Stop Binge Drinking

surrounding him or her, binge drinking is often seen as comedic and just a part of socialising.

Even from childhood we learn that drinking represents a natural part of adulthood socialising. It is more than just acceptable, it is almost vital in order to be an interesting person.  Advertising adds to this by attempting to convince us that drinking ‘makes the good times even better’.  In 1999 the revenue from alcohol sales was £32.5 Billion whilst only £72 million was spent on soft drinks.

Whilst some people choose to binge drink others aim to ‘have one or two’ but end up drinking to excess.  Some drink to ease social anxiety and feel more confident and then find themselves drunk and out of control.  Most have been binge drinking for years and are caught up in a pattern that they feel they can’t get out of.  In most cases eventually they come to realise how the drinking is affecting their quality of life.

alcohol might seem like an attractive option in vast quantities but in reality it kills more than 30,000 people a year in the UK. It is the third most common cause of death in men in their 50’s. Cirrhosis (liver damage) is a major cause of death, but once diagnosed it is often too late to prevent death and 30% diagnosed die within a year.  We mustn’t forget too all those that die either as a drunk pedestrian hit by a car, or as a drunk driver.  Or of course there is the possibility that you may die by choking on your own vomit!

The two main patterns of drinking include a regular drinker and a binge drinker.  Whilst the regular drinker drinks every day or most days, the binge drinker rarely sees himself as an alcoholic because he often goes for days, weeks or months without drinking alcohol. However once they start, they cannot stop. The medical profession classify a binge drinker as an Alcoholic.

There are many reasons as to why people drink but from a psychological point of view drinking is one of the five oral satisfactions alongside Smoking, Biting nails, Eating, and Moaning.  Drinking is usually a learnt response as a child from seeing parents drink.  The initial reason is usually because alcohol reduces your inhibitions and seemingly allows you to relax and enjoy yourself.  This feeling is also often recalled by cocaine addicts.  Another reason may be to use it as a means to alleviate boredom.  Before long it has become a habit to drink at certain times, so much so that you feel you are not able to enjoy yourself or relax without drinking in excess.

Drinking is often used as a means of escapism from that problem at home or work.  Ironically, alcohol is actually a depressant, leaving you feeling worse than you did without any alcohol at all, not to mention the hangover the next morning!  It also acts as a stimulant increasing your heart beat which together with the depressive effect on your mind induces feelings of irritability and restlessness.

The World Health Organisation and governments have recently revised their guidelines about so-called safe limits for alcohol consumption; 21 units for men and 14 units for women. That doesn’t mean however that if you only drink this amount of alcohol then you are safe.  It is a recommended guideline based on research conducted on alcohol consumption and their affects on health.

Research has suggested that alcohol in moderation increases life expectancy and has been associated with a reduction in strokes and heart attacks so absolute abstention isn’t always necessarily the answer.  The trick is to convince your mind that you choose and control the amount you drink.

Essentially excessive drinking is a learned response to a given situation and a powerful habit. However, as with smoking, it is a powerful habit which can be broken. Without abusing your body with excessive alcohol, your body will be more relaxed, more alert and more efficient. Your body will sleep better and therefore achieve more.

Firstly we need to understand why you are drinking, and then we want to look at the reasons for your choice to stop or change your drinking habits.  You will then clearly see how drinking in moderation or ceasing to drink at all will improve your life.

NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) and hypnotherapy recondition the thought processes at a more automatic or subconscious level ‘reprogramming’ the behaviour.  Learning to control your consumption of alcohol can be a liberating experience.