can be difficult. Too
much alcohol can lead to cheating, and a lot of hurt feelings.
• In a survey of 16-24-year-olds by Youthnet nearly a third (32%) of those
interviewed said they had a one night stand they regretted because they
were drunk, making for an embarrassing morning after.
• n the same survey nearly a quarter (22%) of respondents said they had
been home with a stranger after drinking, and 17% had woken up
somewhere without being able to remember how they got there.

20. Keep your finances at uni with nights
out
• The temptation to spend your cash on nights out is never far away.
When you see that first student loan payment sitting in your bank
account, it looks like loads of money.
• But even with cheap deals on drinks in the student union, your
spending on going out can soon add up. Socialising costs students
an average of £675 a year, making it their fourth-biggest weekly
outgoing, even ahead of books.
• It’s not just buying drinks you have to worry about when you’re out.
There are taxis, entry fees to nightclubs, and food too.
• keeping an eye on your outgoings is important. Research has shown
that eight out of 10 students don’t keep track of their finances.
• There are several online budget planners that can help with this,
including Uniaid’s Student Calculator, www.studentcalculator.org.uk.

21. Alcohol and aggression
• Around 23,000 alcohol-related incidents such as street
fights, bar brawls, breaches of the peace and drunk and
disorderly conduct take place in the UK every week.
More than half of all violent crime is committed by
offenders who are drunk and more than a third
happens in and around pubs and clubs.
• Alcohol also affects the way we process information.
When we’ve been drinking we’re more likely to
misinterpret other people’s behaviour and misread
social cues. This could be the reason why so many
drunken fights start over little more than a ‘dirty look’.

22. References
• NHS Clinical Knowledge Summaries, alcohol misuse.
http://www.cks.nhs.uk/patient_information_leaflet/Alcohol_misuse
• NHS Choices – common questions about alcohol
http://www.drinking.nhs.uk/questions/common-questions/
• Ibid
• NHS Clinical Knowledge Summaries, alcohol misuse.
http://www.cks.nhs.uk/patient_information_leaflet/Alcohol_misuse
• NHS Clinical Knowledge Summaries, alcohol misuse.
http://www.cks.nhs.uk/patient_information_leaflet/Alcohol_misuse
• Binge Drinking and Public Health – a briefing from the Parliamentary
Office of Science and Technology. July 2005.
www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_offices/post/pubs2005.cfm
• ‘Young people who binge drink are likely to continue into adulthood’, BMJ,
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/330/7495/809-a
• Booze and you, Company magazine, December 2003, pp 94-96

23. • Reported levels of alcohol consumption and binge drinking within the
UK undergraduate student population over the last 25 years. Oxford
Journal of Alcohol and alcoholism.
http://alcalc.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/37/2/109
• NUS Student Experience Report 2008,
http://www.nus.org.uk/PageFiles/4017/NUS_StudentExperienceReport.pd
f
• British Crime Survey 2008,
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/hosb0708chap3.pdf
• NHS choices: Know your limits: http://units.nhs.uk/mythsDebunked.html
• NHS choices: Know your limits: http://units.nhs.uk/mythsDebunked.html
• Youthnet 2009, ‘Sex Factor: Young People and Sexual Health’.
• Independent Advisory Group on Sex and HIV 2007, ‘Sex, Drugs, Alcohol
and Young People’ p.22.
• NUS Student Experience Report 2008
http://www.nus.org.uk/PageFiles/4017/NUS_StudentExperienceReport.pd
f
• Credit Action, Debt facts and figures 2006
http://www.creditaction.org.uk/assets/PDF/statistics/2006/november-
2006.pdf

24. • Richardson, A. and Budd, T. (2003) Alcohol,
crime and disorder: a study of young adults,
Home Office Research Study 263, London.
• www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs04/r214.pdf