Medications like naltrexone, when used as part of the Sinclair Method, can help reduce cravings and provide greater control over alcohol. One of the hardest things for me to accept was that my drinking problem wasn’t because of a lack of willpower or discipline. I used to feel ashamed and blame myself, wondering why I couldn’t just cut back like other people. But as I learned more about alcohol use disorder, I realized that binge drinking and heavy drinking are often deeply ingrained in the brain.

Short-term psychological effects of binge drinking include:

Is it boredom, a routine, peer pressure, work-related stress, or something you do to relax? Once you know when and why you start binge drinking alcohol, you can work how to stop binge drinking out how to avoid those triggers. It might feel different at first, but a weekend with less alcohol has many benefits. Regularly binge drinking can contribute to long-term health problems and impact things like your mood, memory, and mental health.

Talk to Friends and Family

Professional help is also important if your drinking is affecting major life areas, such as your relationships, job performance, financial stability or health. These steps show that help for binge drinking is accessible and effective. Some individuals binge drink to feel more confident or alleviate social anxiety. Alcohol can lower inhibitions and create a temporary sense of ease in social interactions. However, this false sense of confidence is fleeting and often leads to poor decision-making, increased vulnerability, and regret after the effects of drinking wear off.

Dove Recovery

  • If drinking has become your main hobby or social activity, it’s time to branch out.
  • The post-hangout feeling, when you need to get your ass home, is atrocious to me.
  • If you struggle with alcohol misuse there are several effective treatment options to help you quit drinking.

Additionally, repeated episodes of binge drinking, particularly among adolescents, can alter brain development and result in cognitive deficits. It can lead to chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and certain cancers. Neurologically, binge drinking can cause structural brain changes, impairing cognitive functions like memory and attention, especially in adolescents whose brains are still developing. It can also disrupt gut microbiota, leading to emotional and cognitive deficits. Is it to reduce stress, anxiety, boredom, or other negative feelings, or to feel more at ease socially?

  • Set a number and an end date when setting goals for reducing your alcohol intake.
  • I tried to replace it with water, but it was too easy to drink quickly and lacked flavor.
  • Orlando Recovery Center specializes in compassionate, evidence-based care tailored to your needs.

If I couldn’t first accept this, then there was no chance I would ever fix it. Here are a just a few tips to help you reduce your drinking and stay safe. Call us and let’s talk about how we can support you on your path to recovery.

Seeking Help to Stop Binge Drinking

Genes affect how our body processes alcohol, which can make us more susceptible to its effects and leads to a higher risk of binge drinking. Binge drinking entails consuming a large amount of alcohol in a short period of time, typically within two hours. For men, this means drinking five or more alcoholic drinks, and for women, four or more drinks. Binge drinking is not only harmful to the drinker but everyone around the individual as well. It only takes one episode of binge drinking to destroy beloved relationships and cause families to fall apart.

Professional Help & Treatment

  • Our dedicated team is here to provide a safe, judgment-free space where you can talk openly and honestly.
  • We encourage patients to find healthy outlets and a balanced lifestyle in order to decrease the risk of emotional ups and downs.
  • Put simply, whatever the liver can’t process, the kidney finishes these “leftovers”.

These are environmental cues, and they can create a strong habit loop. Getting started with drinking less often involves making small changes to your surroundings, like taking a different route home or moving alcohol out of sight. Ria Health is a 100 percent online alcohol treatment program that connects you with medical professionals, anti-craving prescriptions, peer support groups, and more. Best of all, you don’t need to identify as an alcoholic to get started. This program is meant for anyone who wants to change their relationship with alcohol, whether that means cutting back or quitting altogether.

Short and Long-Term Effects of Binge Drinking

how to stop binge drinking

Alcohol’s impact on cognitive impairment and decision-making is well documented. Therefore, rash decision-making and cognitive impairments are further exacerbated when it comes to binge drinking. This can result in circumstantial distortion or detachment that causes them to be a danger to themselves or others. These decisions, when under the influence, can change you or someone else’s Sober living home life in an instant, especially the decision to drive drunk. Drinking alcohol in large, untempered volumes always poses a risk of incurring alcohol poisoning. At this point, loss of consciousness, intense vomiting, and severe dehydration occur as alcohol soaks up your body’s nutrients.

Your ongoing care team for mind & body.

how to stop binge drinking

Consider if you should avoid situations where heavy drinking is involved or limit your time with friends or places where binge drinking behavior is likely to take place. It’s easy to fall into the trap of peer pressure, regardless of your age group. If you’re around people who are excessively drinking, you’re more likely to be pressured to continue drinking, too. Binge drinking is a form of alcohol abuse and is a recognised factor in many alcohol use disorders (AUD’s). It, (binge drinking), often carries negative consequences, not only to the person that suffers but also affecting those that surround them.

It might be that you want to have a clean break by avoiding alcohol altogether. If so, we have more information on how to give up alcohol completely. Alternatively, you might be looking to cut down your alcohol to lower your health risks.