Alcohol is legal and socially acceptable, making it deceptively easy to abuse. Many people associate alcohol with specific events such as weddings, football games, or the holidays. While drinking in moderation is all well and good, overindulging can lead to serious health consequences and disruptions to your life.
It is a slippery slope from a glass of wine at dinner to a few happy hour drinks after work to several beers during a Sunday football game, and eventually, these all become habitual. Many people do not even realize they have a drinking problem precisely because their drinking is tied to regular socially acceptable events.
If you or a loved one are struggling with alcohol abuse and binge drinking, contact Swift River at 413.570.9698. We offer an alcohol addiction treatment program in Massachusetts staffed by compassionate professionals who use an evidence-based approach to treatment.
What Is Binge Drinking?
Binge drinking is the act of consuming large quantities of alcohol in one sitting or a single session, and typically within a short period of time. This most often occurs when the goal for going out is to “get drunk.” Still, it can also happen during a weekday happy hour with coworkers, as individuals consume more than they usually would to take advantage of the happy hour reduced pricing.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA) considers binge drinking to be:
- For men, consuming five or more drinks in two hours our less
- For women, consuming four or more drinks in two hours or less
This volume of alcohol consumption will cause a person to reach a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of at least 0.08% (the legal limit).
In Massachusetts, nearly 20% of Bay Staters binge drink on an occasional basis. When they do, they consume about 6.5 drinks in one sitting. This is more than enough to be considered binge drinking for both men and women.
According to the NIAA, binge drinking is among the most deadly, costly, and overall common forms of excessive drinking.
Signs of Binge Drinking
Not sure if what you’ve been doing is considered binge drinking? Some signs to look for in your own behaviors or those of your loved ones you suspect of binge drinking include:
- You don’t drink on weekdays but go all out on weekends, often to the point of blacking out.
- You set limits for how many drinks you want to have but can never stick to those limits.
- You often find yourself in embarrassing situations that come from nights in which you’ve been drinking.
- You spend a lot of time concerned about the amount you’ve been drinking.
- You are suffering from awful hangovers because of the amount you are drinking.
- Health problems are building up and coming from your drinking.
- You NEVER have just one drink.
- You are facing legal and professional problems from drinking.
- Friends and family are sharing concerns about your drinking habits.
In general, it is essential to understand that binge drinking can lead to death. Nearly 100,000 lives are lost annually to alcohol consumption. A number of these deaths can be tied to the misuse of alcohol in the short term, like car accidents or alcohol poisoning.
Call Swift River–Massachusetts Today for Most Effective Alcohol Treatment
At Swift River, our number one goal is creating a better future for you and your loved ones. We work every day to provide you with the knowledge you can take with you to create your best future. At our facility in Cummington, we also work to help those battling addiction and/or mental health disorders.
If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol use disorder, give us a call at 413.570.9698 and let us give you more information about how there is hope for a happier and healthier future.
