Why is binge drinking so bad?

This from the Guardian:

Because it significantly increases your risk of getting liver disease and acute pancreatitis, according to Ole Peterson, a physiologist at the University of Liverpool. This week a survey carried out by BUPA Wellness revealed that as many as one in four adults in the UK were binge drinkers, drinking at least double the recommended daily amount on a night out. So what is the problem with drinking more than a couple of pints in one session?

The more that you drink, the higher the concentration of alcohol in your system. As well as giving you a nasty hangover next morning, this excess of alcohol may make your body switch to a different method of digestion. "Normally, when there is lots of oxygen in your system, alcohol will break down to acid aldehydes, which are not harmful," said Prof Peterson. "But when this metabolism occurs without oxygen, the body starts to produce fatty acids, which are harmful."

Overindulging in alcohol causes the liver to become fatty, choking off the supply of blood which normally delivers oxygen and nutrients to the liver. Prof Peterson's research shows that fatty acids also destroy cells in the pancreas. "In severe cases, the pancreas digests itself and the surrounding tissue," he said.

Currently there is no treatment for pancreatitis which affects around 20,000 people in the UK each year, with around 5% to 10% of cases being acute and causing death.

Just one binge drinking session is enough to start the production of fatty acids, and regular binge drinking can cause irreversible damage. Women tend to be more vulnerable than men because they are usually smaller and have less body mass to distribute the alcohol around. "There is no safe level of alcohol to drink. It depends on individual susceptibility," said Prof Peterson.

-Kate Ravilious

I won't name names, but I have a feeling some of us might just fall into this category.