Binge Drinking
Hello, and welcome to Clear Mind’s Sobriety Haven Blog. This blog is about my journey to become sober and overcome my addiction to binge drinking. Over time I will add tips and things I’ve learned along the way.
What is Binge Drinking?
binge drink·ing
/ˈbinj ˈdriNGkiNG/
noun
the consumption of an excessive amount of alcohol in a short period of time.
“teenagers as young as 16 admit to binge drinking”.
Binge drinking is the most common and costly pattern of excessive alcohol use in the United States. Binge drinking is defined as consuming 5 or more drinks on an occasion for men or 4 or more drinks on an occasion for women. Most people who binge drink are not dependent on alcohol. However, binge drinking is harmful on its own. It is associated with serious injuries and diseases, as well as with a higher risk of alcohol use disorder.
- Binge drinking is most common among younger adults aged 18–34.
- Binge drinking is more common among men than among women.
- Binge drinking is most common among adults who have higher household incomes ($75,000 or more), are non-Hispanic White, or live in the Midwest.
- For some groups and states, binge drinking is not as common, but those who binge drink do so frequently or consume large quantities of alcohol.
I am a binge drinker. I have been for as long as I can remember. At age 15, I had my first sip of a wine cooler and it was pretty much “game on” after that moment. I never really got to the point of drinking daily but I was close and could have easily let it go there. But I knew you were socially considered to “have a problem” at that point so I felt I was still in control over my drinking, but I wasn’t. Binge drinking was/is ruining my life. For over 30 years I have struggled with my love/hate relationship with alcohol. It has ruined real relationships, jobs, and even parts of my body. Enough is enough.
As of today, I am one month and 8 days into my sobriety and this is the longest I’ve ever gone without drinking. It’s been a struggle, to say the least. I mean, part of me isn’t even ready to quit but I’ve gone this long and am just stubborn enough to see how long I can go. The longest I’ve ever made it in the past has been 21 days. I’ve downloaded an app called I Am Sober to help. This is a free app that tracks your sobriety date and has a wonderful and supportive community. There is an area to do a daily pledge which is the most helpful thing to me. Making a personal pledge to myself each day has kept me strong in not getting drunk. This app is free of charge with upgrades available including online therapy. Addiction No More, nor I am not affiliated with the “I Am Sober” app in any way. I personally don’t even use the paid version. This is just one tool that I have been using in my own personal sobriety journey that is helping me a lot so I wanted to share it with you. This is the link to download for Android and iOS.
As always, stopping alcohol without medical assistance can be life-threatening. If you drink heavily and are experiencing withdrawal symptoms from not consuming alcohol you may need a medical detox. PLEASE NOTE: This is my personal testimony about my own journey in stopping getting drunk and binge drinking. No information here should be taken as gospel. If you feel you need help stopping, or if you need a detox center, help finding local AA meetings, or need inpatient or outpatient treatment for alcohol abuse you can call to speak with licensed therapists and addiction specialists at Addiction No More today.
1-800-513-5423
Sources
Am I an Alcoholic?
Alcohol Detox
Alcohol Treatment
Binge Drinking
Binge Drinking in Teens
Author: Anna Marie Skye
Follow Anna Marie Skye as she discusses her struggle with binge drinking and her sobriety journey HERE.
