Drug Binging

A drug binge can be defined as the ingestion of large amount of drugs over a short period of time. This type of drug-taking can be harmful physically and mentally to the individual and can also increase the risk of drug-related violence and criminal behavior.

Certain drugs such as methamphetamine and crack cocaine are more likely to be taken in this way than psychedelics or ecstasy. However, the majority of people who go on a drug binge will ingest multiple types of drugs, which can increase the risk of overdose and drug-related health issues. People who are on a binge will often engage in this type of behavior without realizing, due to the effects that the drugs have on their decision-making processes and because of their altered sense of reality.

Stages of a Binge

Drug binges typically occur when a person craves the pleasure and euphoria associated with a drug and seek out ways to get that feeling. Because the initial rush of taking a drug is very hard to replicate in subsequent uses of the drug, more and more of the chemical is ingested. Users will continue to take the drug for possibly days at a time, and ignore the signs of sleep and food deprivation. People on binges will use drugs as a way to stay awake, ignore feelings of hunger or exhaustion and ignore their responsibilities and reality. They will feel discomfort such as itching, pain, increased heart beat, shakes and hallucinations.

Drug Binge Incoherence

Many people who go through a binge will reach a point where they will begin to tweak or become sketchy. This refers to the state when a drug-abuser become increasingly paranoid, speaks gibberish, become unpredictable, and may experience hallucinations. It is during this stage that many users will increase the amount of drug they are taking, and also begin to take other drugs or drink alcohol. This increases the risk of overdose and level of aggressiveness that the drug user will show. Drug users have been known to become obsessed with an idea or a part of their body. They may scratch themselves until they bleed, enter a psychosis and accuse people of things they have not done, enter a state of hallucination, and speak in tongues.

Drug Binge Crash

The next stage of a binge is the crash, when a users body will be unable to keep them awake any longer. The drugs will no longer be able to produce any reaction. The drug user may find themselves falling asleep mid-conversation, or they may not remember going to a new place or how they got there. People who reach the crash point may sleep for an extended amount of time, 12-24 hours or more. During this sleep, their body will replenish dopamine and other chemicals that have been depleted by the binge.

Awakening After a Drug Binge

A person will wake from their binge and feel exhausted, depressed, out of sorts. They will crave feeling energized and awake, they will crave the drugs and the positive feelings drug-abuse invokes. Some users will seek more of the drug and begin taking it again. Others will be discouraged by the bad feelings they have felt after the binge, and will seek help or go through withdrawals alone.

Dangers of a Binge

Taking drugs even in small amounts can pose serious health risks, but ingesting large amounts in a binge fashion increases all the health risks exponentially. People on a binge will often do anything possible to get more of the drug they are seeking, including stealing, lying or abusing people to get money or drugs. Abusers will be agitated, paranoid and aggressive and will do things that they would never normally do, such as commit crimes or violence against people close to them.

Users may also suffer from heart attacks, respiratory issues or other serious health issues as a result of their binge. The risk of choking on vomit, suffocation or asphyxiation from passing out during a binge is significant. Many people who binge also engage in risky activities such as unprotected sex or sharing needles with other users, which may expose them to infectious diseases.