How to Stop Binge Drinking in Orlando

Understanding Binge Drinking and How to Stop It 

Binge drinking is when someone consumes an excessive amount of alcohol. The difference between binge drinking and being addicted to alcohol is that binge drinking doesn’t mean you will be dependent on alcohol. Learning how to stop binge drinking is a crucial step toward recovery. Being addicted to alcohol means you get withdrawal symptoms if you don’t consume alcohol for a period. Binge drinking is associated with serious injuries and diseases and are at a higher risk of alcohol use disorder. That being said, binge drinking is still a serious health concern in the United States. It’s common for adults to binge drink weekly and report that one in six adults binge drink. Binge drinking is dangerous and people who suffer from this should seek help from alcohol treatment centers Orlando. 

The Prevalence of Binge Drinking

Binge drinking is a big issue in the United States. Over 90% of US adults who report drinking excessively are under the category of binge drinking. Binge drinking also happens to be most popular with younger adults around the ages of 18 to 34. It’s also considered more common for men to binge drink than women. Binge drinking is also most common among adults with higher incomes and who are white or live in the Midwest. Specifically, the state of Florida had 15.5% of adults who reported binge drinking. Florida ranks eighth among the other states when it comes to binge drinking. People who fail to seek help for binge drinking can continue to feel the consequences long term and short term. 

Differences between Binge Drinking Vs Alcoholism

Scientifically speaking from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, binge drinking is when the blood alcohol concentration is .08% or more. Binge drinking for women is considered four or more drinks and for men five or more drinks is considered binge drinking within 2 hours. Although binge drinking and alcoholism can both result in risky behavior, they’re not the same. People who are addicted to alcohol are binge drinkers. Binge drinkers aren’t always alcoholics though. People addicted to alcohol are dependent on alcohol and feel negative withdrawal symptoms when not quenching their craving for alcohol. Binge drinkers don’t have this dependency on alcohol. They don’t feel the need to consume alcohol because of the negative effects of withdrawal. 

The Dangers and Consequences of Binge Drinking

Binge drinking, although not the same as alcohol addiction, is just as dangerous. More than half of about 88,000 alcohol-related deaths are from car crashes. Binge drinking also affects your heartbeat and can cause problems in the future, makes you more likely to get a sexually transmitted disease from risky sexual behavior, and cause memory problems. There are also some short-term effects of binge drinking, which are: 

• Slower reaction times and lack of motor skills
• A short attention span
• Dehydrated 
• Tired
• Depression
• Hostile
• Alcohol poisoning 
• Miscarriage or stillbirth for pregnant women

Some long-term effects of binge drinking are: 

• Gaining weight
• High blood pressure
• Issues sleeping
• Mental health issues
• Liver problems
• Stroke
• Higher chances of breast, throat, esophagus, or colon cancer
• Heart disease

The Impact of Binge Drinking on Relationships and Mental Health

Binge drinking can affect your mental health which leads to issues of relationships. Binge drinking specifically affects intimacy, mistrust, lack of communication, lack of emotional availability, and financial burdens. With the lack of mistrust and issues with connecting intimately, people who binge drink are more likely to have a lack of stability, lack of depending on a loved one, lack of commitment, less affection, and are rude to their loved one. When drinking excessively, you become a different person due to being intoxicated and not aware of your actions. This causes someone intoxicated from binge drinking more likely to say things they don’t mean to someone they have a relationship with because the alcohol is clouding their judgment and filter. This is even harder for children of the person who is a binge drinker as they don’t understand how being under the influence of alcohol can change the way someone acts. It also becomes a huge problem when someone who binge drinks, rather spend time with people who they’re drinking with rather than being home and sober with loved ones. 

