How to Stop Binge Drinking

July 19, 2023

4 min read

Many of us have either been binge drinking at some point or we’ve known someone who has. A late night in college or our early adulthood where the alcohol continues to flow and we continue to make poor decisions as we get more drunk. For some of us, binge drinking is like a rite of passage, or at the very least, inevitable.

What is Binge Drinking?

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking as continuously drinking alcohol which brings the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08% or more.

How do you get to 0.08% BAC? It depends largely on your sex and your body weight; however, it generally looks like four or more drinks for women or five or more drinks for men within two hours.

For minors, it takes about three to five drinks for boys and about three drinks for girls within two hours to constitute binge drinking.

Is binge drinking normal?

Binge drinking is nothing new and it’s far from uncommon; however, that doesn’t mean it’s normal or healthy, far from it. The 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 21.5% of Americans or roughly 60 million people ages 12 and up said that they engaged in binge drinking in the last month. That’s almost a quarter of Americans (12 and older).

So if binge drinking is so common, it can’t be that bad, can it?

What are the effects of binge drinking?

Drinking any amount of alcohol can pose certain risks to your health and binge drinking severely increases your risk of acute harm, like overdoses and blackouts. Furthermore, alcohol affects almost every tissue in your body, even one night of binge drinking can weaken your immune system and can cause acute pancreatitis in individuals with prior pancreatitis damage.

Binge drinking can also be fatal. Between 2015 and 2019, about 140,000 deaths resulted from alcohol misuse in the U.S., and about half of those were because of binge drinking.

Lastly, binge drinking isn’t only physically harmful to your body, but it can lead to dangerous behavior as well. Binge drinking increases the probability of unsafe sexual behavior which can lead to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unplanned pregnancy. The intoxication of binge drinking also increases the risk of burns, falls, drowning, and car crashes.

What are the signs of binge drinking?

If you’re worried you have a binge drinking problem, ask yourself the following questions, keep in mind that answering “yes” to several of them may indicate a binge drinking problem:

Do you usually drink more than you intend to?
Do you have trouble cutting yourself off once you start drinking alcohol?
Do you often black out when you drink?
Do you engage in reckless behavior when you drink?
Do you often feel guilty or ashamed about how much you drink?
Are your mental health problems worse after you drink?

Tips to Stop Binge Drinking

If you answered yes to some or all of the above questions, you may have a binge drinking problem. Here are some tips to help you stop binge drinking.

1) Figure out why you binge drink.

Chances are there’s a reason you binge drink. It could be stress, depression, anxiety, social anxiety, boredom, loneliness, peer pressure, or a general lack of awareness of your alcohol tolerance. Figuring out why you binge drink will help you to address that problem head-on without alcohol.

For example, if you binge drink because of stress, you can focus on new activities that alleviate stress rather than binge drinking. Try doing yoga, meditating, reading, or exercising instead of binge drinking.

2) Manage your alcohol intake.

If you don’t want to completely cut out alcohol from your life, you have to learn how to manage your drinking so you don’t end up binge drinking.

Try the following steps next time you drink:

Set a strict limit (for example, two drinks for the whole night).
Drink lots of water throughout the night.
Eat a meal before you start drinking.
Take small sips from your drink so you don’t drink it too quickly.
Avoid keeping alcohol at home.

3) Don’t give in to peer pressure.

If you’re in high school, college, or you just have a lot of peers that like to drink, keep in mind that you don’t have to drink because they are. You can be the designated driver, or have a good time with them while enjoying less alcohol. All you have to say is “No, thank you” when someone offers you another drink.

Resources for Binge Drinking Support

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Are you or a loved one struggling with binge drinking? Find support, share your stories, and gain inspiration and insight by connecting with others here at Healthread.