Teens and young adults routinely struggle with trying to fit in. Not surprisingly, it’s easy for peer groups to include them in unhealthy activities. Drinking to excess is one of these, especially binge drinking in college. It is crucial to know what binge drinking is and the dangers it poses.
If you would like to learn how to stop binge drinking, Zelus Recovery can help. Our young adult alcohol rehab center in Boise, Idaho, gives teens and young adults the skills, strategies, and support they may need to abstain from drinking altogether.
What Is Considered Binge Drinking? How Much Drinking Is Binge Drinking?
Health officials classify binge drinking as reaching a blood alcohol level of 0.08 g/dL in two hours or less. Men typically do so with five drinks. For women, it usually takes four drinks. But that’s not the only definition that matters.
Other agencies take a more long-term approach to the definition of binge drinking. They classify it as the practice of over-indulging in five (or four drinks) at least once in the past month. If this number goes up to five days a month, these experts consider you to be a substantial alcohol user. At the heart of the matter is that you’re drinking to excess repeatedly.
How Bingeing Affects You
When teens and young adults drink alcohol, it typically isn’t for the taste. They do it to get along with the rest of the group or lower social anxieties. Going out to a bar may not be about companionship any longer, it may be about drinking. Social dynamics change, and they’re struggling to be one of the gang.
Parents can have a difficult time understanding this mentality. They also don’t realize the shame and disgust that many young adults and teens feel after participating in a binge. What you may not realize, at this time, is the fact that bingeing gradually leads to alcohol addiction. It doesn’t happen overnight.
But it does happen. Whenever there’s alcohol around, one can start to feel out of control. The person has become used to slamming the drinks quickly. They might even begin to feel strange when they don’t have any alcohol in their system.
Self-Medicating
A common reason for binge drinking among teens is to self-medicate undiagnosed mental health disorders. A misunderstanding of the effects of alcohol leads one to drink to deal with symptoms of anxiety or depression. However, drinking alcohol only makes things worse.
Getting proper mental health treatment reduces the chances of binge drinking. But when a mental health disorder coincides with addiction, a dual diagnosis treatment plan is needed to treat both conditions. Treating both disorders at the same time will build resistance to reoccurring symptoms and reduce the chances of relapse.
How to Stop Binge Drinking
Our Zelus Recovery alcohol rehab center in the Boise area can make a significant difference in your life or the life of a teen you care about. A teen or young adult struggling with alcohol abuse may require professional help from our team of experts. Examples of treatments include:
- An intensive outpatient program lets your loved one live at home while attending therapy sessions at Zelus Recovery.
- Dual diagnosis assessment and treatment treat underlying co-occurring conditions such as depression or anxiety.
- Family therapy helps with reconnecting, communicating, and setting healthy boundaries.
- Behavioral therapy, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, assists with recognizing and overcoming areas of dysfunction.
- Psychotherapy provides the essential one-on-one interaction with an addiction therapist.
If you do nothing, it’s possible for bingeing to develop into long-term alcohol addiction. An alcohol use disorder isn’t something that a teen or young adult can quit alone. Many teens and young adults rely on Zelus Recovery to teach them how to stop binge drinking. We can do the same for you or a teen in your life. Don’t hesitate to contact our Zelus Recovery team today.
Heal the Underlying Causes of Binge Drinking at Zelus Recovery
Binge drinking can quickly lead to adverse effects and consequences. But, with the right addiction treatment programs, teens and young adults can succeed in recovery. Our comprehensive and compassionate treatment programs can address and heal the root causes of binge drinking, such as trauma or mental health disorders.
Contact Zelus Recovery to learn more about the problems of binge drinking and the solution available. Call 208.518.0797, or contact us online today to connect with a counselor and begin the road to recovery.
