Social drinking and binge drinking are different types of drinking disorders. However, they can both cause serious consequences. Drinking behavior can affect every part of your life leading to relationship troubles, financial woes, and legal repercussions. It may seem like you are just having a drink with some friends. Over time, however, sustained drinking can affect you physically and emotionally.
Alcohol abuse can sneak up on you if you aren’t careful. That is why Recovery Bay offers an alcohol addiction treatment program in Florida that can help you. Finding the right alcohol addiction treatment early can make all the difference in avoiding serious symptoms of alcohol abuse that could plague you down the line.
Cycle Of Addiction And Alcohol
Alcohol abuse can start with seemingly innocuous drinking behaviors such as social drinking, or binge drinking. This is because as you use alcohol, you form a dependence on it. You will need more alcohol to sustain the positive feelings of drinking. As you use more alcohol, you will become increasingly dependent on it to avoid the negative symptoms of withdrawal.
The negative symptoms of withdrawal can be felt after one night of over-use. These symptoms become worse over time. However, the cycle of addiction works in a way that is much more devious than just causing bad symptoms. The cycle of addiction engages you in emotional dependency. This means that even when your body is free of alcohol, you are still addicted because you form a dependency on coping through the means of alcohol use.
When you don’t have strong alternative coping skills, it becomes that much more difficult to stop using alcohol. This is why it’s so important to seek help for alcohol abuse if you’re struggling with addiction.
Social Drinking
Social drinking is when you drink regularly in a variety of social settings, but that drinking behavior doesn’t disrupt your life. Furthermore, social drinking can lead to serious problems in your life if you don’t practice safe drinking measures. Some ways to reduce the risks of drinking behavior getting out of control can include the following:
- Eat before drinking as this slows the absorption of alcohol
- Drink a lot of water before and after drinking alcohol
- Do not drink when you are emotionally charged or tired
- Stop drinking before you become impaired
- Never mix alcohol with other drugs or medications
- Never drink and drive
As you can see, there are ways to drink responsibly. However, it’s important to remember that drinking over time can lead to unexpected results. If you find that you’re drinking with more frequency or requiring more alcohol than usual, then that is a sign that you may be crossing over into the cycle of addiction. Once you are in that cycle, you may need help to get out.
Binge Drinking
The truth is that social drinking can lead to binge drinking. Binge drinking is an extreme drinking behavior that causes serious health problems. It is defined as drinking an excessive amount of alcohol in a short amount of time. The goal of this behavior is to reach intoxication through heavy consumption. Binge drinking can affect your body in a number of important ways, including the following:
- Decreased motor coordination and reflexes
- Falls
- Nausea and vomiting
- Irregular breathing
- Slowed heart rate
- Low body temperature
- Risky behaviors
- Seizures
- Blackouts
- Alcohol poisoning
As you can see, binge drinking is a very dangerous activity that can lead to serious missteps of judgment that can cause bodily injury. If you’re engaging in binge drinking behaviors, it’s important to seek help right away.
Seek Help For An Alcohol Addiction With Recovery Bay
Alcohol use can surprise you if you aren’t careful and responsible with its use. If you have found yourself taking part in alcohol consumption on an ever-increasing scale, then it may be time to reassess whether its use is helping or hindering your life. The good news is that there’s hope with Recovery Bay’s alcohol addiction treatment program. This program is guided by experienced professionals who understand the cycle of addiction.
Call us at 833.991.2955 to learn more about our treatment programs. It’s never too early to take control of your life.