Expert insight:
Binge drinking
One in five people admitted to hospital drink alcohol in a harmful way, with one in 10 officially being alcohol dependent. Could you, or a loved one, be a binge-drinker without realising it? With help from accredited counsellor, Elaine McKenzie, we explore how to recognise the signs, and how to find professional support Writing | Bonnie Evie Gifford
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t’s easy to miss the fact that you have a problem when you don’t ‘look like’ an alcoholic. If you’re not drinking every night, you don’t bulk buy cans of the cheap stuff, or if you’re holding down a steady job, it’s easy to think you don’t have a problem. No matter how open-minded we think we are, many of us assume alcoholism and addiction in general has ‘a look’. If we’re brutally honest, we assume it’s a working class problem: cheap booze and regular binges. But that’s not the only face of addiction in Britain. A dear friend swears she doesn’t have a problem. She doesn’t drink often; three out of four weeks, she doesn’t even have a glass of wine after work. Yet when travelling for work, she can’t recall how many she’s had by the time the night is through. Beers go down like water, cocktails are flowing. It’s an open bar – who wouldn’t get in on the action? Everything’s OK – it’s just part of their team building. Three, four, five nights out of a month. A couple of welcome drinks before the conference starts.
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A few cheeky bottles over dinner to impress the clients. Unlimited cocktails as the team celebrate making last quarter’s numbers. It’s not a problem – honest. EVERYONE’S AT IT She’s not the only one. A 2018 study by the University of Stirling, Scotland, found that an overwhelming 85% of men and women have experienced peer pressure to drink, making it a key influencing factor. In 2019, research from King’s College London revealed that the harmful levels of alcohol use are 10 times higher in hospital inpatients, with 20% of the 1.65 million hospital inpatients using alcohol in a harmful way. WHY DO WE BINGE-DRINK? With so much information, guidelines, and warnings out there, why do many of us still turn to alcohol for comfort or as a way of coping? Experienced therapist, Elaine McKenzie, explains: “Our subjective capacity to navigate the complexities of life on life’s terms, and to relate to others can be challenging, and the
temptation to reach for something to soothe is comforting. Seeking to control uncertainty with food, prescription medication or drugs, and alcohol… In the short-term, the chosen ‘crutch’ can assist, but in the longer term? The consequences to wellbeing are significant to ourselves and those closest to us.” HOW TO SUPPORT A LOVED ONE With so many risks surrounding binge-drinking, what can we do if we’re worried about a loved one? “When behaviours become destructive, those who care can adopt an empathic approach, and ask about what may be worrying them, e.g. health, work, or not being heard within their relationship,” says Elaine. “However, this can be tricky. Intimate partners [can have] the most difficulty in addressing the other’s habitual or binge drinking. It is essential that there is an acceptance of the problem.” When we address the elephant in the room, this can lead to a sense of shame and denial among those with a problematic relationship with alcohol. >>>
