Holiday gatherings with family and friends often feature alcohol as a staple of the festivities. In fact, alcohol consumption typically peaks around Christmas and New Year’s Eve, with Americans drinking double their usual amount of alcohol.

These occasions can sometimes lead to a concerning trend known as high-intensity drinking (HID), which experts warn may pose even greater risks than traditionalbinge drinking.

Binge drinking is defined as consuming four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men within a short time frame, usually around two hours,Laura Bierut, MD, professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, told Verywell. high-intensity drinking involves drinking at least twice these amounts—eight or more drinks for women and 10 or more for men within the same period.

“Drinking higher amounts of alcohol leads to more disinhibition,” saidMichael Weaver, MD, professor of psychiatry at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and medical director of the Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addiction. “High-intensity drinkers are more likely to do risky things that they would not otherwise consider, which leads to trouble.”

Understanding Binge Drinking

Who Is Most Likely to Engage in High-Intensity Drinking?

Adolescents and young adults, particularly those under 30 years of age, are most at risk for engaging in high-intensity drinking, Weaver said—with college students being the most likely to do so.

This is due to “less parental supervision,” and the social environment of college life, noted Weaver. It is also “most common among single white males.”

Surprisingly, older adults are also more likely to engage in high-intensity drinking, including those over 65, as they may turn to alcohol in response to life changes such as retirement, the loss of a spouse, or declining health, Weaver added.

What was once a way to cope with thestress of the pandemichas continued as a way to deal with everyday life stress, said Weaver. “HID is associated with social events, so people who drank more in times of isolation may also drink more to celebrate social events with friends as a form of release,” he added.

Holiday Heart Syndrome

What Are The Risks of High-Intensity Drinking?

High-intensity drinking is more dangerous than binge drinking because it involves consuming at least double the amount of alcohol, leading to more severe risks, saidJarid Pachter, DO, a physician at Stony Brook Medicine who specializes in family and addiction medicine.

For example, high-intensity drinking is more likely to cause blackouts, difficulty walking, and impaired decision-making that leads to risky behaviors, such as drunk driving, Bierut said. Vomiting, severe hangovers, unsafe sexual activity, and injuries are also more common, added Weaver.

Serious long-term health issues have also been linked to excessive alcohol consumption, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including:

ResourcesIf you are struggling with alcohol misuse, help is available:The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration(SAMHSA)The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism(NIAAA)The American Society of Addiction Medicine(ASAM)

Resources

If you are struggling with alcohol misuse, help is available:The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration(SAMHSA)The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism(NIAAA)The American Society of Addiction Medicine(ASAM)

If you are struggling with alcohol misuse, help is available:

What Are the Long-Term Effects of Alcohol on the Body?

Expert Tips for Drinking Responsibly

If you plan on having a drink or two, eating a meal or snacks can help slow down the absorption of alcohol, said Weaver, and try to alternate between alcoholic beverages and non-alcoholic drinks to stay hydrated.

For safety, it’s always a good idea to arrange for a sober ride home, such as picking a designated driver, using rideshare services or public transportation, and informing others of where and when you will be drinking.

While there is no truly “safe or healthy amount of alcohol to consume,” Pachter said he would never recommend drinking more than four or five drinks in one sitting and limit that to once a month.

“If drinking is crucial to having a good time or getting on with life, it probably indicates the person needs some help with their drinking,” Pachter added.

What Are the Short-Term Effects of Alcohol?

What This Means For YouIf you’re worried about your own drinking habits or those of a loved one, reach out to a trusted source, such as a primary care physician, school counselor, or spiritual leader. These professionals can provide guidance and help connect you to additional support services.

What This Means For You

If you’re worried about your own drinking habits or those of a loved one, reach out to a trusted source, such as a primary care physician, school counselor, or spiritual leader. These professionals can provide guidance and help connect you to additional support services.

6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.UCLA Health.Alcohol consumption spikes during holiday season.Kushnir V, Cunningham JA.Event-specific drinking in the general population.J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2014;75(6):968-972. doi:10.15288/jsad.2014.75.968National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.Understanding binge drinking.Patrick ME, Azar B.High-intensity drinking. Alcohol Res. 2018;39(1):49.Ayyala-Somayajula D, Dodge JL, Leventhal AM, Terrault NA, Lee BP.Trends in alcohol use after the COVID-19 pandemic: a national cross-sectional study.Ann Intern Med. Published online November 12, 2024. doi:10.7326/ANNALS-24-02157Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Facts about excessive drinking.

6 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.UCLA Health.Alcohol consumption spikes during holiday season.Kushnir V, Cunningham JA.Event-specific drinking in the general population.J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2014;75(6):968-972. doi:10.15288/jsad.2014.75.968National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.Understanding binge drinking.Patrick ME, Azar B.High-intensity drinking. Alcohol Res. 2018;39(1):49.Ayyala-Somayajula D, Dodge JL, Leventhal AM, Terrault NA, Lee BP.Trends in alcohol use after the COVID-19 pandemic: a national cross-sectional study.Ann Intern Med. Published online November 12, 2024. doi:10.7326/ANNALS-24-02157Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Facts about excessive drinking.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

UCLA Health.Alcohol consumption spikes during holiday season.Kushnir V, Cunningham JA.Event-specific drinking in the general population.J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2014;75(6):968-972. doi:10.15288/jsad.2014.75.968National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.Understanding binge drinking.Patrick ME, Azar B.High-intensity drinking. Alcohol Res. 2018;39(1):49.Ayyala-Somayajula D, Dodge JL, Leventhal AM, Terrault NA, Lee BP.Trends in alcohol use after the COVID-19 pandemic: a national cross-sectional study.Ann Intern Med. Published online November 12, 2024. doi:10.7326/ANNALS-24-02157Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Facts about excessive drinking.

UCLA Health.Alcohol consumption spikes during holiday season.

Kushnir V, Cunningham JA.Event-specific drinking in the general population.J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2014;75(6):968-972. doi:10.15288/jsad.2014.75.968

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.Understanding binge drinking.

Patrick ME, Azar B.High-intensity drinking. Alcohol Res. 2018;39(1):49.

Ayyala-Somayajula D, Dodge JL, Leventhal AM, Terrault NA, Lee BP.Trends in alcohol use after the COVID-19 pandemic: a national cross-sectional study.Ann Intern Med. Published online November 12, 2024. doi:10.7326/ANNALS-24-02157

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Facts about excessive drinking.

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