Are you a “binge” drinker?

Are you a “binge” drinker?

Binge defined as a noun in the Merriam-Webster dictionary is:

An unrestrained and often excessive indulgence.

– Buying/shopping binge

– A weekend long TV binge

Especially: an act of excessive or compulsive consumption (as of food or alcoholic beverages)

– Went on an eating/drinking binge.

Binge drinking is an act or pattern of excessive consumption of alcohol.

The NIAAA defines binge drinking as:

“A pattern of drinking alcohol that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 percent or 0.08 grams of alcohol per deciliter or higher. For a typical adult, this pattern corresponds to consuming 5 or more drinks (male) or 4 or more drinks (female) in 2 hours.

With dietary guidelines for Americans posted between 2020-2025 of limiting alcohol intake to 1 drink a day for women and 2 drinks a day or less for men, we can see that binging can be a problem.

If you’re questioning your drinking patterns and think you may have a binge tendency, here are 10 major reasons you may want to consider change:

1. Injuries/car crashes

2. Not prepared to get home.

3. Ending up in a compromising situation

4. Falls – I know this one as I fell off a balcony once.

5. Medication interactions

6. Alcohol Overdoses

7. Committing or being a victim of violence

8. Engaging in Unsafe Sexual Behavior

9. Missing commitments

10. Blackouts – waking up not knowing where you are.

11. Feeling Horrible the next day, physically and emotionally.

The problem with this behavior is that a binger (and I was one) can go days without a drink thereby affirming in the mind that there is no problem. Another type of drinker is a problematic drinker or a person who drinks daily. This type of drinker manages to function efficiently, but their drinking amount can sometimes be hidden as well and they could have a high tolerance for repeated exposure to alcohol. If a binger compares themselves to a problem drinker, they can talk themselves out of having an issue. I was one of those.

The good news is it is never too late to change. There is hope.