Questioning whether you are a social drinker, or a binge drinker is a common question people that drink alcohol eventually ask themselves. There is no real clear-cut and dry answer, so it’s essential to know some basics about alcohol and ask yourself some questions to find out. At Gold Bridge, we offer alcohol treatment in Kansas City and help you work through these questions and get the individualized help you need.
Am I a Social Drinker?
Since it is not a cut-and-dry answer, there are some limited guidelines for helping you decide if you are a social drinker. A social drinker is defined roughly by most working in addiction recovery as no more than four drinks in a day or 14 per week. It is a hard thing to define because different cultures throughout the world view alcohol very differently; therefore, the expectation varies. Additionally, most heavy drinkers lose track of amounts or minimize amounts they drink over time. We have provided a list of common things that might help you differentiate between a social and binge drinker:
- Have no regret about behavior during a social drinking event
- Have little to no anxiety around monitoring your drink amounts
- Don’t think about or rely on drinking alcohol during a social situation
- Alcohol isn’t the main focus of thought when getting together with others.
Am I A Binge Drinker?
Binge drinkers can be very high risk for transitioning into an alcoholic but have not quite reached the qualifiers for that yet. At Gold Bridge, we offer alcohol treatment in Kansas Kansas City and we can help you get treatment before it escalates. Binge drinkers often drink large amounts of alcohol in one sitting. The process of having large amounts of alcohol in your body to none in your system is what eventually causes the pattern of chemical alcohol addiction. To not feel adverse side effects, the individual realizes they must always be drinking to keep symptoms at bay. Here are a few signs that you might be a binge drinker:
- You start forgetting or not caring about things at home or work you used to
- Continuing to drink despite conflict with family, or other negative consequences
- Finding yourself in bad situations regularly
- Legal troubles that you never had before are becoming a part of your life
Am I an Alcoholic?
An alcoholic is defined by most experts as someone that is above the legal blood alcohol level more than five times a week. Most people that drink alcohol eventually find themselves in a stage where they drink more than they should be, usually college-age; however, they transition out of it because of friction with family or responsibilities. For an alcoholic, this behavior continues and gets worse. It is important to reach out to an alcohol rehab facility in Kansas City as soon as possible if you find yourself answering yes to these questions below:
- Do I drink daily?
- Can I omit alcohol from my life?
- Do I drink so much I forget timeframes?
- Am I carrying around shame for my drinking behavior?
- Do I need to get drunk before events to tolerate or enjoy them?
- Do I drive drunk, am I involved in accidents?
- Do I continually think about alcohol and the next one I can have?
- Are people that are about me pointing out risky or scary behavior?
At Gold Bridge Treatment Center, we are a superior alcohol rehab facility in Kansas City specializing in alcohol treatment in Kansas City. Our facility offers unique programs with individualized treatment tailored to the needs of each client. If you find yourself struggling with alcohol addiction, give us a call at 913-837-4653 or visit our website to see how we can partner with you to get your life back on track.