Managing Alcohol Use This Summer: What Is Too Much?

With changing seasons can also come changing daily routines. Each season can also have unique lifestyles or expectations associated with them. However, the seasons can also bring unique stresses and challenges, with alcohol use in summer being a common concern for many. Managing alcohol use this summer and identifying when professional residential alcohol treatment may be necessary to address signs of alcohol use disorder (AUD) can be difficult, but there are always options available. Whether an individual is continuing to commit to a life of sobriety or is managing alcohol use this summer to tend to personal health, identifying the stresses of the summer and employing dedicated strategies are necessary for a healthier approach to the season. 

Each season has unique challenges for an individual to overcome, especially while managing alcohol use or committing to a life of sustained sobriety. For some, winter can be the most challenging season, with dwindling hours of daylight, cold temperatures, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and more all being common. However, summertime comes with a plethora of unique challenges that can impact a person’s use of alcohol as well. Being aware of these potential challenges can empower each person to develop an effective plan for managing alcohol use this summer. 

While extended periods of daylight can be a great opportunity to engage in all kinds of seasonal activities or social events, they can also be challenging in many ways. The extended daylight can make days feel incredibly long and disrupt regular sleeping routines. An individual may feel as if they have to fill the days with more activities which can open them up to more situations to engage with alcohol. These longer days can also inform feelings of boredom, and alcohol use can be common to fill this time, setting a dangerous precedent. 

The summer season may also be associated with an increase in the social acceptance of alcohol use. Barbecues, parties, cookouts, and social gatherings are more common during this season, with many opportunities to get out of the house and meet up with other people. However, this also means that alcohol use can become a more common part of daily life, with social expectations further informing potentially dangerous alcohol use. 

This normalizing of alcohol use through more open drinking cultures can be difficult to identify, and many may not realize that their alcohol use has increased. Likewise, advertising for alcoholic beverages can further these expectations, with online advertisements, commercials, signage, and more depicting alcohol use also being more common. 

Those committed to a wholly sober lifestyle or who are continuing to further their recovery goals can experience a very challenging time during summer. Not only can each of these depictions and advertisements bring intense stress through urges and cravings but it can also cause an individual to romanticize their past use of alcohol, compromising some of their sober goals, resilience, and motivation to maintain sobriety. 

An individual may also feel ostracized from social events if they are not willing to drink during summer, making managing alcohol use difficult. As social events that allow or encourage alcohol use increase this summer, it is common to feel as if a person has to choose between their health and their social life, making the season even more difficult for those pursuing a sober life or exploring what a potential sober life may look like for them. 

Even if an individual is managing alcohol use or continuing to develop their sober life in recovery, the season itself may have cultures and memories closely tied to alcohol use. The summer feeling in the air can bring back challenging memories that can cause urges and cravings, further complicating the ability to manage alcohol use. 

Each person will have their own threshold for what is a healthy and unhealthy amount of alcohol. However, there is never any amount of alcohol that is completely “safe,” with even small amounts potentially being able to affect an individual in various negative ways. Likewise, alcohol is never “healthy,” and challenging these ideas is the first step to determining what exactly “too much” alcohol may mean for each individual. 

Each person will also have a unique relationship with alcohol. Comparing one’s use to the use of others can often leave many personal factors unaddressed. Just because someone else drinks more than oneself doesn’t mean that one’s relationship with alcohol is acceptable or manageable. Talking with a dedicated treatment professional at Hawaii Island Recovery can help each person explore this unique relationship and potentially address some difficult questions or realizations.

Counting the number of drinks a person has in a single sitting can be a common strategy for managing alcohol use. However, it can also be somewhat misleading. While this strategy can help an individual identify the financial side of addiction by tracking how much money is being spent on alcohol at a bar, it doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story or a person’s relationship with alcohol. 

Those counting drinks may ignore how alcohol may be affecting them in other ways, and can erroneously imply that there is a “safe” threshold to stay under. Not only can tolerance change from day to day depending on various factors, but this strategy also ignores the other personal impacts that are more important to address, such as attitudes, expectations, and even if alcohol is being used as a coping strategy.  

Tracking the reasons an individual may drink is also an important piece of information for determining what may indicate an unhealthy relationship with alcohol this summer. Using alcohol to process stress or noticing that an individual is beginning to expect a drink to wind down after a day or to cool off in the heat can all be signs that a person’s relationship with alcohol is changing. 

“Too much” alcohol can also be an ambiguous term. Not only can a person have a different level of tolerance from another, but what each person defines as “too much” can also vary. For some, “too much” means drinking to the point of passing out, while others may define it as feeling buzzed. How much is “too much” can also depend on the situation, making it even more ambiguous.

“Too much” drinking is always personal. Drinking more than intended, as well as more frequently than planned, or experiencing any unwanted effects of alcohol can all constitute “too much.” Consistently noticing an individual drinking more than planned, or engaging with alcohol more and more frequently, can all be signs that an individual would benefit from actively managing alcohol use this summer. 

Alcohol can have a myriad of effects on an individual, from their physical and mental health to their decision-making skills. Noticing an increase in risk-taking behaviors, especially surrounding alcohol use, can be a sign that professional treatment for managing alcohol use may be necessary. Drinking when alcohol is not necessarily accepted or actively detrimental, such as at work or on lunch breaks, or an increase in risk-taking behaviors such as assuming a person is “fine to drive” after any amount of alcohol can all indicate a need to begin managing alcohol use. 

