How Much Drinking Is Too Much?

A common question for people to ask is, you know, how much drinking is too much? What's the uh dividing line between social, recreational, or so-called moderate drinking and problem drinking or alcohol abuse? There is not a very clear dividing line between the two. I

can say in the most general terms that alcohol use, that is drinking becomes a problem when you're drinking, your alcohol consumption is creating difficulties in important areas of your life. Whether that means it's creating conflict in your relationships, conflict in your social life in some way, it's starting to affect your physical health. That is your energy level, your alertness, your concentration, your motivation, your focus on certain important tasks related to your career or your job. It's starting to change uh

your mood uh in a negative direction. That is, you're starting to feel down. You may not be profoundly depressed, but you're not as sort of upbeat and positive or optimistic than you were before. Whatever important areas of your

life are starting to change as a result of your alcohol use are important to identify because that's the dividing line between drinking for fun, drinking for pleasure, drinking to enhance a positive experience versus using alcohol as a coping tool. When you're using alcohol as self-medication, as a coping tool to anesthetize or get rid of feelings that you finding uncomfortable or disquing, that's a very different use of alcohol. Alcohol takes on a different function and different meaning than using alcohol to have more fun, to enjoy a positive experience. If you're having

some drinks together with friends at dinner and having a good time, laughing, enjoying their company, that's one thing. If you're drinking to the point where you uh say things you regret that you said, you may embarrass yourself or, you know, fall asleep in the middle of, you know, pass out in the middle of an important event, watching a movie or a ball game with other people or you're drinking to the point where you're socially isolated. You feel less like spending time with people. So, it's not

being used as a a social enhancer. It's actually degrading your social experience. That's how you know it's become a problem. So if you can ask

yourself uh the question and and be honest with yourself, don't give yourself the benefit of the doubt. Is out my alcohol use helping me or hurting me? Is it enhancing my life in some way, making things better, or is it causing me problems and degrading some important aspect of my