Experts warn of the perils of 'high-intensity drinking' this party season
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Experts have identified a form of alcohol abuse more dangerous than binge drinking as Christmas approaches – and it's particularly common among the middle-aged. Doctors have long warned patients about binge drinking – which is defined as consuming more than five drinks in two hours – because it raises the risk of life-threatening alcohol issues.
![[Research suggests women who consume eight drinks or men who have ten across one night are doing more damage to their bodies than alcohol bingers]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/15/01/93160461-14194109-image-a-78_1734227884607.jpg)
But research suggests women who consume eight drinks or men who have ten across one night are doing more damage to their bodies than alcohol bingers. Those who drink this much – known as high-intensity drinking – are more likely to black out, be hospitalised with alcohol poisoning and develop an addiction.
![[Even if high-intensity drinkers avoid short-term issues such as blackouts and alcohol poisoning, they risk developing deadly diseases later in life]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/15/01/93160463-14194109-image-a-77_1734227858493.jpg)
And there is a higher chance people aged over 30 partake in high-intensity drinking compared with younger generations. Experts say the dangerous drinking pattern is more common during the Christmas period and are urging Britons to limit the alcohol they consume in one night as festive parties come around.
'We know that the run-up to Christmas is a period when people tend to drink more,' says Dr Richard Piper, chief executive of Alcohol Change UK. 'And whatever arbitrary boundaries we set, the simple truth is the less you drink the healthier you'll be.'.
The NHS recommends men and women do not consume more than 14 units of alcohol each week. That amount is equal to six pints of average-strength beer or ten small glasses of lower-strength wine. Experts have identified a form of alcohol abuse more dangerous than binge drinking as Christmas approaches – and it's particularly common among the middle-aged.
