What causes binge-drinking? It may have nothing to do with alcohol.

Sometimes a coaching client will express to me a concern that they have about their drinking. The story is not usually one of a need to drink alcohol every day. There is no hint, either, of a desire to drink in the morning or afternoon. The typical cry is that they sometimes find themselves almost irresistibly drawn to alcohol, and perhaps a lot of it, whilst on other days, sometimes the majority of them, they don’t even think about alcohol. In fact, last week, I had a coaching client tell me just this sort of story.

This ‘on and off’ pattern of drinking is not really the pattern of someone who is dependent on alcohol or who has an ‘alcohol problem’, per se. So, what is going on?

In my experience, one or both of two factors is almost always at play here.

1.     Thirst

As the day goes on, those who do not maintain their hydration particularly well can simply end up thirsty. I’ve found that, as a general rule, once someone is thirsty, their preference is to slake their thirst with practically anything other than water.

If, for example, someone comes home in a somewhat parched state and there is some cold beer in the fridge, then this may well be what they default to. The same would be true if they ventured into a bar or pub.

Some years ago, I was talking to a friend about his tendency to neck a pint or two of beer after returning from work. I suggested that, as an experiment, he keep bottles of water in his car and make a conscious effort to drink this on the hour-long drive back from work. Just this tactic eliminated the beer habit overnight. I’ve seen a similar approach work for many people over the years.

2.     Hunger

When people get hungry, and particularly when blood sugar levels drop, there’s a natural tendency for the body to ‘crave’ something that will replenish sugar relatively quickly into the bloodstream. Gin and tonics, white wines, beer and cider can all fit the bill here.

If someone allows themselves to get a bit too hungry, then some crackers or crisps may appear suddenly irresistible, but then so may an alcoholic beverage. But the real desire here is not necessarily for alcohol, but for the sugar that comes with it. Consistent with this is my observation that many find converting to, say a non-alcohol beer or G+T made with a non-alcoholic gin as satisfying as the alcohol-fuelled version.

So, if you sometimes find yourself experiencing a strong yen for alcohol at the end of the day (and perhaps a tendency to drink it a little too much too quickly), perhaps consider whether the issue here is hunger and/or thirst. I have found that dealing with these issues ahead of time (proper hydration and perhaps a snack of some nuts in the late afternoon) is often all it takes for someone to drink alcohol in a much more controlled way, or not want to drink at all.