Binge Drinking Dangers

Sure, you know you shouldn’t drink yourself into oblivion every night (and who would want to?!), but new research suggests that even one night of shots and car bombs can cause major heath issues. Using the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s benchmark for binge drinking, which equals about four drinks in two hours for women, scientists at UMass Medical School found that just one binge can cause bacteria to leak from the gut and release toxins into the blood. This, in turn, provokes an immune response that can lead to fever, inflammation and tissue destruction. No way your designated driver can help you out with that. Try drinking a glass of water between every hard drink to slow your pace and save your health.

MORE: 8 Ways to Drink Less (Without Your Friends Noticing)