The National Institutes of Health (NIH) defines "binge drinking" as "a pattern of heavy drinking that occurs during an extended period of time set aside for drinking. It has been described as 5/4 binge drinking: five or more drinks in a row on a single occasion for a man or four or more drinks for a woman."
The behavior of Manny* certainly fits that description. The senior former athlete has been binge drinking - according to the NIH and Tufts Health Services' definition - since high school.
"I definitely fit [Tufts'] definition and well beyond that," he said. "But as far as do I consider myself an alcoholic or a problem drinker? The answer is no."
Manny believes he is a binge drinker only "as much as the normal college student." He estimates he drinks four times a week on average, drinking "to the point of drunkenness" three of those times.
The number of drinks he downs varies by night. "When I'm drinking to get drunk, probably at least 10 drinks," he said. His range in a typical night is anywhere from six to 15 drinks.
Manny says he vomits from alcohol consumption less than once a month and passes out from alcohol possibly two or three times a month. However, he finds blacking out to be a common result of his drinking.
"I black out [for] at least part of an evening at least once a week," he said.
Although Manny does not become physically belligerent when blacked out, he finds he has less control over what he is saying. "I definitely say stuff I wouldn't say sober to people, especially when blacking out," he said. "You wake up and feel like, 'Okay, who do I need to apologize to?'"
Though he admits to wishing "I blacked out less than I did," Manny said that he "[thinks] it's the average response when people get drunk that their inhibitions are a little bit less."
That understanding gives him greater compassion towards friends who act out of character while drunk. "I don't think [binge drinking]'s a justifiable excuse [for doing inappropriate things], but it's definitely an excuse," Manny said. "I understand that people wouldn't do the things sober that they do when they're drunk."
Such events have found Manny in a friend's bed the morning after drinking heavily, with no memory of how or why he got there.
Manny finds that alcohol has had little effect on his schoolwork. "I don't think I've ever missed or done poorly on any school assignment or test," he said. "I usually drink around my school assignments and plan my week accordingly."
In fact, he is attending graduate school next year - at which point, he says, "I definitely plan on cutting down on my weekly drinking, but I do not plan on curbing my binge drinking activities on the weekend."
Manny said he uses alcohol as a tool of celebration. "I'd say most of the time I drink to go out and have a good time with friends," he said. "It's definitely something I do to celebrate taking tests, finishing papers, or just anything else worth celebrating."
Does he sometimes look for opportunities to "celebrate"? "Absolutely," he said. "A sporting event is always a good reason to drink." Which doesn't mean he cannot enjoy sports games sober - unless, of course, no one else is.
"I don't feel comfortable going to events sober when everyone else is drunk because I don't have fun," he said. "So if it's an event usually associated with alcohol, I usually take part."
Such events include concerts: Manny said that he has never gone to one sober. "I just enjoy the experience better drunk," he said.
Manny first discovered social drinking in high school and "really enjoyed it." College only gave him a better
opportunity to experiment. "[There is] so much more freedom and opportunities to drink in college," he said. "I definitely took advantage of all those opportunities."
"Freshman year, I would constantly wake up with bruises on my body and quite a few bumps on my head that I had no explanation for," he said. This would sometimes occur on weekend trips he continues to take with his friends "staying up drinking until 4 a.m. and then waking back up at 6 p.m. to start drinking again and go cheer on the football team out at Williams."
Manny feels, however, that his friends have little influence over his drinking habits. "It definitely depends on the crowd I'm with at the time-how often and how much I drink when I do drink," he said. "But in situations where I'm looking to drink, I put myself with the crowd that fits that attitude.
"I say I probably drink on par with- maybe a little bit more often - than my friends," he said. "But possibly that's why they're my friends."
*Name has been changed. The identity of this individual and the veracity of his statements have been confirmed.
