Posted on 06/21/2007 1:27:05 PM PDT by Mike Bates
A study done by researchers at the University of Missouri, using a test developed at the UI, has correlated heavy binge drinking with diminished decision-making over time.
The study, published in the June edition of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, compared 200 randomly sampled individuals from a larger group of Missouri college students who voluntarily reported their drinking frequency during their freshman through their junior years. These subjects were then asked to complete the "Iowa Gambling Task" - a widely used method to test decision-making developed at the UI.
The students were divided into four levels of drinking based on their tendency to have more than five drinks in one sitting: low binge drinkers, moderate binge drinkers, binge drinkers who started low and progressively increased to heavy binge drinking, and consistently heavy binge drinkers. When put into direct comparison, the largest gap in performance on the test was between low binge drinkers and heavy binge drinkers, with the former performing better, according to the study.
Anna Goudriaan, the author of the study at Missouri and now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Amsterdam, said even though poor decision-making was linked to heavy binge drinking by the study, it's unclear what comes first: the binge drinking or the bad choices.
"We cannot say for sure in this study [when the damage to judgment occurs], because we only tested people once, when they were 21," Goudriaan said. "More research will have to be done before we really can find causality for the subjects."
However, she said, some data suggest heavy drinking can have negative effects on a still developing brain. In addition, the prefrontal cortex - the area of the brain used for decision-making and identity development - continues to mature until the early- to mid-20s, Goudriaan said.
(Excerpt) Read more at media.www.dailyiowan.com ...
The worst inebriated decision is that, after a night of drinking, the perfect way to finish is with a few rounds of shots.
According to some more the 5 standard drinks in a 'sitting' is binge drinking. Doesn't matter what you weigh, nor how long the sitting is.
By that standard fishing is my worst trigger for binge drinking. As they say even if you don't catch any fish, you catch a buzz.
Drincin lincolnedv 2 paul disions?? iv i wastent f for (won too theevfour) four doubly whiskies dwn writ naw i nefer wood av loookd ah suc obious drivell
Well, what can I say...I’m stuned to the core...And my beeber - well, we won’t even go there.
LOL, please put your beeber on stuned!
The only time I have a beer is when I’m alone or with somebody. That’s it!
LOL, ya think???
What exactly is binge drinking? Is it when someone is abstinent, then demolishes a couple of bottles of liquor, or something?
ya sayin is beeper iz stoned! dont Blowghart dat beeper mai frien bass it oer two mi
LOL! Imagine that!
Obviously, the people that conducted this study never heard Cliff Claven’s “buffalo herd” theory of drinking:
Much like the weak and sick buffalo that fall behind the rest of the herd and get taken by predators, so it is with the weak and sick brain cells that get eliminated by alcohol consumption. So, if you want to be smarter, kill off your weak and sick brain cells by drinking, and you are left with the best and strongest brain cells. . . .
Ever try to argue with somebody like Cliffie???
Okay, there are 7 days in one week. 10.6 drinks per week averages out to 1.5 beers per evening, or a slightly larger glass of wine. A tall Long Island Iced Tea per evening, but I’m not sure of the alcohol content. Depends who is pouring it.
I would have one maybe two beers at night, dealt with conservatorship for my mom, worked part time, and corraled children, on top of going back to college part time. I received a letter stating that I was being considered for Honor Society, because of my high GPA. Of course I was in my early 40’s, so maybe that made a difference.
I’ve never heard of the FAU Center for alcohol and other drug prevention. Would you have a link to them?
drunkenness
Stage 1 - SMART This is when you suddenly become an expert on every subject in the known Universe. You know you know everything and want to pass on your knowledge to anyone who will listen. At this stage you are always RIGHT. And of course the person you are talking to is very WRONG. This makes for an interesting argument when both parties are SMART.
Stage 2 - GOOD LOOKING This is when you realize that you are the BEST LOOKING person in the entire bar and that people fancy you. You can go up to a perfect stranger knowing they fancy you and really want to talk to you. Bear in mind that you are still SMART, so you can talk to this person about any subject under the sun.
Stage 3 - RICH This is when you suddenly become the richest person in the world. You can buy drinks for the entire bar because you have an armored truck full of money parked behind the bar. You can also make bets at this stage, because of course, you are still SMART, so naturally you win all your bets. It doesn’t matter how much you bet ’cause you are RICH. You will also buy drinks for everyone that you fancy, because now you are the BEST LOOKING person in the world.
Stage 4 - BULLET PROOF You are now ready to pick fights with anyone and everyone especially those with whom you have been betting or arguing. This is because nothing can hurt you. At this point you can also go up to the partners of the people who you fancy and challenge to a battle of wits or money. You have no fear of losing this battle because you are SMART, you are RICH and hell, you’re BETTER LOOKING than they are anyway!
Stage 5 - INVISIBLE This is the Final Stage of Drunkenness. At this point you can do anything because NO ONE CAN SEE YOU. You dance on a table to impress the people who you fancy because the rest of the people in the room cannot see you. You are also invisible to the person who wants to fight you. You can walk through the street singing at the top of your lungs because no one can see or hear you and because you’re still SMART you know all the words.
Thanks for the link. Here’s one for you:
I read his first book, which offered the author’s personal perspective of alcoholism and substance abuse. Hope the link is clickable.
“Drinking linked to poor decisions”
In other news, the sun is still believed to be quite warm.
ROTFLOL! I’m invisible! I know, it’s not supposed to be funny, but it is :) I know a couple of people like that.
And that's the final word on the topic. Let's close the psychology and neuroscience research labs. We're done.
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