Legacy Healing Center Blog

Wondering if You’re Drinking Too Much?

Alcohol consumption has become a regular part of Americans’ lives. It is often associated with unwinding after a hard day’s work, a way to socially connect with others, or a way to celebrate a joyous event or occurrence. With the commonality that drinking has had within modern-day society, many people struggle with knowing if their alcohol use has become problematic or not. There is a difference between moderate, healthy alcohol consumption and heavy alcohol use that can lead to problems within your life if it is not addressed through alcohol rehab. But how much alcohol is too much? Keep reading to learn more.

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What Constitutes Moderate Drinking?

Moderate drinking is defined by the “Dietary Guidelines for Americans” as someone of legal drinking age limiting their alcohol consumption each day by the specific guidelines they set out. Those guidelines are two or fewer drinks a day for men and one drink or less a day for women. While these are guidelines, these are suggestions as it is optimal for your health to reduce drinking to a limited amount or not consume alcohol.

The Definition of Heavy Alcohol Use

The National Institute of Alcohol Addiction defines heavy alcohol use as consuming alcohol through binge drinking more than five times a week within a month’s time span. Heavy use can also be measured through these terms:

• For men: drinking more than four drinks a day or consuming more than 14 drinks per week
• For women: Consuming more than three drinks a day or having more than seven drinks a week 

What Is Binge Drinking?

You most likely have heard of the term binge drinking but understanding what constitutes binge drinking is not always public knowledge. Binge drinking is defined as a pattern of drinking alcohol that brings your blood alcohol content to a 0.08% level or higher. To reach this level as an adult, you would need to consume more than five alcoholic drinks at one time. With that said, binge drinking for males is often defined as having five or more drinks within one period and, for females, four or more drinks within one drinking occasion. 

Signs Your Heavy or Binge Drinking Has Become an Alcohol Addiction

Many regular drinkers wonder if their consumption could lead to addiction or overdose. It is common for many individuals to think about getting help for their addiction but waffling over if their drinking habits have reached a level that needs support. These are some common signs that your drinking behavior has developed into addiction requiring a rehab program. Other indicators include:

• Your urge to drink takes over your thought processes, and you struggle to focus on any other thought or task. 
• You increase the amount of alcohol you consume to get the desired effect.
• You tell yourself that you will cut back on your drinking but find yourself drinking the same amount and, sometimes, more than before.
• Have difficulties within personal and professional life due to your drinking and still unable to stop your drinking behaviors. 

Who Needs Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder?

It may be time to consider looking into addiction treatment for individuals who have found that their drinking habits have increased or worsened over time. Often when your use progresses over time from moderate to heavy use, there are deep-rooted reasons for your addiction that individuals are continually trying to mask with the help of alcohol. To fully heal from your addiction, you will need to uncover the core reasons for your addiction and effectively process those problematic emotions to provide yourself ample opportunities for success in a life of sobriety. 

Alcohol Rehab at Legacy Healing Center

Legacy Healing Center offers patients individualized alcohol rehab programs designed to help them heal from the inside out of their addiction. Through the evidence-based therapy methods provided within our behavioral therapy center, you will gain perspective on the emotions and thoughts that have contributed to your addiction. Through one-on-one and group therapy sessions, you will gain the skills for emotional regulation and preventive tools you can use when potential triggers arise that will keep you on track to a happy, healthy life in recovery. For more information on how much alcohol is too much and addiction recovery, call us at 888.534.2295 today.