5 Important Tips to Prevent Alcoholism

Most people drink alcohol to celebrate something or to release stress. But those who take a single drink a day can gradually start abusing alcohol, which can ultimately lead them to addiction. But the question is how to the alcohol abuse can be controlled and avoided? The obvious answer is to simply never drink at all. But it’s challenging, and it’s not the only method to prevent alcohol addiction.

Alcohol use disorder can lead to high healthcare costs, aggression and violence, and many other financial and social issues. Furthermore, if you are in the recovery of alcohol addiction, it’s necessary to avoid alcoholic drinks to maintain your sobriety. Here are some tips for drinking responsibly or even staying sober.

1. Know the Drinking Levels: How Much is Too Much

A standard drink has approximately 14 grams of pure alcohol. Five ounces of wine has 12% alcohol content while twelve ounces of beer contains almost 5% of alcohol content. On the other hand, whiskey, vodka, rum, and gin have 40% alcohol in 1.5 ounces, which is the highest content. The two broad levels of drinking are excessive drinking and moderate drinking.

Excessive drinking is further classified into heavy drinking and binge drinking. Binge drinking is one of the early signs of alcoholism. If women take 4 or more drinks and men take 5 or more drinks in a single occasion, that is binge drinking. Binge drinking and alcoholism have a strong positive correlation between them. Heavy drinking means fifteen or more drinks per week for men and eight or more drinks per week for women. However, moderate drinking is one drink per day.

Therefore, keep track of your alcohol consumption so that you don’t become an addict. If you are already an abuser, preventing the craving can be a challenge.

2. Recognize Triggers:

External and internal triggers such as times of day, people, places, and positive or negative emotions can cause you to crave alcohol. Recognizing these triggers can help you to avoid alcohol abuse. Move away from your triggers like certain places or change your company it has alcoholics.

3. Don’t Keep Alcohol at Home:

Easy access to alcohol increases the likelihood of alcoholism. Half-drunk bottles of wine and fully stocked liquor cabinets can set off your drinking triggers. Keep the alcoholic drinks out of your house when there is no social purpose. It’s a good idea to substitute with other drinks such as lemonade, soft drinks, tea or water.

4. Cut Down on the Number of Drinks:

Preventing alcoholism is a gradual process that requires time. You can start by cutting down on the drinks you consume per week or per day. Take water in between you drink to avoid alcohol poisoning. Moreover, seek the help of the best alcohol rehab center of Toronto at http://www.freedomaddiction.ca/. Freedom From Addiction is a drug and addiction rehab center that offers recovery homes with best treatment amenities for its clients.

5.Learn to Say No:

You may be bullied into drinking alcohol by your peers, and at times, fear of negative reaction or criticism from your friends or family keeps you from doing what is right. But remember, it's your responsibility to care for yourself, not theirs. If they don’t like the fact that you are not binge-drinking, then they are not your good friends. You have the right to say ‘No’ in situations where someone is convincing you to drink or take drugs. Just stay away from such people.