According to a recent UK Department of Health study, there are several reasons as to why people drink to excess on a regular basis.
They have identified nine main groups or reasons why people drink heavily. Heavy drinking is defined as 35 units per week for women and 50 units per week for men. This is twice the recommended limit.
Although this is obviously just a general guide, where do you think you fit into this? It may be you fit across categories or even have other reasons outside of the nine presented below. However, it is a useful guide to start looking at the causes for your heavy drinking.
| Depressed drinker |
Your life is in a state of crisis, e.g. recently bereaved, divorced or in a financial crisis. Alcohol is a comforter and a form of self-medication to help you cope
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| Destress drinker |
You have a pressurised job or stressful home-life leading you to have feelings of being out of control and burdened with responsibility. You use alcohol to relax, unwind and calm down and to help with switching between your work and your personal life. Partners often support or reinforce this behaviour by preparing drinks for you.
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| Re-bonding drinker |
You use alcohol as the ’shared connector’ that unifies your friends and your social circle. You often forget the time and the amount of alcohol you are consuming.
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| Conformist drinker |
You use going to the pub or bar as what ‘men do’ and it is your second home and you have a sense of belonging and acceptance within this environment.
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| Community drinker |
You drink in fairly large social friendship groups. You have a sense of community forged through the pub group. Drinking for you provide a sense of safety and security and gives your life meaning and also acts as a social network with your friends.
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| Boredom drinker |
This is especially true if you are a single mother or recent divorcee with a restricted social life. Drinking is company, making for an absence of people. Drinking marks the end of the day perhaps following the completion of chores.
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| Macho drinker |
You often feel undervalued, disempowered and frustrated in important areas of your life. You have actively cultivated a strong alpha male identity that revolves around your drinking prowess. Your drinking is driven by a constant need to assert your masculinity and status to yourself and others.
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| Hedonistic drinker |
You are single, divorced and/or with grown-up children. Drinking excessively is a way for you to visibly express your independence, freedom and ‘youthfulness’ to yourself. You use alcohol to release your inhibitions.
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Find Out More:
In order to start making changes with your relationship with alcohol please visit the Alcohol Free Social Life website where you will learn specific techniques and examples of how to make changes now:
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