Health specialists have determined that certain types of drinking are more harmful than binge drinking.

Health specialists have determined that certain types of drinking are more harmful than binge drinking.

As the holiday season approaches, office parties and year-end family get-togethers will soon occupy most people's diaries. These occasions frequently call for a good amount of alcohol to be endured. But, since a new drinking fad is becoming more and more popular across the country, it might be a good idea to gauge how much you want to drink this holiday season before buying an inexpensive case of bubbles (or two).

Scientists have discovered a type of drinking that is much more detrimental to our health than binge drinking. Although it is well known that alcohol is bad for our health, many individuals use it as a way to decompress and enjoy a few drinks. Experts believe that there is an even worse kind of drinking that is especially common around holidays like Christmas and birthdays, but binge drinking—when people drink a lot of alcohol in a short period of time—is also problematic.

A National Library of Medicine research states that high-intensity drinking is "common among certain types of binge drinkers and is often associated with special occasions, including holidays, sporting events, and, notably, 21st birthdays."High-intensity drinking, according to the report's authors, is "at least twice the typical binge drinking threshold." They claim that, according to gender, that would entail men having more than ten drinks and women having more than eight. Additionally, specialists claim that it is bad for our health. Blood alcohol content can rise to more than 0.2% after consuming that much alcohol in a little amount of time.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's director, George Koob, claims that this "significantly increases the risk of injuries, overdose, and deaths." In addition to the drinker, high-intensity drinking can have a negative effect on friendships, love relationships, and even trigger life-altering incidents like accidents or violent attacks.

Concern over the growing tendency of high-intensity drinking among adults is growing, according to specialists. Putting more emphasis on the amount of alcohol ingested over an extended period of time, high-intensity drinking is defined as eight or more consecutive drinks for women and ten or more for men. It should come as no surprise that heavy drinking greatly raises the danger of alcohol poisoning, accidents, and fatalities. For comparison, a typical binge drinking session often results in a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 percent, however high-intensity drinking can result in a BAC of 0.2 percent, which is more than double the outcome.