Risky and High Risk Drinking

As the medical community continues to move forward with new studies and research, the general understanding of alcohol-related issues has become increasingly more complex.  With the wealth of information available today, it has become clear that alcohol abuse isn't exactly alcoholism and drinking can be categorized to assess risk factors for future alcohol-related problems.  The subtle differences and similarities between the various terms can complicate the overall understanding of alcohol issues as a whole.  Some terms are defined by a psychological element, while others are determined by specific actions that lead to negative outcomes. Risky drinking, otherwise known as high-risk drinking, is not determined by actions or mental state, but rather it's defined by consumption alone.  Today, it's critical to address whether or not a person is a risky drinker because it's a viable gateway toward severe problematic consequences down the road.

A risky drinker is determined by the amount of alcohol consumed and the rate of which it's consumed.  Daily, regular drinking has been a socially accepted behavior for years.  Generally, it was believed that as long individuals didn't develop into alcoholics, that frequent, regular drinking was safe. However, with the onset of new data and research, there is a deeper understanding of what makes an alcoholic or alcohol abuser, and with this new information drinking behaviors that lead to alcohol abuse, such as risky drinking, have become more important.   In fact, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism conducted studies to assess which drinking behaviors place an individual at high-risk or low-risk for future alcohol related problems.

Determining factors of alcohol volume and frequency are different for men and women.  According to NIAAA research, a man is still considered a low-risk drinker if he consumes less than 14 standard-size drinks a week and no more than 4 drinks on any single day.  A standard-sized drink is 0.6 fluid ounces of alcohol which translates to 1.2 tablespoons of pure alcohol.  To better understand what a standard-sized drink is, the following are accepted examples of the size.

12 oz beer
 
5 oz glass of wine
 
1.5 oz of whisky, gin, vodka and other spirits
 
8-9 oz of malt liquor
If men are consuming more than the provided low-risk guidelines, than their consumption and frequency has crossed into the high-risk category.

When determining risk factors for women, data revealed that a lower volume of alcohol was required for the high-risk category.  The NIAAA concluded that in order for women to remain at low-risk, they could drink no more than 3 standard drinks in a single day and a maximum of 7 drinks in a week.

Because our treatment center relies on evidence based practices, our Substance Abuse Intensive Outpatient Program shares many common methods with other successful rehab programs.  The foundations of our treatment program for substance abuse also rely on the principles of harm reduction, motivational interviewing, stages of change and cognitive behavioral therapy to promote recovery from alcohol abuse and drug treatment.  In fact, our Intensive Outpatient Program in Memphis, TN that has been proven to be effective in the treatment of alcohol abuse and drug treatment in peer reviewed treatment outcome studies.   Our treatment center  provides services to those who need more treatment than one hour a week, but less than 24 hour care, by providing three hours of treatment per day, three to five days per week, in an intensive outpatient setting.  If you or a loved one is showing signs of alcohol abuse or needs drug treatment rehab, they should be assessed by a trained mental health professional who can help design a treatment plan that can result in recovery.  Substance abuse treatment can be highly successful.  Call us at 901-682-6136 to schedule an appointment.