Getting Away from Binge Drinking

August 03, 2011

A survey revealed that stressed adults prefer to binge drink than spend time with their partners or children. The study was reported in Daily Mail Reporter recently. Out of the 825 adults who were surveyed, it was found out that 73% of the respondents blame stress as the main reason why they drink at home (mostly at the end of each day) and the remaining 23% are for other reasons. While drinking can be a good way to relieve stress, it can lead to numerous health diseases. According to the Department of Health, liver disease is the 5^th leading cause of death in UK. In just a decade, liver diseases associated with binge drinking increased by 50% in people under 30.

Why Drinking makes you Feel Good

For centuries, people have relied on alcohol to relieve stress. Scientifically speaking, alcohol is a depressant. This could be the main reason why stressed and downbeat people tend to have a sip of alcohol every now and then. Alcohol drinks contain ethanol, which is responsible for the intoxication. As you take your first shot of an alcoholic beverage, 20% of ethanol goes to your bloodstream. In a span of 30 seconds, it reaches your brain which makes you feel so relaxed. Basically, alcohol has the same effect with cigarettes. Even just a little of it will start a chain of events that leaves you feeling so high. According to Donna Dawson, a psychologist specialising in personality and behaviour, ‘When it comes to drinking alcohol, the way the human brain works means we are naturally disposed to find a reason to indulge, particularly if we’ve had a tough day’.

Scientists are still doing extensive researches to find out deeper causes of alcohol dependency. According to Henry Kranzler, a psychiatrist from the University of Connecticut who pioneered new pharmacologic approaches to alcoholism, alcohol brings a tremendous excitement, such as a watershed feeling- as if something is just starting to happen.

Alcohol puts your Life at Risk

Liver diseases caused by too much alcohol in the body are of main concern in the UK. Statistics show that 25% of the adult population indulge in binge drinking and there’s a big dilemma that it will grow even higher. Everyone knows that a little of alcohol is never bad. In fact, it gives us health benefits. The experts from Harvard University and World Health Organization recommend a glass or two of wine daily to fight heart diseases. However, when taken too much, alcohol does more than hangovers. It basically damages the liver until it’s no longer functioning at all.

Turning Away from Alcohol Dependency

In UK, there have been several movements to develop a ‘drinking strategy’ from various health groups and the government. Fortunately, there are many ways to combat binge drinking. With the right determination, everyone can get over from this bad habit.

Avoiding a drinking pub does not help. In a research conducted by Steven Liljegren, a psychologist in North Chelmsford, MA, exposure to the normal drinking cues actually reduces the danger they pose. You can better resist the ‘thirst’ by visiting the pub and ordering soft drinks until the resistance becomes stronger.

Eat Healthy. According to studies, a nutritious diet helps you reduce cravings for alcohol. Changing your lifestyle and being more concerned of your health will definitely reduce your craving for alcoholic drinks.

Mind control techniques such as Hypnotherapy helps. Moreover, there are mind techniques such as hypnotherapy that establish a sequence of thinking that encourages the brain to move away from thinking of drinking too much to a moderate amount and enjoying the feeling of being in control. Donna Dawson pointed out that what people need to do is to recognise the ‘faulty brain-reasoning at work’ and to take control of why, when, and how much they drink including its effects on health. Hypnosis works by changing the way the person perceives things. Instead of thinking that the alcohol will calm him/her down, the person will start to think of more productive ways to combat stress.

Panorama: Dying For a Drink, BBC One, Monday, 1 August at 20:30 BST

Also available in the UK on the BBC iPlayer