Wednesday September 24, 2008
British researchers have studied the social and psychological characteristics of drinkers who regularly consume twice the recommended amount of alcohol and have identified nine types of heavy drinkers. The U.K. Department of Health hopes to use the information to target public health campaigns at those who are drinking at risky levels.
According to the British National Health Service, alcohol-related illnesses cost the government about $5 billion a year in healthcare expenses.
"This will be a tough one to crack," a spokesperson told Lucy Cockcroft in a report for The Telegraph. "Research found many positive associations with alcohol among the general public - even more so among those drinking at higher-risk levels. For these people alcohol is embedded in their identity and lifestyle: so much so that challenging this behavior results in high levels of defensiveness, rejection or even outright denial."
Nine Types of Binge Drinkers
According to The Telegraph, these are the nine personality types of heavy drinkers:
De-Stress Drinkers use alcohol to regain control of life and calm down. They include middle-class women and men.
Conformist Drinkers are driven by the need to belong and seek a structure to their lives. They are typically men aged 45 to 59 in clerical or manual jobs.
Boredom Drinkers consume alcohol to pass the time, seeking stimulation to relieve the monotony of life. Alcohol helps them to feel comforted and secure.
Depressed Drinkers may be of any age, gender or socioeconomic group. They crave comfort, safety and security.
Re-Bonding Drinkers are driven by a need to keep in touch with people who are close to them.
Community Drinkers are motivated by the need to belong. They are usually lower middle class men and women who drink in large friendship groups.
Hedonistic Drinkers crave stimulation and want to abandon control. They are often divorced people with grown-up children, who want to stand out from the crowd.
Macho Drinkers spend most of their spare time in pubs. They are mostly men of all ages who want to stand out from the crowd.
Border Dependents regard the pub as a home from home. They visit it during the day and the evening, on weekdays and at weekends, drinking fast and often.
What is your opinion? Do you know of any other types of heavy drinkers?
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The above is interesting food for thought. Were you/are you a binge drinker? If so, which category do you fit into?
Eve11
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