Online CPR Certification Blog

Feb

24

Date: February 24th, 2022

How Ending Binge Alcohol Drinking Will Improve Your Life
Alcoholism is a primary problem among youths and adults. For instance, drinking interferes with the learning process in students. Soon after an addiction, one develops habits like lateness, truancy, and aggressiveness.

These problems have a ripple effect on academic performance. Addicts also exhibit reduced interaction with people and may end up with many social issues.

FACT: Liver Cirrhosis is the 12th deadliest killer in the United States, and underage binge drinkers are the primary contributors to the growing number.

-World Health Organization (WHO).

Still, the idea of ditching your drinking buddies for sobriety and teaming up with new friends at a rehab center can be scary. Though switching to a drug-free life may seem like a difficult journey, that single decision can bring multiple benefits, as we are about to see.

Binge Alcohol Drinking: What is it?

It is the term referring to the habit of frequent heavy drinking. Binge alcohol drinking relates closely with term addiction.

Alcohol addiction is defined as a prolonged disease characterized by impulse, lack of control, and sustained alcohol use despite adverse consequences and distorted thinking.

Drug abuse happens when the user intends to change their mood through stimulation or depression of neurotransmitters in the brain. These neurotransmitters are in charge of the brain’s regular action handling sensations, thoughts, views, and conduct.

Apart from psychological and behavioral issues, drinking can also take a toll on health, and in some instances, lead to death. Liver Cirrhosis, a condition due to binge alcohol drinking, is the 12th deadliest killer in the United States, and underage binge drinkers contribute to the growing number.

Alcohol addition

How Quitting an Alcohol Addiction Can Improve Your Life

So what are some pros of ending an alchohol addiction?

● Reduce spending

Your addiction takes a lot from you. Spend time working out the average amount you use on drugs, the cash you lose, careless spending, and the legal charges paid when you get in trouble. That lump sum can go into savings or other meaningful projects.

● A Better Feeling

For most addicts, it’s difficult to imagine a life without their favorite drugs. In the beginning, things may seem unmanageable without a bottle of liquor, but as soon as you quit, a better feeling kicks in. You feel better physically and emotionally. Your rehab center should guide you through all the steps in recovery.

● Lengthen your life

Drinking liquor is known to increase the risk of certain diseases. These conditions can take a toll on your health and reduce your lifespan.

FACT: Long-term liquor abuse can deduct 23 years from a person’s life.

-The Center for Disease Control (CDC)

●Relate better with people

Many drug addicts are victims of ruined relationships. Shifting to a sober life, however, can help fix these engagements that matter to you.

Also, drugs can keep you in isolation or ruin your relationships with others. After quitting, your judgment improves, which encourages better relationships with people.

● More Fun

Alcohol addiction may seem fun until you quit and realize that you’ve long-isolated yourself from others and have been blind to your hobbies.

The 4 Stages in Addiction

There are four addiction stages in drugs and alcohol. They include

Experimentation,
Recreational use,
Problematic use, and
Addiction.

Discover more about them below:

1. Experimentation

This is the use of alcohol or illicit drugs at any time for experimentation or out of curiosity. This process may not seem abusive but can lead to substantial harm to an individual or others.

An example is in pregnancy, where an experimenting mother can harm the fetus. Continued experimentation could result in patterns of alcohol or drug abuse development.

2. Recreational Use

At this stage, an individual uses a drug or combines drugs in community positions for social purposes. Any harm that may result from this social use is regarded as abuse since this stage often leads to advanced and increased usage.

Patterns of use do not necessarily have adverse effects at this stage. Individuals who isolate themselves also move from the first stage to social use even without community positions.

3. Problematic Use

This stage is associated with issues such as binge alcohol drinking and substance abuse. In binge abuse, where individuals engage in heavy alcohol consumption continuously, individuals can harm themselves or others.

Substance abuse, on the other hand, inhibits health or professional and communal functioning. However, substance abuse can or cannot encompass physiologic reliance or acceptance.

Binge usage among young people is a severe public health issue as it can affect their health and have adverse consequences on their future.

One way to prevent excessive consumption in young individuals is by prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages to underage people and teaching the youth about the harmful effects of the habit.

4. Addiction

Continued use leads to the disease of addiction, altering body, mind, and conduct. This disease makes it difficult for individuals to regulate the use of substances despite the adverse effects.

This disease may be a chronic, relapsing disorder making recovery difficult with the progression of the disease. Chemical dependency appears in individuals with familial history of addiction and can likely cause death if the individual does not abstain.

What are Some Addition Risk Factors

Different risk factors can contribute to an individual’s drug dependence. Studies by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) states that no one factor can be said to be the cause of addiction in an individual.

A single person’s risks are caused by features such as biological factors, their surroundings, genetics, and age. These risk factors do not guarantee future addiction but are interpreters and indications of potential addiction.

