Hitting the Bottle – Binge Drinking
New statistics released in the USA reveal that around one in six Americans are binge drinking at least four times a month - and that those in the 18-24 year age group are drinking nine or more alcohol drinks at a sitting, with an average of eight.
The results of a survey recently conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control showed that in all age groups there is a growing trend towards both men and women binge drinking. Although the amount of alcohol consumed in a session tends to decline with age, those in the over 65′s group are binge drinking more frequently – five or six times a month.
In terms of income, the pattern shows high levels of binge drinking where family income exceeds $75,000 a year.
Where household incomes are less than $25,000 – alcohol intake is generally higher – drinking an average of eight or nine drinks a session.
The report indicates that more than half of the alcohol drunk by adults is consumed while binge drinking, and that ninety per cent of the alcohol drunk by young people is at binge drinking sessions. Although most people involved in alcohol impaired driving have been binge drinking, the report declares that most people who binge drink – are not alcohol dependent or alcoholic.
The study reports that an apparent increase in binge drinking in 2010 – 17.1% of the population binge drinking, compared with 15.2% in 2009, could be result of including in the survey people who only use cellular phones – with people who use only a cellular phone tending to report higher levels of binge drinking than landline respondents.
The survey confirms that very likely binge drinking is under reported, and likely to be higher in fact than as recorded by the survey. Campus students and military personnel are among groups not represented in the survey.
While expressing concern for the human toll that this level of excessive drinking causes throughout the community, and while regretting the cost in dollar terms – that was estimated at around $223.5 billion in 2006 - proposals to improve the situation, to curb the incidence of alcohol drinking – appear to be somewhat limited.
Whilst people are encouraged to make the choice not to binge drink on alcohol, support appears to focused upon restrictions to supply. Measures such as reducing the number of liquor outlets, restricting opening hours, increased prices for alcohol drinks, and making alcohol suppliers responsible for sales to minors and intoxicated people are suggested.
No one would dispute that drinking alcohol at binge drinking levels is, despite transcient feelings of happiness, essentially self harming behavior. Anyone who drinks alcohol at such levels, who suffers no hangover effects, very likely has a more severe alcohol drinking problem than they realize.
When people suffer from painful symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, it is a sign that the body is still alive and functional – doing the job of detoxifying the body of its alcohol intake. A lack of responsiveness – high tolerance for alcohol, and a lack of hangover symptoms can lead people into thinking that they can “handle” their alcohol and regular binge drinking. It can take some time for the effects of chronic alcohol drinking to show up – as alcohol related diseases and disorders.
For the authors of this survey to suggest that most people who are binge drinking don’t have a problem of alcohol dependence or alcoholism possibly calls for a better definition of what constitutes alcohol dependence and alcoholism.
We have at the moment, authorities in Great Britain, saying that an ability to abstain from alcohol drinking for at least two days of the week, is an indicator that you don’t have a problem with alcohol, that you are not an alcoholic.
Sir Ian Gilmore, Chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance said that having two dry days a week is a very good indicator of not being addicted to alcohol.
It is however, made quite clear, that issues still arise, if you alternate your days of sobriety with high levels of alcohol drinking. As the Sun newspaper asks - Can a two day alcohol holiday cure boozy UK? - where an estimated 10.5 million people drink alcohol to excessive and dangerous levels.
In Canada too there is public concern about levels of alcohol drinking, following the recent publication of editorial in the CMAJ medical journal, saying that alcohol might now have reached the status of tobacco 60 years ago, when the connection between smoking and lung cancer was first established.
The problem with addiction, such as to alcohol is that it has been for many years, regarded as an incomprehensible, and incurable disease.
Viewed as a compulsive behavioral disorder, it can readily be seen, that addiction to alcohol drinking can be resolved by dealing with the causes of our compulsion to use it.
Comprehensive alcohol and drug addiction recovery programs have had over 45 years of direct experience in enabling successful recovery from alcohol dependency and addiction – by helping people to deal with the causes of their addictive behavior, and “choice” to use alcohol.
Making a choice for freedom from hitting the bottle is not about taking two day breaks, or curbing your alcohol intake.
Getting free of alcohol drinking means taking control of your life – with the help that can be obtained from comprehensive alcohol addiction recovery centers.
Leave a Reply
Alcohol Addiction videos
