Excessive Drinking and Binge Drinking

Is Your Drinking Habit A Problem? Excessive Alcohol Help

by Dan Regan | Jul 2, 2024 | Excessive Drinking and Binge Drinking

Is Your Drinking Habit A Problem? Excessive Alcohol Help

Is your drinking habit a problem? I’ve recently been helping a whole of bunch of people who have found that their drinking habit and excessive alcohol consumption has now become a problem.

Drinking alcohol is a pretty much accepted social norm even though more and more people are deciding to stop drinking. In fact, until relatively recently, not drinking at social occasions was often perceived as something unusual that required a strong reason behind it. As many people who have stopped or reduced drinking can testify, however, there are now a growing number of palatable non alcoholic options (Guinness Zero gets all sorts of rave reviews from clients who have switched to it to reduce their alcohol intake).

Your drinking habit may have started a long time ago. At first it may have just been something for social occasions or the odd drink as you unwind in the evening. Maybe you enjoy the taste and that feeling as the alcohol helps you relax after the busyness of the day. It could be that your life is stressful or that there was a time when you just needed something to help you deal with your thoughts, emotions and feelings. Whatever your history with drinking, at some point you have realised that your drinking habit has become a problem. Somewhere along the way it went from something you purposefully called upon for fun, enjoyment or relaxation, and became this pattern that you persistently fall into despite your determination to curtail it.

Of course, it is always up to you how much, and how often, you want to drink. Yet, with your habit, no matter what you tell yourself, it is almost like it isn’t really up to you anymore. You can find yourself having that drink (and the one after, and the one after that…) even when you’ve been telling yourself all day that you’ll have a night off the booze. You may be worried about your health, know it just isn’t good for you or it may be that those empty calories are putting pressure on your waistline in ways you don’t feel good about. Drinking too much can also lead to arguments, drain your energy for doing other things and interfere with getting a good night’s sleep.

Some people use alcohol to try and help them deal with stress and anxiety. And whilst alcohol may help you quieten those unwanted thoughts and feelings for a while, they generally come back with avengeance later on. You find yourself progressively more and more agitated, anxious and feeling low.

If your drinking habit has become a problem then it is certainly possible to take back control so that you have the freedom to enjoy an occasional drink when you choose but without the consumption levels that create such adverse impacts in your life.

Reducing Wine Drinking – Alcohol Habits Hypnotherapy

by Dan Regan | Jan 28, 2024 | Excessive Drinking and Binge Drinking

Reducing Wine Drinking – Alcohol Habits Hypnotherapy in Ely & Newmarket

Have you been struggling with reducing your wine drinking? What may have started as the odd drink to relax in the evening may have become a habit that has taken over. Rather than just the glass or two on the weekend or on the occasional evening after work, it becomes something that you feel you need and that you struggle to do without.

Instead of something pleasurable, relaxing and enjoyable, you may find yourself reaching for the wine almost as soon as you walk through the door. You can find yourself thinking about the wine during the day, looking forward to that first glass and, despite your best intentions, stopping off at the shop to get a bottle in. The thought of going without a drink may make you feel a bit anxious and you can find yourself easily getting through a bottle a night (or perhaps even more than that).

Your habit may have started during a stressful period where it was a way of seeking to unwind and relax, or it may have just crept up to the point where your wine drinking has taken over. Your evenings can start to be all about the wine. You want to cut down or stop but even the thought of it seems overwhelming.

Your sleep can be impacted, you may feel foggy headed in the morning, you have less energy that you’d like and you know that your wine drinking is not good for your health. You get little from it except a way of letting time pass by yet, despite any positive intentions as you start your day, there you are again struggling with reducing wine drinking by the evening.

As creatures of habit, pattern and repetition it can be tough to try and change any habit simply with willpower. There’s a certain psychological expectation that means the harder you try to reduce wine drinking, the more you crave it and think about it. At some point you give up the struggle and reach for the bottle again.

