Binge-drinking studies that measure cognitive function have found frontal lobe and working memory deficits, although an empirical definition of binging has not been used consistently. Heavy social drinkers, defined to include those who engaged in binge-drinking episodes, demonstrated delayed auditory and verbal memory deficits that were related to task difficulty. These deficits were not found for the light social drinkers. The findings implied that “frequent intake of large amounts of alcohol in any one sitting (i.e., ‘binge’ drinking) may place individuals at an increased risk for suffering alcohol-related cognitive impairment” (Nichols & Martin, 1997, p. 455). However, the conflation of participant drinking levels with descriptive labels colors statements about binge-drinking effects, thereby making comparisons unclear.
