10 Easy Ways To Stop Your Binge Drinking Habit

Do you normally abstain from alcohol? But, when you drink, you drink too much.

Or Do you often participate in a drinking contest with friends? Because you like to get intoxicated!

Binge drinking in college is not a new thing. Most of us have normally done this. Isn’t It?

People who feel uncomfortable or awkward at a party are also likely to binge drink. Some do because they feel peer pressure to do so.

These days not only college going students, but also students of age less than 18 drink too much liquor.

According to the 2013 report by NSDUH, nearly 5.4 million Americans (about 14.2 percent) ages 12–20 were binge drinkers. It constitutes of around 15.8 % of males and 12.4 % of females.

What is binge drinking?

When a person drinks heavily on a single occasion or drinks continuously over a number of days – It is called binge drinking.

It can be seriously bad for your mental and physical health. It can also have a negative impact on your relationships and social life.

Binge Drinking Definition

According to NIAAA, binge drinking is a pattern of drinking that brings BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration) levels to 0.08 g/dL. Typically, this happens after drinking 5 drinks for men and 4 drinks for women in about 2 hours.

Binge Drinking Effects

• Hangovers, Nausea, Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Having Blackouts
• Slower Reflexes
• Alcohol poisoning
• Unintentional injuries due to car crashes, falls or burns
• Getting into a street fight or being assaulted
• choking on your own vomit
• Unintended pregnancy
• STD’s – Sexually transmitted diseases
• Children born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

Long Term Effects of Repeated Binge Drinking

If you repeatedly drink like a maniac, it can increase the risk of:

• Developing an alcohol addiction
• Developing cancer
• Damaging your brain, liver, pancreas and stomach

In some extreme cases, overdose of alcohol can prove to be deadly.

6 Signs That Tell You’re A Binge Drinker

You may not be drinking liquor every day, but still you can be a binge drinker. Don’t believe me? You may not accept it, but if you’ve the following 6 signs, then you’re probably a binge drinker.

• You tend to drink quickly.
• You drink occasionally just to get drunk.
• You are drinking more than the low risk guidelines in a single session on a regular basis.
• It’s difficult for you to stop drinking after having your first drink.
• You’ve become a slacker.
• You black out after drinking (Like in Hangover Movie)

If you want to read  in detail the signs of a binge drinker, you can read an article by my friend Mike Kamo.

Some Shocking Binge Drinking Facts

According to a report by CDC,

• One in six adults in the United States binge drinks about 4 times per month. They consume approximately 8 drinks per binge.
• People with household incomes of $75,000 and above do binge drinking more than the people with lower incomes.
• Youngsters of age 18–34 years are commonly known to do binge drinking. It is shocking to know that adults of age 65 years and older are reported to do binge drinking on an average of 5-6 times a month.
• It has been observed that commonly college students binge drink, but nearly 70 percent of binge drinking episodes involve adults of age 26 years and above.
• Nearly 92 percent of the United States adults who drink excessively are reported to do binge drinking in the past 30 days.
• Approximately 90 percent of the liquor consumed by youngsters under the age of 21 in the US is in the form of binge drinks.
• Approximately 50 percent of the liquor consumed by adults in the US is in the form of binge drinks.

10 Tips To Stop Binge Drinking

According to Harvard Medical School and Rethinking Drinking, there are a few ways by which you can stop binge drinking.

But, these tips are only beneficial to those people who really have the desire to stay away from alcoholic beverages.

Do You Know?

In 2012, 3.3 million deaths, or 5.9 percent of all global deaths (7.6 percent for men and 4.0 percent for women), were attributable to alcohol consumption.

If you’re interested, then here are a few tips you can follow to control your alcoholic beverage intake.

1. Don’t Drink Too Fast Or Play Games Like Bottoms UP!

It has been observed that mostly youngsters indulge in a drinking competition like bottoms up or power hour. But, we have seen that some mature adults also indulge in these kinds of nonsense activities.

Drinking too fast isn’t good for your health. It’s advised that we should drink small sips of alcoholic beverages and not gulp it. Restrict yourself to drink only one standard drink in an hour.

2. Set Your Limits & Stick To It

Drinking too much in a short period doesn’t prove that you’re a MACHO Man. A man who knows his limits and can control his urges is the real Macho Man.

3. Don’t Drink Empty Stomach

It’s an old age rule of drinking that one should never drink liquor on an empty stomach. But, most of us have broken this rule. Isn’t It?

Interested to know the answer for the question – Does drinking alcohol actually kill brain cells?

When you drink on an empty stomach, alcohol quickly enters your blood stream. Due to this, you’ll be drunk faster and it can have some side effects on your body.

It is good if you eat something before drinking. It is recommended that we should also eat while drinking. But avoid eating salty snacks because it will make you feel thirsty and you may drink more.

4. Keep Track Of Your Triggers & Avoid Them

You must know the triggers that urge you to drink. If you don’t know your triggers, then just start tracking them. The culprits may be any of your friends or favorite places that make you drink against your wishes. Mine is a bar where I always drink Pina Colada.

There may be certain activities or specific time of a day that can trigger your urges. After you’ve tracked the culprits, just start avoiding them. Make up your mind and stick to it.

5. Learn To Say ‘NO’

When you’re partying with old buddies, you’re more likely to be pressurized to drink even when you don’t want to. Tell me if I’m not right? You should learn to say a polite, convincing “No, Thanks” to these offers.

Don’t hesitate to speak these words. Don’t bother about – What others will think? Learn these refusal skills to stop your binge drinking.

6. Keep Track Of How Much You Drink

To control your drinking habits, you need to track your alcohol intake. You can either carry a drinking tracker card in your wallet or enter notes in your smart phone. This will remind you that you have to drink moderately.

7. Don’t Just Sit And Drink

When you’re just sitting and drinking, chances are you’ll drink more. So, you should indulge yourself in some activity, like playing music or dancing or games like pool, musical chair or anything that can take the focus away from drinking.

8. Don’t Keep Liquor In Your House

Most people who do binge drinking keep alcohol in their house. If you’re one of these, then stop keeping liquor in your house. It’ll help you to limit your drinking.

9. Know Exactly What You’re Drinking

It’s important that you should be aware of what you’re drinking. We have seen that some college students let their friends drink more alcohol without their knowledge.

There are some alcopops, which may not taste like strong alcohol, but they’re quite strong. So, don’t let anyone fool you.

10. Be Persistent

It takes several attempts to successfully cut down or quit drinking altogether. You’ll probably have setbacks when you’re trying to control your alcohol intake. But, don’t let them stop you from reaching your long-term goal.

Final Words

If you drink alcohol moderately, then it has some health benefits. But, most of us don’t drink moderately.

After reading the article, I hope you’ll try to follow the tips to stop your habit of binge drinking. Drink moderately and stay safe.

If you’ve followed any other tip to abstain from alcohol and it worked for you, let the other readers know about it in the comments section below. DON’T DRINK & DRIVE!