Drink too much but don't want to quit? Let's talk about harm reduction.

Alcohol is everywhere. The market size of bars and nightclubs in the US is expected to reach over $27 billion and the number of drinking establishments has been steadily increasing over the last five years. Why am I telling you? You already know that.

In 2015 the CDC reported that US adults consumed more than 17 billion alcoholic drinks during binges. That number is so huge that for some it reinforces the belief that '“everyone does it” and therefore “it must be okay.” Forget everyone else for a second and let’s talk about your drinking.

Recent studies suggest that a safe amount of alcohol is one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men. Higher level math equates to 7 drinks a week for women and 14 drinks for men. Binge drinking is defined as four or more units of alcohol within two hours for women, and 5 units of drinks for men. What the heck is a unit? Take a look at this picture to help you calculate your consumption.

So how many units are you consuming per week, or per binge? You may have an inkling that you’re drinking too much. Hangovers a couple of days a week, getting into work late or with a pounding headache, arguments with your spouse or partner, the texts/emails/comments you delivered while intoxicated, are all excellent clues.

If you’re surrounded by friends who consume an equally unhealthy amount it can be tempting to blow it off. “Hell everyone’s doing it!” And given the recent statistics of alcohol consumption in the US and worldwide, you can be forgiven for that kind of thinking.

What you don’t hear about in the latest hot bar or nightclub is the increase in alcohol related deaths. How many women actually know that alcohol is rated as a carcinogen? Remember when I said 7 drinks a week is considered moderate levels for women. Yeah, well unfortunately it only takes 3 drinks a week to increase your breast cancer risk by 15%. According to breastcancer.org alcohol related breast cancer kills more than twice as many women as drunk drivers. Full stop.

Well why stop there. Excessive alcohol use plays a major role in sexual assault, other violence, suicide and a whole hosts of cancer, depression, anxiety, social problems, lost productivity, and on and on.

Yeah, but….

“Every social event I attend involves alcohol.” “My partner/best friend drinks the same amount.” “I have more fun when I drink.” “It relaxes me after a hard day/week/month/life.” “It helps me sleep.” “At least I don’t drink and drive.” (see my blog on Alcohol and Uber: A double edged sword).

I get it. All of those statements make sense in the moment. But binge drinking can lead to serious short and long term consequences. And it can progress. I don’t get hung up on labels like “alcoholic”. Substance abuse lives on a spectrum and can move in either direction depending on your choices.

Doing something about the negative consequences from drinking, or smoking pot, doesn’t always mean complete abstinence. This is where harm reduction comes in. Everyone I see has different goals and my plan is always to meet you where you are, but not leave you there. However the final destination for everyone is different.

“Harm reduction means meeting you where you are, but not leaving you there.”

The key point is having the courage to recognize that where you are is not where you want to be. Admit that you want to be happy and enjoy yourself without having a hangover, blacking out, or let’s be honest, making an ass of yourself.

Check out the video below. Make a decision to improve your health by decreasing the harm you are currently inflicting. Let me know how I can help. You can make an appointment for an assessment on any of the main pages of my website, or if you’re not ready for that, email me to schedule a free 15 minute consultation.

Ask yourself, where do I want to be?