How to Recognize Binge Drinking
Alcoholism is a silent epidemic affecting thousands of us around the world. But sometimes, the signs are not clear: how can you tell if you or someone else is engaged in "binge" drinking, an excessive amount of alcohol consumption in a short time? These general rules can apply to yourself or someone else who is bent on getting as much down their throat as possible.
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Instructions
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Distinguish binge drinking from social drinking. The distinction might not be readily obvious to you, so you'll need to learn to think analytically about it. You're at a public event, or a group event, a dinner party or a backyard barbeque. You have a drink, a glass of wine at a banquet, or a beer on your neighbor's patio, just to be social. Then you have another. On the third, you need to think about the reason you opened the bottle or poured the glass. It may have been offered to you, sure, but you're the one drinking it. Set a limit that differentiates light drinking from a Blood Alcohol Content debacle.
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Watch for that "point of no return." For many drinkers, there is a moment when drinking activity can go one of two ways: a full stop or a full speed ahead. This point can be between drinks or in the middle of a drink. It's the moment when enough alcohol enters your system that the drunk-loving part of your mind is wanting to cut loose, and the sensible part is noticing loss of inhibitions or motor impairment, or the first signs of inebriation. Learning to take control at this pivotal moment will bring your binging under control.
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Do empty bottle counts. This is particularly useful when you're drinking alone or in private where you may not be able to keep track of how many you've had. Set up all of your empty bottles and count them to accurately assess how much alcohol is inside you. Then try your best to make a clear, rational decision.
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Look at overall health effects to identify a pattern of binge drinking. Measuring the intensity of a hangover is a good way to tell whether someone is binging. A light headache, easily shrugged off in the morning, is generally okay, but a pounding migraine, blackouts or being useless for 24 hours are all signs that a substantial drinking lag has occurred.
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Ask "Is there any left?" To identify a real binge, look around the area the next day, looking for signs of "crossover" drinking. Crossover drinking is when a drinker empties what he or someone else has bought for the event, and then proceeds to look for other sources. Ransacked wine cellars or liquor shelves are red flags. An empty keg is a strong signal. If you can see that the drinker has gone after additional alcohol, let them know that something needs to be done.
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