Binge drinking is a serious threat to the lives of teenagers, ranging from freshmen in high school to college students. It has become a large part of teen’s social lives; many students find themselves binge drinking up to 4 times a week. It is unsafe, and it puts kid’s safety and health in danger.

The NIAA defines binge drinking as reaching .08 BAC. For a guy, binge drinking is defined as having 5 drinks in two hours, and for girls it is 4 drinks in two hours.

Teens binge drink with the intent of getting highly intoxicated over a short period of time. Often teens do this before arriving at a party, calling it “pre-gaming.” This makes social encounters less awkward and allows them to let loose more easily. When a person is drunk, they feel less embarrassed about acting in more uninhibited ways; blame it on the alcohol. Many guys do it consciously, knowing that the girls at parties are also doing it, and they have the intent of hooking up with multiple girls. Legally, a girl cannot give consent when she is drunk; “we were both drunk” will not hold up in court.

Teens may be misled into thinking that binge drinking will raise their social status. It is commonly known that in not only Wayland High School, but also high schools across the country, it is the “popular” kids who pre-game. “I just do it so I can have a better time because even if the party’s bad, you have fun when you’re drunk,” says a junior at WHS.

An adult/parent may wonder where their kids “pre-game.” This is what makes it so dangerous—kids can do it anywhere. It doesn’t take too much time or too many resources.

“I don’t think teens realize the consequences of binge drinking,” says a sophomore at WHS. It could lead to alcohol poisoning or even death. It alters a person’s ability to make good decisions, which could lead to drunk driving or another serious consequence.

When kids arrive at parties they may appear fine because the alcohol has not hit them yet. This is another reason why it is so dangerous; the parents would never notice that the teen is drunk. They drink so much so quickly that it doesn’t hit them until later. Kids do not know their limits and will binge drink before parties where alcohol is not allowed. It seems that teens will go so far as to put their bodies and lives in danger just to be “socially accepted” and to get drunk.