Rethinking Alcohol: Can Heavy Drinkers Learn To Cut Back? : Shots Health News : NPR

In some studies, the term “moderate drinking” refers to less than 1 drink per day, while in others it means 3-4 drinks per day. Exactly what constitutes “a drink” is also fairly fluid. In fact, even among alcohol researchers, there’s no universally accepted standard drink definition. They looked at the standard model of research for moderate drinking studies – dividing people into never drinkers, moderate drinkers, can you moderate your drinking and heavy drinkers – and found that moderate drinkers were the healthiest of the bunch. They added in a much more rigorous control for socio-economic status, which meant that they eliminated many of the issues that most of these studies face, and the beneficial effects of moderate drinking disappeared completely. Some studies have found a protective effect with low to moderate levels of alcohol on overall health.

The benefits and risks of moderate drinking change over a lifetime. In general, risks exceed benefits until middle age, when cardiovascular disease begins to account for an increasingly large share of the burden of disease and death.

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Be sure to check with your doctor about what’s right for your health and safety. Keep in mind that even moderate alcohol use isn’t risk-free. For example, even light drinkers have a tiny, but real, increased risk of some cancers, such as esophageal cancer. Questionnaires using the graduated frequency approach consistently produce higher estimates of volume of alcohol consumption than do QF measures, particularly among heavier drinkers. One of the reasons underlying higher estimates with graduated frequency measures is that such measures generally involve more questions than do simple QF measures, particularly for heavier drinkers. Survey researchers have discovered that more questions may lead to higher consumption estimates, which are generally considered to be more accurate. Finally, distilled spirits exhibit a wide range in terms of alcohol concentration.

The second is that once they do in fact stop, they will drink again. The psychosocial epidemiology perspective holds that distinct psychiatric disorders, including alcohol-use disorders, are merely different manifestations of common etiological factors, particularly social stress. Psychosocial epidemiologists commonly rely on the psychometric tradition of psychology, wherein researchers depend on self-reports from subjects who answer multiple-choice questionnaires .

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Instead, go neat or mix with water, soda water, or opt for a glass of wine. The seven tips below can help you not only maintain healthier habits, but can also help you make choices that will reduce caloric intake and the risk of developing serious illnesses down the road. The sixth post discusses how to deal when your efforts to moderate your drinking aren’t working. You don’t need to have a ‘rock bottom’ to seek treatment and community. Connecting with medical professionals and a peer support network can give you the tools to reach your goals, and set you up for long-term success. It seems simple, but you’re likely to drink at a higher rate if your social activities revolve around alcohol. Come up with alcohol-free alternatives, like taking a walk to catch up or meeting for coffee instead of cocktails.

Researchers have developed several definitions of hazardous drinking, such as consumption of five or more drinks on one drinking occasion or being intoxicated more than a certain number of times in a given time period. Few studies, however, have compared the ability of those various definitions to predict alcohol-related outcomes or their usefulness in shaping public health policy. In recent years, the alcoholic beverage market has become even more diversified.

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In other situations, constant peer pressure to drink can be a cue to exit a situation early, and a sign that you should reevaluate who you’re hanging out with, or where you’re getting together. A “no” can also be communicated as an “instead of.” Instead of hanging out at a bar, why not take up another type of social activity? It allows you to define what you value from relationships with others, while you’re adjusting your relationship with alcohol.

• Follow-up studies as long as 8 years showed that the people who were most successful in maintaining moderate problem-free drinking were those with less severe alcohol problems at the start.
• The problem is that moderate drinking isn’t an isolated behaviour.
• “I feel I’m in the driver’s seat again,” Dierker says.
• This also helps you become more mindful of your drinking.

In her case, after about a year and a half of experimenting with moderation she realized that she wanted to quit drinking entirely. There are also support groups such as Moderation Management, which aims to help drinkers who are trying to cut back.

Survey Methodology

These medications minimize the endorphin release in the brain that usually accompanies drinking. Because this makes drinking less pleasurable, https://ecosoberhouse.com/ people are less likely to crave alcohol. With the Sinclair Method, Revia or Vivitrol must be taken one hour before drinking alcohol.

• If a connection is what you’re after, choose an environment where your mood or personality isn’t altered by heavy drinking.
• You may decide that abstaining from alcohol is the best course of action for you, or you may decide that being able to drink in moderation is a realistic long-term goal.
• Elderly should limit alcohol intake because their bodies process alcohol differently.
• Drinks served in this fashion are meant to be sipped slowly, not chugged.
• Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance plans must cover alcohol misuse screening and counseling.