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.
10 reasons binge drinking 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 stopping:
- Injuries/car crashes
- Not prepared to get home.
- Ending up in a compromising situation
- Falls – I know this one as I fell off a balcony once.
- Medication interactions
- Alcohol Overdoses
- Committing or being a victim of violence
- Engaging in Unsafe Sexual Behavior
- Missing commitments
- Waking up not knowing where you are – feeling horrible the next day.
The problem with this behavior is a binger (me included) can go days without a drink, thereby affirming in the mind that there is no problem. This affirmation will also be approved by those that know you and assure you that there is no problem as you only drink like “that” occasionally. 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 as they have tolerance with repeated exposure to alcohol. If there’s no hangover, watch out.
Bottom line, any type of drinking that is not serving you or how you want to live your life is worth stopping. There are many avenues of help if you find you’re not reaching your goals. As an alcohol-free coach/health coach former binger, I am here to help. Reach out at Colleen@purepotential.health or visit my website at www.purepotential.health
