Binge Drinking Blowout: The Extreme Dangers of Alcohol Abuse (1998)
Audience: Grades 6 - 12, Adult
27 Minutes

For many teens and young adults, fun with their peers means drinking alcohol, often to excess. Binge drinking -- consuming large quantities of alcohol in a very short time -- is considered a drinking "game". Consequences of this "game" include drunkenness and serious hangovers. Greater inherent dangers are alcohol poisoning and death. This program supports Health and Life Skills units on behavioral choices and personal health. Students' understanding of the relationship between unsafe behaviors and their physical well-being and, in particular, the risks of binge drinking, is explored through real-world statements from teens and young adults who share their opinions and experiences regarding drinking, and discuss why high school and college-age kids binge drink. Students will gain insight into the risk factors of binge drinking, and the role that peer pressure plays in this unsafe behavior. Topics covered include: how intoxication leads to additional poor choices, dangers of mixing alcohol and other drugs, drinking and driving, and the physiological effects of alcohol poisoning. Actual cases of binge drinking injuries and fatalities reinforce students' understanding of this health-related issue.