Drinking alcohol is such a huge part of social events that it is hard to even eat at a restaurant without having someone suggest that you have a drink. You may also find that binge drinking seems like it is heavily encouraged during special occasions such as weddings where everyone is wanting to have a good time. In fact, you might even be finding that heavy drinking is a huge part of college life, and this is a time where many people begin to develop negative habits with alcohol. While it might not seem like you are doing any harm when you are throwing more than a few drinks back on the weekends, the truth is that this could be indicative of problem drinking behavior.
Yet, you are likely wondering if you really need to go to rehab for binge drinking when it’s not like you are getting drunk every day. With binge drinking, there is a fine line between having a few too many on accident and consistently going too far. The definition for binge drinking mostly addresses times when you drink enough alcohol to bring your blood alcohol content above the legal limit for intoxication. However, the average person may struggle with knowing when they’ve hit this point unless they happen to use a breathalyzer. As a general rule, you’ll be able to classify your behavior as binge drinking if you are having four standard drinks every two hours if you are a woman and five if you are a man. The amount that you can drink without getting intoxicated could be even lower depending upon factors such as your body weight, metabolism and whether or not you take certain medications or eat regular meals.
Find Out If Your Binge Drinking Needs Treatment
An alcohol addiction doesn’t always mean that you drink every day. In fact, many people find that they tend to drink heavily one day and take a break the next due to hangover symptoms. You may find it hard to know if you’ve crossed the line into needing treatment when it feels like you are just having a good time a few times a week. Take a look at your current drinking habits and lifestyle factors to see if any of these signs of a drinking problem might apply.
- going all out on the weekends or a few evenings a week
- having more drinks than you planned on a regular basis
- experiencing cravings shortly before your normal drinking times
- dealing with serious hangovers or withdrawal symptoms
- feeling like your social life will tank if you quit drinking
- facing legal, financial or relationship problems that are related to heavy drinking
If you overindulge once or twice a year, then you might be doing okay. However, noticing a pattern of habitually drinking too much is cause for concern. Binge drinking places you at risk of developing alcohol poisoning. You might also find yourself in situations where you may be tempted to drink and drive, or you might be tempted to make other risky decisions. The point where binge drinking crosses the line into an addiction is when you find that your drinking habits are impacting your life. If you’ve had to skip a social event the next day or called into work because you had too much to drink the night before, then you could be facing some of the early repercussions of being unable to stop after one or two drinks.
Going on a drinking binge could also indicate that you have a few personal qualities that are associated with an addiction. People with alcohol addictions are often unable to stop at just one drink, which is why they tend to increase their drinking over time. Binge drinking also contributes to a higher tolerance for alcohol, and you could find that you have to drink more every time you go out or decide to drink at home. If you find that you are worried that life won’t be as much fun in sobriety, then you could be trying to mask other mental healthy symptoms or are dealing with peer pressure. Either way, you’ll find that life gets better once you are no longer feeling bound by the need to drink excessively on certain occasions. Are you still unsure of whether or not your binge drinking is a true problem in your life? We can help you arrange for an alcohol intake assessment that can help you get a clear answer. Give us a call to set one up today at 833-497-3812.