When researchers asked 619 college students to keep a diary of drinking episodes for their first seven semesters of college, the results revealed an interesting correlation. The tendency to have a day drink was more common for students characterized as heavy drinkers. Even more interesting, approximately half of the students recorded at least one daytime drinking episode.
Daytime drinking is an umbrella term that covers any occasion that involves drinking alcoholic beverages during daytime hours. In the 1700s, it was common for adults to incorporate drinking into daily life, often starting with breakfast. Today, it’s more associated with social events like happy hour and tailgating parties or special occasions like weddings and holidays.
College students aren’t the only ones enjoying a drink or two before dinnertime. Adults of all ages are imbibing as well, but is it a bad thing? Let’s take a look at what’s on the line when you decide to have a day drink.
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When is Day Drinking Considered Problematic?
Determining if daytime drinking is a problem often comes down to identifying patterns in behavior. If you enjoy the occasional day drink with friends, it’s not likely to cause problems in your life. It may even increase your enjoyment of life and lead to cherished memories with friends and loved ones.
As you decide to have a day drink more often, you push into the gray area and eventually into the red zone where there are real and severe consequences. This is when occasional day drinking turns into habitual day drinking. The more alcohol you consume during the day, the more likely you are to notice a negative impact on your career, personal relationships, and overall health.
How do you know if your tendency to have a day drink has crossed into that red zone? Start by determining how many of the following signs of alcohol misuse apply to you.
- Using alcohol as a coping mechanism
- Drinking alone
- Continuous use despite negative consequences
- Choosing alcohol over responsibilities
- Unsuccessful attempts to cut back or quit drinking
- Elevating tolerance – needing more and more to achieve desirable effects
If one or more of those signs apply to you or a loved one, chances are high that drinking is becoming problematic. In many cases, increased daytime drinking alone is a sign of a problem that can negatively impact daily life and health. Someone who normally only drinks after hours or on weekends may start drinking more during the day as they become dependent on alcohol.
Checking in with Yourself
Oftentimes, acknowledging problematic drinking comes down to a moment of self-reflection. You may realize that you don’t like who you become when you drink during the day—or drink too much at any time of day. Maybe you have made some bad choices while day drinking that you later regretted. Perhaps drinking during the day is negatively impacting your relationships or threatening your job.
Spend a few moments reflecting on your day-drinking experiences. Do you get a happy, joyful feeling when you think about these encounters? Or do you notice tension in your body and regrets in your mind?
Potential Risks of Day Drinking
As daytime drinking becomes more habitual than occasional, you assume some short- and long-term risks. These risks are associated with heavy drinking in general, but remember that day drinking has a strong connection to heavy drinking. We discussed that connection in relation to college students, but studies have shown that it’s true for other populations as well.
Short-Term Risks
- Impaired judgement
- Reduced inhibitions
- Reduced productivity
- Increased risk for accidents
- Potential memory lapses
- Reduced concentration or focus
- Poor body coordination and balance
Long-Term Risks
- Increased tolerance
- Dependency
- Increased risk for serious health concerns
- High blood pressure (heart disease)
- Family and relationship disruptions
- Financial insecurity
- Difficulty maintaining stable employment
Alcohol impacts every part of the body from the brain and heart to the liver, pancreas, and immune system. It doesn’t take as much alcohol as you may think to do significant damage to these critical body parts.
One study found that increasing from one drink a day to two is enough to reduce the size of your brain and age your body by two years. The more you choose to have a day drink, the more likely you are to reach that two-a-day limit or even surpass it on a regular basis.
Cultural Norms vs. Health Impacts
By this point, you’ve considered the short- and long-term risks of day drinking and have perhaps taken a moment to reflect on your personal experiences. You may know that drinking during the day is taking a toll on your quality of life and maybe even your physical or mental health. That may bring you to the dilemma of balancing your need for healthier drinking practices with the cultural norms all around you.
