Question:  I’m a 32 year-old woman and I’m starting to worry about the way I drink. If I go out I can easily drink 10-15 glasses of beer.  I have never exactly had what you might call problems with this, but there has been a change during the past six months.  I get drunk much faster and more extremely, my limits disappear - which used not to be the case, I feel sick afterwards (vomiting, bile) and regularly have to cope with memory problems (once even blackout). It seems that I am no longer 'normal' enough to drink. As if my body no longer accepts it. I don’t drink a drop at home (not even with meals) and don’t even feel the need, but when I go to the pub I seem to lose all control. Is there an explanation why I now react so differently to alcohol than I did a while ago?  Would you regard my drinking as addiction?

Answer: You are right to be concerned about your drinking. Regularly drinking 10 to 15 beers in one session (this is called ‘binge drinking’) cannot be kept up without physical damage. It is better to drink two glasses of beer a day than 14 glasses of beer one after the other. Regular excessive drinking brings habituation, which explains why you become drunk faster and more extremely. Excessive alcohol consumption can damage the liver (fatty degeneration of the liver). This can disappear if you stop drinking. If you carry on drinking regardless this may lead to an irreversible cirrhosis of the liver. Memory problems indicate that your brain also runs the risk of being damaged.

Addiction is recognized if you suffer withdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking. If this is not the case, it should be possible for you to reduce your drinking without too much trouble. Consulting your family doctor is certainly recommended.

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