What Can We Do About Binge Drinking?

When You're Drinking

Yeah, I know. Sticking with our sea analogy, another good way to stay safe is to stay in your depth and in sight of the shore. When you're out for a drink, try being more careful about how drunk you feel. Try interspersing each drink with a glass of water, which will effectively cut the alcoholic content of your drinks in half. Drink strongly-flavored drinks - the drinks that don't seem to taste like alcohol are the ones that cause you to wake up in Mexico, while it's pretty hard to accidentally get wasted on Bourbon (easy enough to do on purpose, though; looking at you, country singers). Actively monitor your drinking - count each drink and be aware of how much you've had. It takes about an hour to clear a shot. In theory, if you drank a shot an hour, you'd never get drunk. In practice you can at least use that knowledge to moderate your drinking. Stay back of the three-glass 'tipping point' and you'll avoid most of the negative consequences of binge drinking.

On Leaving The Bar...

Think nutrition. You're craving fat and carbohydrate, because you're drunk, but what you really want is to feel full. The way to accomplish that without overeating is to eat food that's rich in good fats, protein and fiber. You're going to get something to eat — but if you try to avoid fries, anything fried in batter, bread products and rice, you'll have significantly cut the number of calories you're taking in. Additionally, protein doesn't strain the liver so a high-protein meal will protect you twice!

The Morning After

Even if you ignored points one and two, there are still things you can do to prevent those final, morning-after 2,000 calories. 

Again, consider nutrition. Don't have a huge fried mess for breakfast. Have meat, fruit, nuts, leaves and vegetables. You'll feel better, eat less and protect your body form some of the damage caused by the residual alcohol.

Another excellent curative is to go for a walk. Even a few hundred yards will help to clear your head and make you feel better, leaving you less reliant on fatty foods and TV to recover mentally from the night before.

If you find you binge drink regularly and can't stop, you could be an alcoholic. If you think you might have a problem with alcohol, it's always the right time to get help. Contact Alcoholics Anonymous for more information.

See Also: Too Much Fun Can Bring Troubles - Sun, Alcohol, And Skin Cancer

If you think I've hit the nail on the head, or you've got a bone to pick, why not get in touch with me in the comments section below?