The 1999 Harvard Alcohol Study revealed that 44 percent of those who drink are binge-drinkers, that is, those who consume four or more drinks in a row in one sitting for women and five or more drinks in a row for men. This type of short-term binge is also known as alcohol abuse, and is actually different from what we have come to know as alcoholism. Binge drinking has become a huge problem on college campuses. Alcoholism is an older word that refers to a clinical syndrome. Problem drinking refers to a physical dependence on alcohol to the extent that the body needs a certain amount of alcohol in order to get through the day with minimal discomfort.
Tolerance is another factor that arises with excessive alcohol use.
Again, the body physically needs the alcohol in increasing amounts in order to elicit the same effects and calm the compulsive craving to consume more alcohol. Alcohol abuse, on the other hand, has more to do with the way alcohol is used. While it is not as chronic as alcohol dependence, it still renders people impaired as a result of alcohol misuse. Binge drinking is an example of this. What they don't realize until it's too late is that they become susceptible to being a victim, or worse, a perpetrator of violence or sexual abuse.