Alcohol Abuse Treatments: Stopping Binge Drinking

Medically Reviewed By Kayla Loibl | Last Edited : November 11, 
2020 | 4 Sources

Why is it important to put a stop to binge drinking through alcohol abuse treatments? A lot of people do not realize that binge drinking is among the most common patterns of alcohol misuse in the U.S. As a matter of fact, more than 50% of all alcoholic beverages consumed is during binge drinking sessions. But what is binge drinking, exactly? It refers to drinking alcohol in a pattern that creates a blood alcohol concentration to 0.08 grams percent or even more. This is equivalent to a man consuming about five alcoholic drinks or a woman consuming four drinks in about a two-hour span.

There are many who believe that there is only one course of action to take if you have a problem with drinking and that is attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Alcoholics Anonymous is, as the name implies an organization set up to help and support those alcoholics who want to stop drinking and stay stopped.

It is a global community of men and women who’ve had a drinking issue. It is:

• self-supporting,
•  multiracial, 
• nonprofessional, 
• apolitical, and 
• available nearly everywhere.

 There are no education or age requirements. Membership is available to anyone who aims to fix his or her drinking problems. In fact you are never really accepted by other members until you have accepted the fact that you are an alcoholic and affirm this fact every time you speak at one of the meetings.

This has one unfortunate consequence; binge drinkers who do not actually meet the formal definition of alcoholism feel pressured into admitting they are alcohol dependent even though they are not, thus labeling themselves as alcoholic. A label that can never really be shaken off.

This is the great flaw in alcohol dependency treatment in the U.S. and elsewhere, the fact that other ‘styles of problem drinking’, and more specifically binge drinking are not catered for by the treatment industry, or at least that is how it appears.

There are, in fact, ways of dealing with problem drinking that do not involve Alcoholics Anonymous. We are not saying that AA is bad in any way, rather that it is a support group for alcohol dependents not those requiring help with binge drinking.

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Before reading further, we would recommend that you take an alcoholism test to determine whether your drinking habits are symptomatic of alcoholism or not.

What Is Binge Drinking?

Binge drinking happens when the amount of alcohol you have consumed brings your blood-alcohol content (BAC) up to the legal limitation for driving. 

A lot of American adult’s consume alcohol at least occasionally, but an estimated 1 in 4 binge drink several drinks within a short span of time at least once a year. Roughly 1 in 6 adults in the United States say that they regularly binge drink, oftentimes several times monthly. They usually have more or less seven alcoholic drinks on these binges.

Alcohol abuse Treatments
Treating Binge Drinking

Binge drinking is a substantial contributor to many preventable alcohol-related fatalities in the U.S. yearly. Although it might not seem as severe, or even identifiable, as with more typical forms of alcohol abuse, binge drinking is linked to a lot of alcohol-related health issues and risks.

The growth of binge drinking — and associated risks — has driven public health administrators, educators, and drug and alcohol advocacy groups to take a closer look to get insight into avoiding this form of alcohol misuse.

Binge drinking can be a symptom of alcoholism but it is not alcoholism of itself. For a full discussion of binge drinking please refer to our page, ‘What is Binge Drinking’.

Treatment for binge drinking can take a number of forms (it all depends on the severity of the problem):

• Kudzu: Kudzu is a herb used extensively in Chinese medicine for over a thousand years. Recent studies have shown that it is effective in reducing the amount of alcohol binge drinkers/alcohol dependents consume in one sitting. For more on this read Kudzu and alcohol.
• Support Groups: There is a support group, Moderation Management that helps binge drinkers try and control their alcohol consumption. Abstention from alcohol is not the ideal, rather controlled and safe drinking. For more on this read, Moderation Management.
• Harm reduction: Although binge drinking is not alcoholism, it does create many health problems. HARM reduction is an online (free) support system that helps those wishing to reduce the harm alcohol does to them. It is based on the belief that abstinence from alcohol is unachievable for many, so the next best thing is to reduce the harm alcohol does to the individual. Read HARM reduction to discover more.
• The Sinclair Method: The Sinclair Method, utilizing the anti-craving drug Naltrexone, reduces the cravings that binge drinkers and alcoholics typically experience once they drink. Although, the subject of much debate this method does seem to work (at least for most) Read The Sinclair Method for more.
• Self-Help E-book: ‘Stop Drinking Alcohol’ is an e-system devised by a former problem drinker Rahul Nag. In his system he starts by getting the problem drinker to assess his/her drinking, and then decide the drinking goal they would like to achieve. Based on this he then provides the tools and strategies to achieve the goal. E-mail support is included. To learn more about this system go to ‘Stop Drinking Alcohol’.

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There are alcohol abuse treatments for binge drinkers and problem drinkers. Some may suit you better than others, it is important to keep trying to find a solution even if one particular method does not work for you. Binge drinking can be halted/controlled, however, if it isn’t there is a likelihood that it could develop into alcohol dependence.

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If you found this page Alcohol Abuse Treatments helpful, then the following may be of interest to you: Medication For Alcoholism Reduce Cravings for Alcohol Treating Alcoholism At Home Alcohol and Your Health Signs of an Alcoholic Am I an Alcoholic?

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