Alcohol & Health
Treatment
Helping Alcoholics
In this article
Medically Reviewed by Annamarie Coy, BA, ICPR, MATS
What’s considered heavy drinking depends on the amount of alcohol consumed weekly.
Determining how much alcohol is too much is challenging because it affects people differently.
Generally, for men, 15 or more drinks is considered heavy drinking. However, the number is lower for women (8 or more drinks).
Other factors such as age, genetics, the type of drink, and health status play a role in determining if someone drinks too much alcohol or not.
If your loved one is drinking too much, there are noticeable signs to watch out for. They include the following:
Intoxication is the most obvious sign that someone has been drinking too much.
Alcohol intoxication means that someone has a high blood alcohol concentration or BAC.1
The higher the BAC, the more likely you'll notice signs of impairment. These include:
If your loved one becomes sick often as a result of drinking, there might be more to it. They may constantly be drinking and have high blood alcohol levels. They may also pass out, vomit, or appear confused. These are all signs of alcohol intoxication.
Someone who drinks in moderation (1 to 2 drinks a day) is less likely to experience hangovers.
If you notice your loved one nursing a hangover in the morning, they have been drinking too much.
Although the signs vary from person to person, common symptoms of alcohol hangovers include:2
Alcohol misuse leads to tolerance. If your loved one is drinking more than their usual amount, they may have developed tolerance.
In this case, you'll notice that your loved one drinks more alcohol than they intend to. They may also drink faster than they did before.
Although drinking more than usual may not directly signify alcoholism, it always starts with drinking too much alcohol too fast.
It's normal to have mild withdrawal symptoms such as a slight headache, nausea, or thirst.
If your loved one is experiencing prolonged or severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms, it means they've been drinking too much.
Severe symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include:
Those who drink too much regularly often experience temporary blackouts or memory loss.3 Even worse, permanent memory loss or dementia may occur.
If your loved one drinks too much, you may notice they have trouble remembering things.
For example, they may find it hard to recall new people they met, what they ate, or what time they went to bed the previous night.
If your loved one has alcohol stashed away somewhere, it means they are misusing it.
Most drug users hide their drug of choice away so that they can use it secretly throughout the day.
Someone who drinks too much alcohol may tend to defend their drinking behavior.
If you confront a loved one about their new drinking habits, and they don't acknowledge the problem, it means they are addicted.
In this case, they need professional help and guidance to overcome the addiction.
Drinking alcohol is associated with serious health consequences such as liver, brain, and kidney damage.
If your loved one is diagnosed with an alcohol-related health condition, it means they have been drinking too much.
Continued drinking after organ damage can be fatal.
Your loved one may be taking too much alcohol if they start missing work regularly to drink.
In most cases, they'll call in to stay at home drinking or attend an event where alcohol is present.
They may also prioritize drinking above family obligations, relationships, and other chores.
Alcohol has been associated with poor decision-making and poor spending habits.4
Someone with a drinking problem is likely to spend most of their money on alcohol and related pleasures.
This behavior can drain finances and is usually noticeable.
Drinking alone may indicate a problem. Your loved one may have depression, and they're drinking as a coping strategy.
Although drinking alone does not translate to excessive drinking, it’s a recipe for one.
Drinking too much alcohol over time may alter the normal function of brain parts associated with pleasure, judgment, and self-control.5
This can lead to a desire for alcohol in order to restore positive feelings or alleviate bad ones. Sadly, the end result of this is an alcohol use disorder (AUD), also called alcoholism.
The following are signs of alcohol use disorder:
A few risk factors for alcohol use disorder (alcoholism) include:
An overdose occurs when your blood is flooded with alcohol.
However, the amount of alcohol that can lead to an overdose differs from person to person. This is due to secondary factors such as sex, age, type of alcohol, and health status.
Generally, blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 and 0.40 percent is considered dangerous.6
If your BAC is within this range, you're likely to experience severe intoxication and possibly an overdose.
Signs of alcohol overdose include:7
It's important to know the warning signs of alcohol intoxication. If you believe someone is experiencing a severe alcohol overdose, seek emergency treatment right away.
The first step to helping out a friend with AUD is by getting them to accept the problem.
Once they have accepted, you can introduce them to the idea of addiction treatment.
There are many inpatient and outpatient recovery centers across the country with qualified therapists. They also have a set of state-of-the-art programs to support recovery.
Below are some treatment options for alcoholism:
Note: Treatment for alcoholism is a continuous process. Don't think your job is done after your friend or family member has gone to treatment. Providing support, be it financial, social, or moral, can go a long way.
In this article
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