I don’t drink every day, but I party hard on weekends. Can having lots of alcohol occasionally lead to brain impairment?

Heavy, episodic (or binge) drinking certainly poses risks for alcohol related brain impairment. The definitions of what constitutes a ‘binge’ vary considerably, from describing the amounts consumed to specifying a blood alcohol level.

A recent NHMRC definition describes heavy alcohol consumption to intoxication in a single occasion, or prolonged over a period of days or weeks, and involving more than 5 standard drinks for men or more than 3 standard drinks for women.

It is important to remember that heavy episodic alcohol use is not only risky in terms of cumulative damage to the brain, but it poses significant risks of accidental injury, falls and assaults, particularly as the user has not developed tolerance to the effects of alcohol.