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Is my drinking excessive? – Choose the answer that works best for you.
There are a lot of different tests that can tell you if they think you drink too much.
However, asking yourself if you have consumed an excessive amount of alcohol is a strong personal indicator. If that’s the case, now is the best time to investigate it.
You might want to drink less and in moderation, or you might want to stop drinking all together.
Consuming alcohol in moderation can be beneficial. Everyone agrees on that point.
It can be enjoyable. You can maintain a healthy heart by drinking alcohol in moderation. It can enhance the enjoyment of an event and serve as a social lubricant.
A meal, a sunset, a picnic, or a barbecue can all be enhanced by a few drinks.
A refreshing beer, on the other hand, might just taste good after a long day at work or a challenging bike ride.
However, excessive drinking can be troubling or even extremely problematic.
Let’s talk if you’re worried about how much you’re drinking:
1. Eliminating Alcohol 2. Moderation in drinking abstaining from drinking Where to go for assistance or additional information: If you’re drinking too much, cutting back on alcohol seems like a sensible goal. For some, it’s simple; merely a decision and a pivotal moment.
Some people find it more difficult because they have emotional stressors or cravings that make it hard to stop drinking or leave with half a glass full.
There are other options if saying “No Thanks” is not enough. You might choose to:
– When you go out with friends, order a soda with a twist more often than a regular drink; perhaps a Virgin Mary (a Bloody Mary without the vodka) or orange juice with ice. It may help you feel less noticeable and even tastes like a cocktail.
In addition, even if you only have one real drink every few minutes, you will consume less alcohol and regain the water your body loses when you drink alcohol (the diuretic effect of alcohol causes you to lose four times as much water as you take in). Additionally, you will be teaching your body and self to drink less.
– Avoid alcohol at home at all costs, if at all possible; reduce the urge to drink alone or to have your first drink “just for the hell of it.” If you DO keep alcohol at home for guests, make sure to stock the kinds you don’t like so it’s harder to reach for them.
If you continue to reach for them, this is a clear sign that cutting back on your own might be too difficult.
– Rather than engaging in activities that typically involve drinking, such as Ladies’ Night drink specials or Monday Night Football at the sports bar, try using the time for something that is not related to alcohol, such as going to a movie, calling an old friend for a phone conversation, or spending a few hours at the hobby bench.
– Don’t hang out with people who tell you to drink more than you should. When our actions are not what we intended, we all want an explanation; Get rid of that obstacle.
It’s possible that your drinking friends will want to support you in order to support their own drinking habits. Don’t let others help you, and don’t let them help you.
– Put yourself in social settings that don’t call for alcohol consumption. Take the kids out for a meal, go clothes shopping, test drive the car you’ll buy with the money you save from not drinking, volunteer.
Take a walk, a run, a bike ride, or a workout if you feel like drinking without a reason.
Find a park bench and curl up with a book if the weather is nice. Make some tea, start a fire, and read inside if the weather is bad.
– Check out a comedy. Surprisingly satisfying can be a good laugh.
– Call a friend without good reason.
– Stay away from people, places, and things that make you want to drink. And be aware of when to speak.
– Set and achieve your objectives. Seek assistance if you are unable.
2. Drinking in Moderation While some people find it easy to drink in moderation, others have to be careful and work at it. In moderation, many of the methods and strategies for reducing alcohol intake apply.
First and foremost, what exactly is moderate drinking?
It varies.
It may entail drinking red wine only with dinner on most nights for some people.
For others, it means three or four beers during the Super Bowl and occasionally one or two drinks throughout the week, depending on the occasion; never having a need or a craving for alcohol.
Other people, on the other hand, find that they can have three or four drinks at once, but they can still take it or leave it, and they don’t drink consistently or frequently. Also, don’t drink to quench your thirst for alcohol.
Three to four drinks per day is considered moderate drinking in some nations, including Australia, France, and Italy.
In the United States, most doctors say that a man should drink one to two drinks a day, and a woman should drink one drink a day for moderate drinking.
Many of the tips in the section on cutting down on alcohol can be used in moderation if you have cut back on drinking and want to maintain your level.
But the most important thing is to follow the strict rules you set for moderate drinking.
It is often helpful to let your closest friends, family, and significant others know that you want to keep up responsible drinking habits and to ask them for some low-key support.
For instance, request a gentle reminder from your partner that you only want two glasses of wine tonight.
That may be a different issue to address if they are unable or unwilling to support your efforts and instead attempt to encourage you to drink more rather than less.
Dealing with codependency is a difficult dynamic.
Allow your actions to demonstrate your clarity and resolve regarding your objectives. Even those who may initially criticize you will eventually respect you.
And it’s a wonderful feeling. By the day, drinking in moderation becomes easier and more satisfying.
3. Quitting alcohol If you want to completely give up alcohol, whether for health or financial reasons, because it has a negative impact on your family, work, personal and professional interests, or other aspects of your life, you might have to decide to do so.
A judge, a divorce ultimatum, or another dramatic event may even influence your decision.
Blackouts might be a strong indicator for you.
When things are bad and unlikely to improve without quitting alcohol, most people choose to stop drinking. When other efforts have failed, it just gets to that point occasionally.
About 17 million people in the United States abuse alcohol or have an alcohol use disorder. The term “AUD” can refer to anything from excessive drinking, drinking by oneself or in large quantities, binge drinking, or uncontrolled alcoholism.
People may quit for a variety of other reasons, the majority of which are quite serious.
4. Where to Go for Help or More Information Traditional methods for quitting drinking include joining support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous, Rational Recovery, SOS, and others. These groups may work, but most estimates say that success rates range from 4 to 10 percent. Individuals share intimately, often in large groups, as a sign of honesty, openness, and willingness to follow a fearless and thorough path toward spiritual advancement.
Group therapies can take a lot of time: As a sort of immersion orientation, AA encourages newcomers to attend “Ninety Meetings in Ninety Days.”
Although treatment facilities can be a little more private and even a little bit more intimate, their costs can reach the tens of thousands of dollars, with celebrity-grade facilities sometimes charging $100,000 or more for a stay.
After completing residential treatment, the client typically needs to commit to Group Therapy for the rest of their lives.
However, national estimates of residential alcohol treatment centers’ success hover around 16%.
The option of quitting drinking at home with the help of herbal formulas and without detox dangers or side effects is also becoming increasingly popular, according to a growing body of research.
The documented success rates are staggering, assisting those who want to either completely or only moderately reduce their drinking but are having difficulty. With an 84% success rate, the most effective home herbal treatment is documented.
If you ask yourself, “Do I drink too much?” at the end of the day or even in the morning, We wish you every success in your endeavors, but you must believe in yourself first.