How to Recognize a Binge Drinking Problem

It’s only considered binge drinking if the amount of alcohol you consume brings your blood alcohol levels too high to be considered safe enough to drive. The excessive amount of alcohol consumed also has to be in the time frame of less than 2 hours. To recognize if someone has a binge drinking problem, there are some simple signs and symptoms you can look out for. Some of the binge drinking signs are the following: 

• Drinking more often
• Drinking early in the day
• Not slowing down or stopping yourself from drinking
• Needing to drink more alcohol for the same effect
• Feeling shaky, weak, or nauseous after not having a drink in a while
• Having “blackouts” or memory gaps occur
• Participating in risky activities when drinking

Some symptoms of binge drinking are the following: 

• Short attention span
• Feeling more tired than usual
• Hostility
• Depressed
• Slower breathing
• Higher chance of gaining weight
• Social isolation
• Heart disease
• Increased chance of breast cancer

It’s important to detect these signs early before they become more serious symptoms like those listed above. You must become more self-aware and cognizant of how much you are drinking and keep track of it so you don’t fall into binge drinking. Stopping early with binge drinking and not continuing a habit of excessively drinking can only increase your quality of life. 

How to Stop Binge Drinking

It can be hard to admit you have a binge drinking problem, so recognizing and wanting to change that is huge. The process of stopping binge drinking takes time if you have been habitually doing it for a long. Here are some steps to help you with the process and transition of not binge drinking anymore:

1. Start drinking in moderation: If you’re the legal drinking age of 21, you should only have one or two drinks, depending on your gender, in a day. If you go over this amount of alcohol, depending on your tolerance, it can damage your health. 
2. Don’t keep alcohol in your house: It’s less of a trigger if there’s no alcohol in your home. Alcohol can be expensive when going out, so if you’re more frugal with spending this will detract you from ordering alcohol and not having a home filled with alcohol makes it easier to avoid. 
3. Avoid alcohol-centric social events: When socializing, it’s best to find events and activities that don’t just evolve around alcohol. Some examples of this would be going bowling, getting ice cream, going to the beach, and playing video games. 
4. Find support: When going through a drastic change of quitting binge drinking, it’s important to find others that are going through something similar. A support group for people who have become binge drinkers and want to stop or at least lessen the amount of alcohol consumption can help someone feel more at ease going through the process. 
5. Get professional help: Part of moving forward with changing habits into healthier ones is knowing when to ask for help. WhiteSands Treatment can help you through the process of decreasing your drinking to none. Binge drinking can sometimes lead to alcoholism. It’s important to get professional help before it’s too late and you find yourself completely dependent on alcohol. 

The Role of Support Groups in Overcoming Binge Drinking

Support groups for people who binge drink are very important. They need a support system for people going through similar issues with binge drinking. One of the most popular support groups to help with binge drinking is Alcoholics Anonymous. Alcoholics Anonymous implements a 12-step program that applies to anyone with an alcohol problem, whether it’s addiction or binge drinking. Alcoholics Anonymous has a concrete foundation on spirituality to provide support for people going through issues with alcohol. Alcoholics Anonymous is completely free for people who attend and you can attend it in person or online. Not only can the structured type of support groups help people having binge drinking issues but just having informal peer support helps too. When peers and loved ones support someone going through something tough in their life, specifically binge drinking, it can motivate that person to get better and put forth the effort to not binge drink anymore. WhiteSands Treatment Orlando rehab center can provide aid in finding the best support groups for you. 

Seeking Alcohol Addiction Treatment in Orlando 

WhiteSands Treatment Orlando offers different treatment options for patients with alcohol addiction. One of the first things done when any patient is first enrolled is assessments and screenings. Tampa Alcohol addiction treatment at WhiteSands Treatment is specifically tailored to the person admitted. The assessments and screenings give us a better idea of your history, the context of your specific situation, and if any other factors come into play with your addiction. Our facility is an outpatient rehab Orlando, which gives anyone going through rehab at WhiteSands Treatment the benefits of a more flexible treatment program with their schedule and financial flexibility. After you finish intensive outpatient treatment, WhiteSands Treatment can help you find support groups local to you and help you find a mental health therapist. Schedule an appointment with WhiteSands and call us at 877-640-7820. 

If you or a loved one needs help with abuse and/or treatment, please call the WhiteSands Treatment at (877) 855-3470. Our addiction specialists can assess your recovery needs and help you get the addiction treatment that provides the best chance for your long-term recovery.