After a stressful week, many of us consider a glass of wine or a gin and tonic a great treat to kick off the weekend. There is no harm in reaching for an alcoholic beverage every now and then, but you may be at risk of drinking too much. Don't let yourself become one of those people, so see if any of these signs apply to you.
Could you be drinking too much? © Cover Media
Limits are broken
It sometimes seems like the right thing to do to give yourself a limited number of drinks to have, or count the units. Men are recommended three to four units a day, while women stand slightly lower at two to three. To give you an idea of how much this is, one pint of four percent ABV (alcohol by volume) beer is on average enough to fill a female daily intake. However, if you often find yourself exceeding your target then there may be trouble ahead.
“If you find yourself repeatedly going over your self-defined limit, that’s a common early sign you’re losing control over your drinking,” John F. Kelly, PhD, director of the Recovery Research Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, explained.
To ensure this doesn't happen, try to discover the trigger behind excessive drinking, whether it be emotional problems or the people you're with. The sooner you address the reason, the sooner you can overcome it.
Your plans involve alcohol
Rather than looking forward to a night out with your friends, you can't wait to down several drinks and get “wasted”. This is a clear sign you're drinking too much alcohol, especially if the location you choose to meet is a bar, pub or club.
To avoid the temptation why not opt for a day out or evening at somewhere like the cinema, theatre or bowling? If you can keep distracted then there's no way your mind will be dwelling on when your next alcoholic beverage may be.
People have commented/warned you about your drinking
How do you react when a pal says they're worried about how many glasses of wine you've drunk during your night out? It's an awkward situation, and if they feel close enough to you to be honest about their opinion and your actions then perhaps it's time to cut down, or take a break completely.
Then there's having a professional such as a doctor comment on your intake. It's a regular question you get asked in the surgery: How much alcohol do you have a week? Listen up, as your GP may advise you to change your drinking habits.
Constant hangovers
This is by far the biggest sign. If you find yourself struggling to wake up due to feeling sick, dehydrated or suffering a headache several times a week, this is not good. If can affect every aspect of your life and may make your job suffer. Don't let it get this far or, if you're already there, make sure it's only several times every couple of months rather than on a regular basis. © Cover Media