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Exploring Top Health Risks of Binge Drinking

June 10, 2020
tourists wearing sunglasses toast cocktails

While most people can safely enjoy a drink at the bar every now and then, some patrons of Illinois eateries live with the problem of binge drinking.

Unfortunately, some people enjoying a night out may be participating in binge drinking and impacting their health without knowing it. By definition, binge drinking occurs when a person’s blood alcohol concentration reaches or soars past 0.08g.

That amount of alcohol equates to a person drinking five or more drinks in two hours. This is easily done, and as responsible alcohol servers, we must help educate and prevent the continuation of this problem in restaurants and bars.

Here’s a look at some of the top health risks that go hand-in-hand with prolonged binge drinking and how online courses with BASSET On The Fly can help you and your employees make the right serving decisions.

 

Cancer

Consistent wild nights out can lead to severe health complications like cancer. The combination of acetaldehyde produced by the body during metabolism and alcohol can result in cancers of:

Although the results aren’t going to appear over night, chronic binge drinking definitely increases the risk of these problems developing earlier in life.

 

Liver Disease

Alcohol is mainly metabolized in your liver. The constant metabolization of alcohol into acetaldehyde can quickly lead to:

Brain Damage

Many people explore the world of drinking during college years. While a night or two of fun every now and then isn’t going to have long-term effects, binge drinking and alcoholism can severely impact the developing mind.

Remember, the brain continues to develop until about 24-years-old. So if the effects of alcohol consumption are a continuous issue with the developing brain, brain damage can occur with problems that include:

Physical Harm

When your body is under the influence, the alcohol is in control as a depressant. This means that your reactions and decision-making abilities are severely impaired.

Someone who’s been binge drinking and decides to leave the premises puts not only themselves at risk for a major accident (vehicular, falls, etc.) but the public as a whole.

As a vendor, due to the Illinois Dram Shop Act, you could end up liable for any physical harm or death that results from someone going over their limit at your bar. So, knowing when to tell someone “no,” could save lives as well as your business’ integrity.

 

Cardiovascular Risks

There is a direct correlation between your body’s blood pressure and the amount of alcohol you consume at a time. Binge drinking can increase the risk of early on-set heart diseases like alcoholic cardiomyopathy, and eventually, congestive heart failure. Some of these conditions could even show up as early as a person’s 30s.

 

Learn the Signs, Prevent Binge Drinking with BASSET On The Fly

Knowing when someone has had too much is essential to being a responsible server. However, it does take the right experience to be able to make the right decisions. With the help of online courses from BASSET On The Fly, you and your employees can easily and affordably obtain the certification and knowledge necessary to help prevent binge drinking at your establishment.

Register online today for the convenient method of obtaining your BASSET certification.

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