High-Intensity Drinking vs Binge Drinking

"Since the early 1990s, binge drinking (defined as drinking at least 4 drinks in a row for women or at least 5 drinks in a row for men) has been a key indicator of risky drinking. 

"However, the binge threshold may not clearly distinguish drinking risk. A person who consumes five drinks over a few hours may or may not show signs of intoxication, depending on factors including body composition, food and water intake, and tolerance. In contrast, a person who consumes ten drinks over the same time period is at high risk for alcohol poisoning and other negative outcomes. 

"Therefore, researchers have recently begun examining the prevalence, correlates, and consequences of high-intensity drinking, which is defined as drinking 10 or more drinks in a row (or with sex-specific cutoffs of drinking at least 8 drinks for women or at least 10 drinks for men). 

"High-intensity drinking typically occurs in combination with other risky drinking patterns. On days when people engage in high-intensity drinking, not only do they consume a high number of drinks, but they also tend to drink for longer periods of time and at a faster pace than they do when drinking at moderate or binge levels. That is, they have more drinks in a shorter period of time, which leads to a higher estimated blood alcohol content (eBAC).¹"