Successfully reducing wine drinking and taking back control (or stopping completely) involves addressing the thoughts, feelings and behaviours that have been repeating and going on for too long. And hypnotherapy is the perfect way that you can take back control and start feeling healthier and happier again.

Excessive Drinking Impacts on Muscle Loss – Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

by Dan Regan | May 31, 2023 | Excessive Drinking and Binge Drinking

Excessive Drinking Impacts on Muscle Loss – Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

Alcohol can easily creep into your life and become an ever increasing habit. Rather than just enjoying the occasional drink with a nice meal or when socialising, you may have found that your alcohol consumption has just crept up and up. Many people reported that during lockdown their excessive drinking increased, and many have found it difficult to bring that drinking level back down again.

You might find that you look forward to that first glass of wine or beer at the end of the day. It becomes the way of switching off from the busyness of the day and relaxing into the evening. Yet soon that glass or two, or a couple of beers, doesn’t seem quite enough and so you finish the bottle (and maybe even break into the second one) or you find that a couple of beers has turned into much more.

Excessive drinking and binge drinking alcohol have an impact on your mental health, as well as your physical health. You may find you feel more sluggish, can’t think quite so clearly, that you lack energy and that your mind races if you don’t quieten it with booze. You may have tried cutting back or stopping drinking for a while, only to slide back into the same sort of habits and loved ones may have started making the odd reference to how much you drink or that they are concerned (whether you get angry and irritable, or tired and uncommunicative). You get to sleep easily but wake not feeling totally rested. The weariness makes the day more of a struggle and the prospect of a drink to unwind proves an ever greater habitual urge.

For some drinkers, the guilt of hiding their drinking or secret drinking also adds to their stress and misery. You may have lost the joy in your life. And the drinking may also mean you aren’t as productive as you want to be and you don’t get the things done that you planned. And whether it’s the embarrassing situations, the ever growing sense of pointlessness or the worry about your health and well-being, there comes a time when you no longer want to be under the control of your excessive drinking habit.

Binge Drinking and Alcohol Problems – Hypnotherapy in Ely & Newmarket

by Dan Regan | Jun 23, 2022 | Excessive Drinking and Binge Drinking

Binge Drinking and Alcohol Problems – Hypnotherapy in Ely & Newmarket

I often work with people who struggle to control their binge drinking or who habitually drink too much. It may be one or two bottles of wine a night, or that struggle to leave a bottle unfinished. It may be that they can’t have alcohol in the house without finding themselves reaching for it and drinking the lot. And for others it may have become part of the end of day ‘wind-down’ ritual or the weekends have become the time to binge drink.

In all these cases and more, someone comes to me for help because they are struggling to control their drinking behaviours. And hypnotherapy is a very effective way of taking back control over your drinking.

Most people would probably agree that drinking alcohol, in the right circumstances, can be a pleasurable experience. Many people enjoy a glass of wine with a meal or a few social drinks with friends. Yet for others their drinking habits may have become problematic. They may rely on alcohol, look forward to it and have urges and cravings to drink. Your drinking may dominate social situations, lead to concern from others and impact upon your well-being. Yet, even the adverse consequences of your drinking may not mean you can stop it or curtail. The habits, patterns, thoughts and feelings around alcohol mean you feel like you are now out of control.

As I cover below, many people use alcohol to try to help them cope with stress, anxiety and depression (and for many, alcohol consumption increased during the pandemic). For others, the habits and behaviours around drinking and binges are the problem. Yet drinking has an impact upon your mental health and well-being and even binge drinking at a moderate overall level of consumption can be problematic.

Stress, Anxiety, Alcohol and Coronavirus

by Dan Regan | Oct 14, 2020 | Excessive Drinking and Binge Drinking

Stress, Anxiety, Alcohol and Coronavirus:

Covid-19 and the impacts from it have impacted upon all us in many ways. With lockdowns and local restrictions (such as the three tier approach), all of us have had to adapt and make changes to our behaviours. There are some things that we are prohibited from doing, some that are allowed but are now set up differently to how they used to be, and all of us need to be vigilant and mindful of social distancing, wearing masks and hand washing.

