The Risks of Drinking Games

Published On 07-March-2019
By Tim Wood

In this post, we discuss the dangers of taking part in drinking games. For most people, drinking games represent a fun activity they will take part in just a few times in their entire life. However, for some, drinking games encourage the belief that excess binge drinking is a socially acceptable activity.

Beer Pong is perhaps currently the most popular drinking game.  In fact, there is now a World Series tournament. Here, many teams compete for a large cash prize. Beer Pong is not an easy drinking game. Players must drink copious amounts of beer before a ‘winner’ emerges.

It's no wonder more and more young people are being admitted into an alcohol rehab clinic.

Drinking games are particularly popular among students. Why? It’s probably because students frequently drink alcohol in social settings. Drinking games probably lighten up this growing mundane activity and thus breathe new life into it. Students also engage in drinking games because it’s largely a tradition.

Is this discussion in danger of exaggerating the dangers of drinking games? Is it possible ‘innocent’ drinking games can really turn young people into full-blown alcoholics?

Let’s examine the evidence.

When students and young people congregate in large numbers with a new-found sense of independence, it’s probably inevitable that alcohol will be introduced into this environment at some point or another.

The youth of society are likely to find creative outlets to express their new-found independence. This generally entails getting drunk, having sex and going to parties. Many would regard these activities as mere rights of passage. And we would not disagree with this assertion either.

Each generation must discover new outlets to express their independence. These expressions are typically modifications or slight deviations of what-was cool for the preceding generation. However, if you belong to a generation that’s 3-4 times removed from the current generation of young people, what’s cool today might be quite different to what it was when you were a young lad or gal!

It’s only fair to judge youthful expressions based on this fact.

More than just a bit of fun

However, drinking games could legitimately represent a real danger to the health of young people, and so universities and colleges around the country could be doing more to help educate young people of these dangers.

For instance, a drinking game known as Flip Cup could mean a young person’s blood alcohol content could rise to .05 BAC in only 10 minutes, or to .15 BAC in 30 minutes.

This level of intoxication could mean young people are putting themselves at risk of suffering physical injury. Some could even be accused of using these drinking games as a way of ‘loosening up’ members of the opposite sex.

Many young people feel they are pressurised into taking part in drinking games, either as a way to ‘fit in’ or because they are socially reprimanded when they refuse to take part.

The risk of alcohol poisoning

When a large amount of alcohol is consumed over a relatively short period of time, alcohol poisoning becomes a legitimate risk. The symptoms of alcohol poisoning include seizures, vomiting and fainting. If you witness anybody who is exhibiting these symptoms, contact the ambulance service without delay. Paramedics will carry out an emergency stomach pump to prevent this person from dying.

The risk of date rape

Whilst we do not want to engage in ‘victim blaming’, know that taking part in drinking games does put you at a greater risk of falling victim to date raping. Because you consume a great deal of alcohol when you take part in drinking games, it’s relatively easy for somebody to spike your drink with a sedative.

Being aggressive towards others

When you have consumed large amounts of alcohol, you may say or do things towards loved-ones or good friends that you will later regret. You may even act aggressively or commit assault. This could land you in trouble with the law. If you are working towards a profession, a criminal record could prevent you from joining this profession once your studies have concluded.

The risk of alcohol abuse

Developing an alcohol problem due to drinking games is a particular risk if you are a student. Why? Because students are likely to engage in drinking games much more often than the rest of society.

If your group of friends frequently engage in drinking games, perhaps you could restrict your own involvement to once a month. If you find your social circle is engaging in drinking games at least once a week, this could be a sign there is a problem.

If you are a moderate drinker, you may believe there is no risk of developing an alcohol problem just by engaging in a drinking game once a week. If this is the case, please think again, because a study found moderate drinkers are at particular risk of developing problem drinking by taking part in frequent drinking games.

Reassess your social circle

If you are reading this post, it’s likely you are concerned about your drinking. If you are a young person, this could be because of your social circle. Some social groups will drink alcohol almost every day of the week. These people reason that they are ‘young and free’ and so are not at risk of developing a drinking a problem.

If you are a part of such a social group, it’s likely your tolerance for drinking alcohol has grown and grown. I personally recall a group of friends whilst at university who could drink a bottle of vodka each and then go on a major drinking session around pubs and clubs until the early hours of the morning.

If this is the case, perhaps your problem is not so much taking part in drinking games as it is the company you are choosing to keep. Instead, try to branch out into new social circles. Join a sports club or some other hobby where you will meet people who are meeting up for reasons other than to drink alcohol. Doing so will mean your social life is not exclusively about getting drunk.

Do you feel it’s too late to change?

If you feel your drinking has gotten out of hand, why not consider seeking out professional alcohol addiction treatment at an alcohol rehab clinic? Here, you could undertake a medically assisted detox for a 7-14-day period. During this period, you will also be taught a skill-set that will afford you the resilience to stay off alcohol for good.

If attending an alcohol rehab clinic is not possible, you could also attend an outpatient clinic. Here, you will benefit from therapy sessions without the need to disrupt your studies. To locate alcohol addiction treatment in your local area, contact Rehab 4 Alcoholism today on 0800 111 4108. We help our callers access alcohol rehab clinics across the UK.

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