In the UK, there’s a widespread culture of drinking that often gets brushed off with a laugh and a story starting with, “I was so drunk…”. And although many see this as just part of the fun, there’s another side to it that’s not as light-hearted. Even if you don’t think of yourself as a binge drinker, those few glasses of wine to unwind can add up quicker than you might think. For many, binge drinking isn’t just a laugh – it’s a serious issue.
Binge drinking can lead to a host of problems, from health risks and injuries to strains on relationships and finances. It can cloud judgment, leading to poor decisions and even increasing the likelihood of being involved in reckless activities. It might sound like an overstatement, but the reality is that frequent binge drinking can significantly disrupt lives.
If you’re starting to question your drinking habits and wondering how to stop binge drinking, you’ve already taken an important first step. Recognising the problem is key, but the road to cutting back or quitting altogether can be challenging. It’s about more than just willpower; it’s a journey towards making healthier choices and finding new ways to cope and enjoy life without relying on alcohol.
What is Binge Drinking?
So what is binge drinking? There are different definitions of what constitutes binge drinking alcohol. The NHS simply defines it as drinking heavily over a short period of time, for example, while another way of thinking about it is ‘drinking to get drunk’.
The US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has a more precise definition, saying that binge drinking is a pattern of drinking alcohol that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08%. For reference, this is also the drink drive limit in England and Wales. For a typical adult, this pattern corresponds to consuming 5 or more drinks for men or 4 or more drinks for women in about 2 hours.
Is Binge Drinking Dangerous?
The official guidance from the Chief Medical Officers of the UK says there is no safe level of drinking. In order to keep health risks from alcohol to a low level, however, it is safest not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis. It adds that if you do, you should spread the drinking over three days or more, as “if you have one or two heavy drinking episodes a week, you increase your risks of death from long-term illness and accidents and injuries”.
The advice is based on research and statistics. In England in 2019/20, there were nearly a million (76,425) hospital admissions related to alcohol consumption and in 2021, there were 7,556 alcohol-specific deaths in England. Many of these will have been due to illnesses from long-term drinking. The most common cause of alcohol-specific death is liver disease, but many hospitalisations and deaths will involve injuries, illnesses and cases of alcohol poisoning due to binge drinking.
As well as the chance of alcohol poisoning, binge drinking often leads to bad decisions. It affects coordination and balance, which could increase your chance of being involved in a serious accident. It can trigger aggression and violent behaviour, fuel rows with loved ones, or lead to unprotected sex that could potentially lead to unplanned pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections. Driving after binge drinking – even the morning after – can be particularly dangerous. In 2021 an estimated 6,740 people were killed or injured when at least one driver was over the drink-drive limit.
5 Tips to Stop Binge Drinking
If you are worried about your binge drinking and want to reduce the amount you drink, perhaps with the aim of quitting entirely, there are a number of things you can try.
Keep a Drinking Diary
It can be difficult to keep track of how much you drink, especially if you are drunk during a binge drinking session, but you might be surprised at how much you are actually drinking on a regular basis. Getting a grip on the amount of alcohol, you are consuming can spur you to greater efforts and help you to cut down gradually. You might also see patterns of binge drinking emerging.
Put a Limit On Your Drinking
Once you know how much you are drinking, you can start to cut down. Set a limit on how much you will drink before you start – and stick to it. Limit the alcohol you have available at home, and if you are out and tend to pay by card, try taking a set amount of cash with you instead.
Change What You Drink
Try switching to a lower alcohol drink and cut the sizes, such as from a large to a small glass of wine or a double to a single shot. You can also alternate alcoholic drinks with soft drinks or water.
Set Targets
If you’re not ready or don’t want to stop drinking entirely, you can set yourself goals to cut down. Again, this is easier to do if you have kept a drinking diary and have a clear idea of your starting point. Goals could be for each drinking session or for longer periods, such as not drinking more than the 14 units of alcohol per week recommended for safer drinking.
Suggest Alcohol-Free Activities
If your go-to social activity is the pub or club, you will constantly be faced with the temptation to drink more. Suggest other activities that don’t involve drinking, and you could cut down your binge drinking dramatically.
Is a Binge Drinker an Alcoholic?
Binge drinking does not necessarily mean you are an alcoholic, although alcoholics will tend to binge drink. If you struggle to control your drinking, though, then you do have a drinking problem that needs to be addressed. Different forms of problem drinking – generally defined as a pattern of drinking that results in negative consequences such as alcohol blackout personality changes – can easily slide into full-blown addiction.
Get Help Quitting Binge Drinking Today
Stopping binge drinking is not easy, especially if you have developed an alcohol addiction or dependency. You may be able to cut yourself down, but there is certainly no shame in seeking expert help.
Treatment for binge drinking and alcohol addiction will tend to involve a number of different stages. If you have developed a physical dependency on alcohol, you will first need to go through detoxification, which is when you process and cleanse the alcohol from your system. A holistic treatment programme will also tackle the habitual and psychological sides of your drinking and possible addiction, as well as the root causes of alcohol abuse.
If you are worried about your own binge drinking or that of a loved one, get in touch today to find out how we can help.
Posted on Friday, February 23rd, 2024 at 9:55 am in Alcoholism, Latest News.
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