Managing alcohol use in summer can be challenging, especially if an individual is using the stresses of summer to cover an increase in alcohol use or to justify an increase in their drinking. For some, this can mean not only attending more social functions where alcohol is accepted but even actively seeking them out to “normalize” their use of alcohol. 

Others may justify their use of alcohol as culturally acceptable given the time of year, despite how it may be negatively affecting them. While this does not necessarily start as something intentional, it can still result in a steady increase in alcohol use which can be difficult to notice. An individual may truly not recognize how much they are drinking, or how much their drinking may have increased during the season. 

Talking with loved ones and discussing potential treatment options with a dedicated treatment facility like Hawaii Island Recovery can empower each individual to understand their situation and make the best decision for managing their alcohol use or beginning a potentially necessary journey to sobriety, depending on the unique situation at hand. 

Whether an individual is planning for their first summer season in sobriety after graduating from a dedicated treatment program or is simply looking to live a healthy daily life this summer and challenge the conventions and use of alcohol, there are always options to explore. Talking with Hawaii Island Recovery’s dedicated professionals, or working to challenge one’s use of alcohol alongside friends and family can all begin a shift in perspective and attitudes that can promote a healthier summer season and a more fulfilling sober life. 

Planning for social gatherings of any kind can be instrumental in managing alcohol use this summer. Effective plans will consider multiple factors, such as:

Keeping to a schedule: An expected schedule of a particular social event includes knowing how long a person intends to attend an event and where a person will be during the event; for example, going to a barbecue between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Deviating from these schedules can not only introduce stress and cause an individual to more easily lose track of their expectations, opening up an individual to more potential stresses and challenges, but it can potentially cause an individual to lose track of their commitments managing alcohol if put in situations they did not plan for. 

Bringing your own drinks: Managing alcohol use is a personal choice, and for many, a great way to prioritize healthy and sustainable physical and mental health. However, an individual cannot always control what drinks may be available at a certain social event. Bringing one’s own drinks can ensure that an individual has control over what they plan to drink. This can also ensure that a person can access sober options to avoid being offered other beverages.

Knowing how to say “no”: Saying “no” to offers to engage with alcohol, whether an individual is pursuing complete abstinence or managing their use of alcohol and responsibly limiting themselves, can be difficult. Some may feel pressured to engage with alcohol not through direct peer pressure but by more passive pressures such as the environment seeming to celebrate use. Practicing how to answer the question beforehand and working with peers and professionals to turn down these offers and navigate the pressure to engage with alcohol when not planned is paramount.

Lastly, planning ahead also means knowing what to do if a social event does take an unexpected. Some social gatherings can be rather fluid in how they develop, and summertime can leave many opportunities for adding on activities or events that may cause a change in location, timeframe, and more. Having a plan to exit a party or gathering if things are not going as scheduled, as well as knowing who to call if stresses or urges to engage with alcohol become prominent, are important. 

For those living a sober life after professional addiction treatment, talking to peers in outpatient treatment can help each person create the most robust plan possible, using others’ experiences to better prepare for potential stresses and challenges that may arise. 

Staying sober and managing alcohol use is challenging. Being held accountable for one’s actions is paramount to embracing a new approach to daily life. Attending social gatherings this summer with a sober friend can help each person navigate stresses and challenges, all while holding an individual accountable for their behavior and decisions. However, just as a person may be held accountable for mistakes, such as engaging with alcohol unplanned or at all, a person can also be accountable for their successes and overcoming stresses or difficult situations that may compromise their goals, being a cause for celebration alongside understanding peers. 

Managing alcohol use also involves not just tracking how a person may or may not engage with alcohol at all this summer but also tracking how a person’s perceptions and attitudes around the substance may change throughout the summer. Journaling or talking with friends, family, or loved ones can help each person track how their attitudes toward alcohol may change. 

Writing down not just when an individual has urges and cravings but also the stresses and situations surrounding these feelings can be important. Others may engage with daily journals to track patterns, such as feeling more anxious following alcohol use, or noticing an increase in anxiety while attending social gatherings with certain people. Likewise, these journals can help each person set appropriate expectations for themselves and identify when these expectations may not necessarily be the healthiest thing for each person. 

Whether an individual is continuing to navigate their sober life or is challenging their use of alcohol and cutting back, managing alcohol use can be taxing. Self-care is a great way to not only address challenging feelings but also to replace time previously spent engaging with alcohol this summer. Exploring new hobbies, maintaining a healthy diet, and taking time to step back and rest are all parts of effective self-care. Summertime also has many opportunities for new experiences. Filling the extended hours with new, sober hobbies can be a great way to create new expectations this season while managing alcohol use. 

Being aware of the challenges that summer can present is essential for managing alcohol use. For many, managing alcohol use can be a great way to explore what a potential sober life may look like. Talking to a professional treatment facility like Hawaii Island Recovery about each person’s unique experiences managing alcohol use, the success of these efforts, and exploring personalized strategies for managing alcohol use while deciding on if treatment is right for them can all go a long way in making the summer season a healthy and fulfilling time. 

Alcohol use can be difficult to manage during the summer, and being cognizant of the risks that the season can present can empower you and your loved ones to address the stresses and challenges of the season. Overcoming alcohol use disorder and pursuing a life of sobriety is a long journey, and we at Hawaii Island Recovery can help you begin your journey to an alcohol-free life. Our residential alcohol treatment programs are designed to help you manage the stresses of daily life and seasons, while also exploring the most personalized approaches for your sustained sobriety. Our community of peers, backed by educated, caring professionals, can help you explore your best healing options. Learn more at (866) 390-5070.