Weekend Alcoholics: These Are Their Characteristics
On most occasions, when we talk about behavioral problems associated with alcohol consumption, we automatically think of the image of a person who has developed all the typical characteristics of addiction: financial hardship due to not being able to maintain a lifestyle based on dependence and drunkenness, withdrawal syndrome that appears a few hours after drinking, impulsiveness and a predisposition to hostility, physical health problems caused by the wear and tear of organs, etc.
These types of alterations, although they are very severe and unfortunately widespread among the population, do not include all the reasons why alcohol consumption can give rise to dysfunctional and very harmful behavioral patterns. For example, there is a profile of a drinker who, despite having developed a problem with alcohol, is not aware of it and assumes that it is just another aspect of their lifestyle, because they have not developed the signs and symptoms of dependence. nor does he suffer withdrawal. It’s about the weekend alcoholics who in many cases never taste a drop from Monday to Thursday.
In Western societies, a series of cultural elements have been established that They link the idea of “adult leisure” with alcohol consumption The fact of drinking products such as beer, tequila, and mixed drinks of rum, gin or vodka is completely normalized in the world of nightlife, to the point that it is assumed that venues that offer places to meet always make their income mainly in this way.
These types of dynamics have several causes, and part of them have to do with marketing maneuvers by an industry that moves an enormous amount of money internationally every year. Be that as it may, today it is a fact that it exists a difference in the perception of alcohol compared to other drugs with health effects of the same or even less level of severity.
In this context, it is not surprising that there are those who are “weekend alcoholics.” These are generally young people, but they can be of practically any age group, and they cannot conceive the idea of spending their free time on Friday, Saturday and/or Sunday without drinking a drop of alcohol. The kind of leisure rituals that lead them to drink on the weekends are so internalized in their way of thinking that, even if they have not yet developed a chemical addiction to this drug, they feel bad if they do not drink on those days, and /or they have developed a very dysfunctional way of drinking from Friday to Sunday because they get too involved in that experience. And that, of course, has implications for your health and quality of life.
Two different ways to address this health problem
There are mainly two ways in which a person can become a weekend alcoholic; let’s see them.
Epsilon type alcoholism
Epsilon type alcoholism occurs in those people who, although they do not feel the need to drink alcohol and can allow themselves to go months without doing so, when they begin to consume alcoholic beverages they lose control, reaching very high states of intoxication or even losing consciousness ( with the danger of falling into an alcohol coma).
That is to say, in these cases the addiction has not established itself in the functioning of their brain and their nervous system does not suffer an imbalance when the days go by and they do not drink alcohol (something that in truly addicted people generates the famous syndrome of abstinence), but At specific times when drinking, the problem suddenly appears breaking into the person’s health and destroying everything.
Alcoholism due to social pressure
There are people who, although they have certain resources to moderate their alcohol consumption once they have started drinking (unlike those with Epsilon type alcoholism), feel very bad if they arrive at the weekend and, being accompanied by other people who are They party, they don’t drink like them.
In cases like this, a chemical addiction to alcohol has not established itself in the functioning of their brain, but social pressure makes the individual feel pushed again and again to drink alcoholic products The idea of not doing so raises the fear of rejection by others, and can even produce the effect of not liking oneself, not being “adult” or “strong” enough to try that type of thing. substances. But in addition, as these people feel that they do not fully enjoy alcohol, a false confidence usually arises in them in their ability to avoid the appearance of chemical addiction… without realizing that addictive disorders often consolidate not from the momentary pleasure, but from the avoidance of discomfort.
Are you looking for professional support to overcome alcoholism?
Whatever type of weekend alcoholism a person suffers from, they should seek professional help urgently to avoid psychological and medical problems before alcoholism worsens.
If you are looking for treatment for alcoholism, contact us. In CITA Clinics We specialize in addictive disorders and pathologies associated with the consumption of psychoactive substances, and we serve people of all ages, both through outpatient care and through comprehensive treatment through admission to our patient module, fully equipped and Located in a quiet place and surrounded by nature. You can find us in Barcelona and in Dosrius (Mataró).