These risk factors include:

Psychiatric,
Behavioral,
Demographic,
Family factors
Social, and

An individual does not develop an addiction from a single risk factor. The more risk factors in an individual, the higher the chance of addiction.

Addiction can occur at any age in an individual’s life. However, preliminary drug use increases the likelihood of the individual’s progress to drug abuse and addiction. Teenagers and young adults are highly vulnerable to risk-taking behaviors forming addictions such as the use of illegal drugs.

● Psychiatric

Psychiatric issues have different roles in addiction development. Usually, these foster preliminary use and create a motive for drug use preservation. A collection of character traits resulting from addiction are low-stress acceptance, negative self-esteem, insufficiency, loneliness, and melancholy.

● Behavioral

Initial antisocial, criminal behavior such as behavioral complaints are linked to early preliminary drug abuse and addiction. This abuse comes after a time of defiance to self and others, collective association with other disturbed peers, and an indication of socially intolerable behavior to attain self-confidence and fulfillment.

● Demographic

Demographic factors discuss addiction with respect to populations. Gender is one factor, with men more likely to experience drug abuse and addiction than women. Ethnic and cultural differences also contribute to communities such as African Americans and Hispanics reporting greater cases than other groups.

● Socioeconomic status

Another factor is fiscal, learning, and professional shortcomings found in the city, posing greater abuse and addiction chances. Socioeconomic status and general quality of life issues are other demographic factors.

● Family

Parents and family members can potentially increase the chances of drug use and abuse in children. This occurs when children witness them abuse alcohol and other drugs while individually accommodating the behavior.

Other family factors such as varying parental discipline, absence of family warmth or support, and poor parenting also increase the chances of developing such habits. Physical or sexual abuse and other trauma both within and outside the family are factors that can lead to addiction.

● Peer Influence

Alcohol and drug use by age-mates lead to children adopting similar attitudes. Ease of access also raises the chances of exposure and increases the probability of children turning into users. Adults are influenced by their peers as to which drug they use.

● Genetics

Genetics form one-half of an individual’s vulnerability to drug or alcohol addiction. Genetic components affect alcohol addiction in human beings, with children of alcohol addicts having higher chances of developing an addiction than those with no history.

Addiction to other drugs also links families with alcoholism, thus placing family addiction history as an influential factor for developing an addiction.

What are Some Binge Alcohol Drinking Redflags

There are many indicators of possible alcohol abuse. Though many symptoms are identifiable, others aren’t as easy to spot. Plus, the severity of alcohol usage may take part in the red flags a person shows.

For instance, a certain group hides their alcohol abuse by secluding themselves and consuming liquor privately. Such habits can make it challenging for pals and siblings to identify the problem and offer assistance.

It is easy to ignore mild usage. However, whatever looks like a small issue may turn into blown-out addiction over time. Any red flags must be considered. Going for help before the situation worsens allows you to resume your everyday life as soon as possible.

The Signs & Symptoms of Alcohol Abuse

Minus intervention, alcohol usage can escalate to a tricky situation. When these habits start taking a toll on your life and lead to harm, the person is said to suffer alcohol use disorder (AUD). Spotting the red flags and seeking the right remedies can cause significant progress in a recovering individual.

And though there’s no precise way to tell whether or not one abuses alcohol, most of these symptoms appear together. Other times, a symptom may grow into another, encouraging more problems moving forward.

Below are some warning signs that you abuse alcohol.

Suffer blackouts time and again or exhibit memory loss
Irritability and moodiness
Drinking under pretexts like relaxing, handling stress, or feeling okay
Prioritizing liquor over other duties and commitments.
Isolating oneself from pals and siblings.
Abusing liquor in solitude
Suffering hangover when missing alcohol
Changing looks and company

While some drinking problems may appear small, it’s advisable to pay a keen eye to alcohol abuse symptoms.

For people battling alcoholism, it’s important to find immediate help to prevent the situation from worsening.

Diagnosing Alcoholism & Binge Alcohol Drinking

Experts use several screening strategies to help detect alcoholism in an individual. CAGE is an example of such resources. This well-planned questionnaire seeks to determine the severeness of a person’s alcoholism.

Anyone who responds “yes” to two or more of these quizzes should consider medical help. Below are questions used in a CAGE diagnosis.

Do you feel you should reduce your liquor intake?
Do people make you angry when they criticize your alcoholism?
Do you ever feel bad or guilty about your liquor habits?
Do you drink early in the morning to gain steadiness or remedy a hangover?

Experts often use quizzes from the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) to gauge alcoholism.

