What We Talk About When We Talk About Binge Drinking: Towards an Integrated Conceptualization and Evaluation

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Binge drinking (BD) is a common alcohol consumption pattern in youth and older adults.
• BD is associated with cognitive impairments and alterations in brain structure and function.
• Inconsistencies in defining BD hinder research progress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a consensual conceptualization of binge drinking (BD).
• To differentiate BD from other alcohol consumption patterns.
• To propose a standardized evaluation protocol for BD.

Main Methods:

• Literature review to develop an integrated BD conceptualization.
• Identification of six specific characteristics defining BD.
• Proposal of an evaluation protocol based on the identified characteristics.

Main Results:

• An integrated conceptualization of BD was proposed.
• Six key characteristics of BD were identified: physiological symptoms, psychological symptoms, ratio of BD episodes, frequency of BD episodes, consumption speed, and alternation between BD episodes and sobriety.
• A protocol for evaluating these six characteristics was developed.

Conclusions:

• The proposed conceptualization and evaluation protocol aim to standardize BD research.
• Refined research perspectives are presented to further advance the understanding of BD.
• This work addresses key inconsistencies in the field of alcohol consumption patterns.