The Irreversible Damage Of Your College Drinking Days Is Seriously Depressing

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We aren’t too shy to admit that most of us probably threw back one (or 100) too many alcoholic beverages during our college years. It was certainly fun at the time, no question about it. But now, as the post-grad years start accumulating, we can’t help but wonder what kind of damage we did to our insides during those eight rowdy semesters. And we must say, it’s unwise to ask the question unless you’re ready to hear the answer because this one is pretty sobering.

Your Heart

A small 2013 study found that binge drinking at a young age impacts the way your blood circulates immediately, which can then trigger the development of heart disease risk factors as you age. In analyzing blood tests, the researchers discovered that those who had a history of binge drinking also had damaged endothelial and smooth muscle cells, which control the body’s blood flow. The damage done was the equivalent of what you’d see in an older person who spent their lifetime drinking heavily daily.

It’s also worth noting here that 90 percent of the alcohol consumed by people under the legal drinking age is typically done so in binging form. The Centers for Disease Control suggested that the average American college student downed nine drinks during a typical binge-drinking episode in 2012 — and we doubt that average has decreased substantially over the past five years.

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Your Liver

Another 2013 study from the University of Missouri School of Medicine established a unique connection between binge drinking behaviors and the risk of developing alcoholic liver disease. The effects were especially severe in people who had a history of chronic drinking, so if you were the college kid who drank throughout the school week and then upped the ante on the weekend, this one is particularly relevant for you. This drinking pattern exacerbates injury done to the liver and creates an inflammatory response that then wreaks havoc on other important systems in the body. It was previously assumed that only chronic drinking led to liver disease, but these findings reveal that binging ups your predisposition to the serious health problem as well.

Your Brain

This is probably the worst news of all: regular binge-drinking episodes can cause long-term brain damage, according to a 2008 study published in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism. People who enjoy drinking session after drinking session can experience subtle changes in their brains that make it more difficult for them to learn from mistakes, as well as learn how to address problems in proactive ways. And when this brain impairment occurs in individuals under the age of 20, their chances of becoming full-blown alcoholics later in life increases as well.

We don’t know about you, but we’re considering laying off the booze for the next month or so… even if we can’t undo the damage we’ve already done to ourselves. Sigh.