Your responses to these quizzes should rest upon your past year of abuse. Some of the questions include:

Do you keep drinking even when feeling anxious, depressed, or worsening another health condition?
Are the cases where you’ve drunk up more than you planned?
Is drinking pulling you away from other commitments and hobbies?
Do you suffer any signs of liquor withdrawal?
Do you feel any craving or urge or to take alcohol?
Does drinking put you in situations that may endanger your life?
Has drinking ever got you in trouble with the law?

Now you know the signs of alcoholism and how to tell whether you are addicted or not. Analyze your situation and take steps to remedy the situation.

Binge Alcohol Drinking in Youth

Excessive alcohol use is a bone of contention today. Young people and especially youth under the reported drinking age of 21 are heavy binge drinkers.

Binge usage among young people is a severe public health issue as it can affect their health and have adverse consequences on their future.

One way to prevent excessive consumption in young individuals is by prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages to underage people and teaching the youth about the harmful effects of the habit.

This prevention can be achieved through an advocacy campaign directed towards the use to increase awareness.

Though some youth haven’t attained the agreed-upon drinking age in America, a portion of this population still drinks excessively. Such habits can also affect a young individual health-wise, including how they think and relate with others.

The Effects of Binge Drinking in Youths

The human brain stops developing at approximately age 24, making teens and youth in their early twenties sensitive to the alcohol’s effects.

Young people who drink have issues performing in school, have a problem with memory, and have low vocabulary test scores.
Alcohol use can have adverse health issues as it damages the liver cells which help break down alcohol. This prolonged effect damages one’s liver making the individual’s liver to fail hence causing liver cirrhosis.
Alcohol can also lead to the swelling of the pancreas. Alcohol abuse kills a significant number of individuals every year while shortening the life of others. Driving under the influence is a common cause of road accidents, especially in cases involving the youth.

Lastly, young individuals who practice binge alcohol drinking are at risk of getting cancer and damaging most body organs, including the heart.

Alcohol Addiction Advocacy Campaigns

Alcoholism is a primary problem in adults and youths. Among students, drinking interferes with the learning process. Soon after an addiction, one develops habits like lateness, truancy, and aggressiveness, which have a ripple effect on academic performance. Addicts also exhibit reduced interaction with people and may end up with many social issues.

One way to curb excessive alcohol consumption in underage individuals is to control the sale of alcoholic drinks.

It is a national goal to prevent and reduce underage drinking, and sellers must follow the policies set to regulate the habit.

● Establishing control measures

The government has established control measures for alcohol sellers. The call to action is to ask people not to engage in binge drinking and prevent underage drinking through various control strategies.

● Change toxic culture

One approach is asking college campuses to change certain cultures that are known to encourage underage drinking.

● Educate the youth

Another advocacy campaign is to educate young people on the harmful effects of alcohol consumption. Pass the knowledge by sharing written information, digital content, or talking to the youth in seminars, discussions, or rehabilitation centers.

Training the youth offers multiple benefits:

Education is an essential means to reach young individuals. They can understand the negative aspects of excessive consumption by learning from medical experts and real researched information.
These campaigns are useful as they reach many individuals and the results are a reduction in binge drinking among participants. By enforcing the law on underage drinking, we may restrict young people below the drinking age from accessing alcoholic drinks and reduce addiction cases.
Using education as a campaign can help inform young individuals about the issues arising from excessive alcohol consumption or abuse.

Plus, youth are more likely to make informed health choices on drinking.

Quit Binge Drinking Campaign Strategy

This campaign targets the time factors promoting binge drinking. Most individuals who drink excessively do so because they have plenty of time to drink.

Whenever individuals feel the need to drink, they can do so because you can purchase liquor at any time. Reducing the alcohol purchase time may prompt youths to focus their energy on other activities and avoid binge drinking.

● Restricting alcohol sales

The sales restriction strategy has been tried on many items, and it works. A good example is cigarettes, which are also harmful to an individual’s health. Some areas have restricted their alcohol business hours with strict bar closing times, while others have established laws prohibiting alcohol sales on Sundays.

Time and day restrictions such as banning the late-night selling of alcohol can help prevent individuals who spend impulsively on alcohol during ungodly hours.

● Reducing access to Liquor

Binge-drinking is further fueled by the ability to purchase alcohol at most times. Most youth, especially those on campus, have easy access to drinks because of the freedom in their schools.

● Engaging youths in other activities

Engaging campus students in other activities during drinking times can render alcohol a delayed gift reducing binge cases. It could also help eliminate underage drinking. Such strategies include less intervention from the government and less use of policies.

These campaigns should help prevent the spread of underage drinking. However, the issue of adolescent alcoholism is ever-present in most communities. It is essential to ensure that alcohol consumption does not lead to health problems. This can be done by curbing underage drinking, especially by adolescents.

The Bottom line on Binge Alcohol Drinking

Leaving your drinking buddies for new friends at a rehab center is one good turn that deserves another.