Daytime drinking is culturally accepted under certain circumstances. You may meet up with colleagues after work only to find everyone downing cheap happy-hour cocktails. The same goes for brunches, holiday parties, and a wide variety of social gatherings.
College students encounter daytime drinking at tailgate parties while adults may feel they’re expected to participate in celebratory toasts. Advertisements for alcoholic beverages feed into societal norms, making it seem like having a good time goes hand in hand with drinking.
Even the neighborhood in which you live can influence your drinking behaviors. Research has found that people living in neighborhoods with inferior building, housing, water, and sanitation conditions are 150% more likely to drink heavily than those living in better developed neighborhoods.
If your neighborhood gives you more opportunities to access alcohol, then you’re also more prone to heavy drinking. That extends to day drinking as well. If your profession, family expectations, or cultural practices expose you to more opportunities to have a day drink, you’re more likely to drink during the day. That opens you to a higher risk of heavy drinking and all of the associated consequences for your life and health.
It’s Okay to Go Against the Crowd
How do you avoid drinking to excess or having a day drink when everyone around you is doing it? It’s difficult, especially if you feel that declining a drink will have a negative impact on your social or professional life.
For instance, you may assume that refusing a toast with your boss after reaching a big milestone will translate as disrespect or disinterest. Maybe your social circle is so ingrained in alcoholic experiences that you fear you’ll no longer fit into the group if sobering up becomes your norm.
While these social and cultural pressures may feel suffocating, it’s important to set personal boundaries with alcohol. Your friends, colleagues, and family members won’t suffer the consequences of excessive drinking in your life. Only you will!
You have the power to determine if having a day drink is right for you under certain circumstances. The fact that “everyone is doing it” doesn’t erase the serious impact on your health, personal relationships, and career. Spend some time determining what is okay and not okay for you, and then stick to your own boundaries regardless of choices made by others.
If you’re thinking that’s much simpler to say than to practice, you may need some help establishing and living by personal alcohol boundaries. You don’t have to face it alone. Professionals are here to guide and support you each step of the way.
How to Recognize Problematic Drinking
Do you think day drinking is an occasional enjoyment or a habit in your life? If it’s more habitual or you struggle to pass up a drink regardless of the hour, chances are you’re misusing alcohol. It’s important to reach out for help because escaping a dependent relationship with alcohol on your own is incredibly difficult.
As you find yourself more and more unable to say no to alcohol, the task of controlling your intake may feel overwhelming. You may find yourself neglecting responsibilities in favor of daytime drinking all too often. Perhaps you aren’t feeling as energetic, focused, and motivated as you were before drinking became a daytime activity.
These are all signs that alcohol consumption has become a problem rather than an innocent enjoyment. Dependency is often associated with intense feelings of guilt, shame, and regret, but hiding the problem isn’t the solution.
How Long Island Interventions Can Help
Once you acknowledge that your urge to have a day drink is becoming all too frequent, it’s time to connect with experts who understand what you’re going through. Long Island Interventions offers valuable resources to help you evaluate your alcohol use and highlight unhealthy patterns. We provide support for anyone ready to cut back on alcoholic drinks or give it up entirely. Perhaps replacing that afternoon glass of wine with a refreshing seltzer or a glass of water.
Having the occasional day drink shouldn’t raise eyebrows. The problems begin when you start drinking more heavily and habitually, which often includes more frequent daytime drinks. As drinking becomes less manageable, you’re likely to start experiencing the consequences in your daily life. One of the many health benefits of reducing alcohol consumption can be improved cardiovascular health. This is often aided by drinking extra water throughout the day.
The faster you reach out to the compassionate team at Long Island Interventions, the faster you can regain control of your life. With our guidance and continued support, you can set personal alcohol boundaries and enforce them in your daily life.
If you’re ready to start managing your alcohol use successfully, contact Long Island Interventions. We’re ready to help you take the next step towards a healthy life.
Published on: 2024-12-29
Updated on: 2024-12-29
