On the double: A new binge-drinking paradigm - and the new risks

Young people may be drinking less frequently than they did in the past but when they do, the volume is higher, putting them at greater risk, writes Helen O'Callaghan 

Pic: iStock

News about adolescent binge drinking in the West of Ireland made alarming headlines last month. More than one-third of 15- and 16-year-olds have had at least one episode of binge drinking, according to researchers who analysed data from 4,473 Galway, Mayo, and Roscommon adolescents.

The teens had participated in a Planet Youth 2000 survey — and binge drinking was defined as consuming five or more drinks in a two-hour period or less at any time in the past.