Does Denver have a drinking problem? And (more importantly) how do you know if you have a drinking problem?
Denver’s Department of Public Health recently released a report stating that one in four Denver residents regularly binge drinks (27 percent to be exact). Further, the report compared Denver’s numbers to other Western cities of comparable size, and Denver beats them at drinking, hands-down.
Now, it’s important to take these stats in context. Colorado has more law liquor laws than most other Western states (looking at you Utah!). Colorado also has very low taxes on alcohol. So that could be a contributing factor. Also, Denver has a large population of young people age 18-34, and those folks are the ones who are most prone to Binge Drinking according to the CDC.
Binge drinking is defined as drinking enough to bring your Blood Alcohol Level to 0.08% or above. Or, put another way:
- 5 or more drinks in two hours for men
- 4 or more drinks in two hours for women
To many people, this just looks like a Saturday night. But Binge Drinking does have health consequences and real-life consequences. More importantly, when people Binge-drink regularly they are at risk of becoming dependent on alcohol and using alcohol to numb emotions, reduce anxiety, distract from depression, and connect with others.
Do I Have a Drinking Problem?
For anyone that drinks, it’s normal to ask this question. It’s such a great strength to be self-reflective about our behaviors, habits, and motivations. Alcohol is normalized in our culture, and moderate drinking is usually harmless. However, it’s good to be curious about how much we drink, how we drink, and why we’re drinking in the first place.
When I’m working with counseling clients and assessing for a drinking problem, there’s very rarely a black-and-white answer. Of course, in some cases of very frequent drinking (and large volumes), it’s easy to see.
More often, however, there’s a gray area around drinking and we need to dive a bit deeper. Here’s what I look at to evaluate for a true drinking problem.
How Much am I Drinking? Is It Too Much?
The official guidelines come from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism:
For women, low-risk drinking is defined as no more than 3 drinks on any single day and no more than 7 drinks per week. For men, it is defined as no more than 4 drinks on any single day and no more than 14 drinks per week. NIAAA research shows that only about 2 in 100 people who drink within these limits have AUD (Alcohol Use Disorder).
So that’s a good guideline to begin the conversation. If you’re bumping up to these limits, it’s a good idea to dive a bit deeper. Even if you’re drinking in the ‘low-risk’ category there are other considerations around alcohol to look at.
Am I Doing Things I Shouldn’t When I Drink?
Here is where it usually gets real, really quick. Alcohol lowers our inhibitions, which can be harmless (breaking out your dance moves at a wedding) or problematic (that text you should not have sent, dropping the ball at work, picking fights, falling and hurting yourself, the list can go on).
The part of the brain (the Prefrontal Cortex) that puts the breaks on our impulses takes a bit of a vacation once we have enough alcohol. This is the ‘braking system’ that might stop us to consider hurtful words before we say (or type) them, stop us from walking home late at night instead of getting an Uber, or gives us pause before shouting at our best friend.
This is often the biggest wake-up call for people with a drinking problem. This is where alcohol has big effects on our lives, health, relationships, or careers.
If you can point to a handful of these things, it’s worth your while to take a look at alcohol and if it’s leading to some negative consequences for you.
Is Alcohol My Coping Mechanism?
As a therapist, I live and breathe coping tools. My clients will often roll their eyes a bit at me and say something like “I know, I know, there’s a coping tool for this right?”
You’re darn right there is.
Alcohol is a coping mechanism, too. And it does work beautifully for certain things. It can numb emotions, reduce stress (temporarily), and allow us to connect with others, especially is we have Social Anxiety. It’s called ‘liquid courage’ for a reason.
However, relying on alcohol to manage difficult feelings or thoughts, or do the heavy lifting of meeting new friends or romantic partners, leads down a road of dependence.
Even more importantly, if you’re using alcohol for your coping tool, you’re not practicing other coping tools. Other tools that are infinitely healthier and versatile. Alcohol can also mask an underlying mental health issue and prevent you from getting actual, real treatment for the root causes of anxiety, depression, loneliness, social anxiety, or chronic stress.
What’s My Intention with Drinking (Connection or Running Away)?
Another really important thing to consider when you’re look at drinking is your intention while you’re drinking. I frame it this way with clients: Is the drinking about connection, or about disconnection or running away?
When we’re drinking in a mindful way, we’re looking to connect with something this usually leads to low-risk, moderate and honestly enjoyable drinking. You could want to connect with someone else (social drinking), connect with a hobby (like wine or homebrewing), or just connecting with the taste of alcohol that you savor.
When we’re drinking in a more disconnected way, it’s all about the escape. We want to escape from an internal feeling (like anxiety or stress), or escape from a situation we find ourselves in but can’t cope with in a different way (like being stuck in the house with a tantruming toddler). Instead of being able to accept and be with difficult thoughts, feelings, and situations, we seek out alcohol as an escape.
If we’re drinking in this disconnected way and seeking escape, it does tend to lead to more problem drinking. Moreover, our general distress tolerance goes down over time as we reach for a drink every time we bump up against something hard. Like a muscles, our healthy coping tools become weak if we don’t use them. In a sense, alcohol just makes it too easy and we float through life. We don’t work at and develop things like resilience, effective communication, self-soothing skills, grit, self-regulation, and acceptance.
If I’m Concerned About My Drinking, What Should I Do?
First thing to do is don’t panic. Congratulate yourself for allowing this concern to come up to the surface. It shows that you’re being mature and self-reflective. You don’t need to throw away all your booze right away, or label yourself an alcoholic. You do want to continue being curious.
A next good step is to talk to your doctor or a counselor about your concerns and questions. They won’t judge or jump to conclusions. Our job is to create a safe space to ask the hard questions and explore. Whatever you decide about your own alcohol use, it’s important that is comes from a place of non-judgement, curiosity, and clarity. A trusted doctor or counselor can get you there.