As I’ve written about before, there is a wealth of evidence about how coronavirus has impacted upon our mental health, particularly anxiety, stress and worry. As well as the general fears and anxiety about jobs, money, education, restricted social interaction and so on, there is also the fear of contracting the coronavirus and the potential health and other consequences that could come from this (coronaphobia).

One thing that many clients, particularly those with anxiety, have told me about is their increase in alcohol drinking. Of course, many people use alcohol to unwind and relax and over the last ten years I’ve helped many people who struggled with binge drinking or excessive drinking to take back control over their alcohol use. Yet it does seem that many people, through this coronavirus pandemic, may have been drinking more to help them to deal with things and to try and physically and mentally escape and relax.

Whilst in my younger (not so long ago…!) days I used to drink a bit, but these days I rarely have any alcohol. I find it makes me feel rough and lethargic the next day, and it’s not nice trying to get up at 5.30am for bootcamp or a run as it is!

So beyond the number of people telling me of their anxiety and alcohol use during the coronavirus pandemic, what does the science tell us about it?

Binge Drinking – the next day impact of heavy alcohol drinking

by Dan Regan | Sep 20, 2018 | Excessive Drinking and Binge Drinking

Binge Drinking – the next day impact of heavy alcohol drinking:

Next month marks the annual ‘Go Sober For October’ campaign where thousands of people quit alcohol for the entire month to raise money for MacMillan cancer support (an awesome charity by the way).

And let’s be honest, it really should be relatively straight forward to not need alcohol for a few weeks shouldn’t it? Whether you are taking part in ‘Go Sober For October’ or have just made the decision to cut down your alcohol consumption, you are likely to benefit from sleeping better, feeling more energised and just feeling healthier (as well as saving a fortune that you would have spent on booze). And there’s the added benefit of no hangovers (along with those hangover promises you make to yourself about how you’ll never drink excessively again….).

Some recent research has looked at the impact on the next day effects of heavy drinking and how it impacts on your thoughts and performance.

Control your Binge Drinking

by Dan Regan | Jan 13, 2016 | Excessive Drinking and Binge Drinking

Do you need help to curtail your binge drinking? Are you unable to stop and continue until the last drop is gone?

Recently I was chatting with a client who had come to see me about binge drinking. I’ve been helping him to end his binge drinking and take control over alcohol.

And with the recent new UK guidelines on safe alcohol limits, now may be a good time to take control over your drinking so that you no longer need alcohol as a crutch or a habit you can’t do without.

So what are the first steps you can take to start controlling your binge drinking?

Has Alcohol Become Your Crutch?

by Dan Regan | Jul 18, 2014 | Excessive Drinking and Binge Drinking

Many of my clients, when they first come to see me, use alcohol as an external method of trying to control bad feelings – they feel anxious so have a drink to relax and try and calm their thoughts, they drink a few before meeting up with friends to feel more confident, they need a drink at the end of the working day to unwind and so on.

The problem comes when it isn’t possible to not have a drink, their health starts to suffer, they start forgetting parts of the evening or they find they can no longer go without a drink.

If you want to break this cycle then here are a few starters:

Has your excessive drinking become a problem?

by Dan Regan | Aug 30, 2011 | Excessive Drinking and Binge Drinking

Is excessive drinking or binge drinking causing you problems? Maybe it’s affecting your relationships, health or career or maybe you know that the drinking has become a way to escape your feelings or you think you need it to switch off and relax.

Most people enjoy the occasional drink, whether it’s a social thing, when enjoying a nice meal or to unwind. However, when you start to rely on alcohol every day or you binge because you can’t stop yourself then you need to find a way to regain your control over your drinking.

Ending Binge Drinking

Recently I was visited by a client who would binge drink on a Friday and Saturday night. He would often have the best intentions of stopping after a couple but somehow that point came and went as he drank more and more. He would often

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